There is a simple way to break up this shadow. Apply more vegetation to the face. You don’t need your nose, cheeks, forehead, or chin to hide. You just need your eyes to see what’s going on around you. This shadow is caused by adding vegetation. Positive & Negative Space

Notice this ghillie suit is mostly tan. Tan is a good light base color. You can always darken your suit in the field, by attaching vegetation or getting your suit dirty. But if you have a dark base color like green, it’s hard to lighten that up when going through a tan field of wheat/goldenrod. The first step in making a veil is to cut a straight line on the brim across the forehead. This will prevent the Boonie from casting a dark shadow on your face while wearing the veil. Next, grab a scrap piece of netting and zip tie them onto the loops of the Boonie. (my zip ties are camo, look closely). If you’re going to be in the woods most of the time, include a little more green. If you’re in an area where there isn’t much vegetation, include more jute and things to break up your outline more. This is basically one big manly arts and crafts project. If it works, do it. Just remember, you can always darken your suit in the field, but if you bring a suit with a dark base color, it can be difficult to lighten it. Again, this ghillie suit is just a simple base idea. Tailor this suit to you and your environment. Add more jute, add more 550, some people take burlap sandbags and shred them up, using scraps to add texture to their suit. If you’re only going to be in a hayfield or fields of goldenrod, include much more tan than green.

Rothco Sniper Veil

Positive Space is anything that takes up mass. This can be buildings, trees, bushes, vehicles, obstacles, etc. If possible at all, it is difficult for an observer to see through positive space. The human eye naturally moves from positive space to positive space, as the eye is attracted to these large objects. Similar to reading a book, it’s typical for an observer’s eye to move from positive space to positive space from left to right, far to near. It’s just first nature to the human while observing. A ghillie suit must break up the human outline, and cover all 5 body angles to prohibit an observer from noticing and distinguishing the shape of the human body. Color The ghillie veil is by far the most important part of the ghillie suit. While you’re observing the enemy, some of your head is the only part of your body that should have a direct line of sight to the enemy. Many experienced scout snipers will only bring their veil with them, but only after mastering the technique of stalking. Some will bring their veil and blouse, opting to leave the trousers behind. These photos also show color, contrast/value blended well, but the texture is non-existent. (at least for the top half of my body). The lower half of my body shows how much contrast there is between my grey pants and the tan environment. Light (Reflecting, Sunlight and Shadow) The texture is the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or substance. Like color, texture has a baseline also. If an object has a surface that contrasts with its surroundings, it becomes noticeable. An Object with a smooth surface reflects light and becomes more noticeable than an object with a rough surface that casts shadows upon itself. Very smooth objects tend to become shiny and reflective. This is something to keep in mind when trying to get the right contrast and value for your environment.

Rhythm and Flow is my favorite of the 9 elements of visual perception. Many of these elements, such as color, are simply science. Your color(s) either match the baseline or they don’t. With Rhythm and Flow, you begin to steer away from the science of camouflage and dive deep into the art of camouflage. Do you, as a ghillie, blend beautifully with the environment? Does your suit bow to the wind like a light breeze rolling over a wheat field? The easiest way of doing this part is to grab a partner and work together. You should only need a partner for about 5 minutes, so you aren’t asking them of much. Have your partner drape the netting over your shoulders, and hot glue little cross-sections onto the blouse. I was originally going to use these photos as an example of improper use of shadows, so for now, ignore the fact that my face is casting a large shadow. In this position, I was laying on my belly and am resting on my elbows. Notice how my lower body has a tan grass covering and my upper body is covered in green grass. I did this because the baseline color of this environment is about 50% tan and 50% green. I didn’t want to be a huge green spot or a huge brown spot. The two colors I chose match perfectly with the environment and the baseline. The only element of visual perception that isn’t used properly here is the element of shadow, so cover the dark spot with your finger and notice how my outline and shape is impossible to determine, and the colors match the baseline perfectly so that I do not draw attention to myself. Contrast / ValueRhythm and Flow are the patterned, recurring alternations of contrasting elements, movement, or variation characterized by the regular recurrence or alternation of different quantities or conditions; a pattern created by lines, forms, and colors.