Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal

Originally Posted by Bren

Well that is fucking cool!

I lean towards adding a simple stonework pattern. If it is not too much trouble it might be worth seeing a small section with a pattern to see how it compares.

Thank you!

Great advice, too. I usually use a fine-point Sharpie to make the flagstone patterns that I do on the miniature's bases, but I agree with you - it is not simple, and looks very 'busy'. I think you're right - sample time!!!

Originally Posted by yosemitemike

The lighting makes the stonework look a bit flat and two dimensional in that picture. I think a stonework pattern would make it more visually interesting. It's hard to say without seeing it in person though. Things look different in photos.

Nope, you have it exactly! The tiles are very flat and two-dimensional; all they are at the moment are flat MDF with a coat of light stone colored paint. I'd like to do something to make them look a little 'cooler', but I'm not jumping up and down with glee at the thought of doing my usual hand-drawn-with-a-Sharpie flagstones - there's like a square meter or so of MDF to do.

I thought, this afternoon, that I might try an old theater trick; lightly dab on a slightly darker shade of paint with a coarse sponge, to add some 'visual texture' to the flats. It'd add some visual interest, but not be as overpowering as some of the treatments and textures I've used in the past...

Sample time, as the man said...

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Nope, you have it exactly! The tiles are very flat and two-dimensional; all they are at the moment are flat MDF with a coat of light stone colored paint. I'd like to do something to make them look a little 'cooler', but I'm not jumping up and down with glee at the thought of doing my usual hand-drawn-with-a-Sharpie flagstones - there's like a square meter or so of MDF to do.

I thought, this afternoon, that I might try an old theater trick; lightly dab on a slightly darker shade of paint with a coarse sponge, to add some 'visual texture' to the flats. It'd add some visual interest, but not be as overpowering as some of the treatments and textures I've used in the past...

Sample time, as the man said...

Your teaching me the "three foot standard" has made my model railroading considerably less stressful.

Although my finest moment was my response to somebody detailing the underside of his gondola car:

"If somebody can see the underside of one of my gons, things have gone seriously wrong."

I always want more cover for Bolt Action (Warhammer 1940k as the grognards call it). I was so looking forward to Mantic's modular brick terrain for Mars Attacks but sadly it's got peg holes, and solid windows with modern looking metal frames.

One thing I've contemplated doing would be to roll out a thin layer of plasticine on a thick board and impress brick or stonework into it in negative with a small tool. Then clamp battens around the sides, seal the corners, and pour plaster into the resulting tray. It's a combination of a technique I saw in an old doll house book and one Mongoose showed in Battle Field evolution where they were making thin sheets of plaster and then scoring and breaking them to make walls for buildings.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Your teaching me the "three foot standard" has made my model railroading considerably less stressful.

Although my finest moment was my response to somebody detailing the underside of his gondola car:

"If somebody can see the underside of one of my gons, things have gone seriously wrong."

Well, it's a sad but true fact that most of the time, a viewer is never going to get closer then three feet to most of one's model railway. I also liked John Allen's trick of super-detailing one or two cars, and putting them on a siding right up front where people could see them. The running stock was less detailed, so they didn't get broken and have to be repaired.

On the other hand, there's always Pendon:

http://www.pendonmuseum.com/

I face in the direction of Long Wittenham three times daily, and wish that I could ever be that good. I got to visit the place, and I literally had to sit down with me head between my legs to stop swooning. The shop is even better; I took home a suitcase of stuff from there!

(So, wadda ya think of the table? It's one of the games I was going to be taking to Lake Geneva, next month.)

Originally Posted by David Johansen

I always want more cover for Bolt Action (Warhammer 1940k as the grognards call it). I was so looking forward to Mantic's modular brick terrain for Mars Attacks but sadly it's got peg holes, and solid windows with modern looking metal frames.

One thing I've contemplated doing would be to roll out a thin layer of plasticine on a thick board and impress brick or stonework into it in negative with a small tool. Then clamp battens around the sides, seal the corners, and pour plaster into the resulting tray. It's a combination of a technique I saw in an old doll house book and one Mongoose showed in Battle Field evolution where they were making thin sheets of plaster and then scoring and breaking them to make walls for buildings.

Great ideas, here. I have a pile of the old 'Linka' molds that I've used a lot, as well as the plastic kits that are sold in the 1/35th market. My only thought about the plaster castings is if they'd survive the 'enthusiastic; hands of some of my players - I have to think a lot about survivability. I used to use dental paster in my molds, as it's a lot tougher then the Hydrocal I use on the railway...

I also looked at the classic 'building papers' that I love to use in my railway models - however, with a square meter to cover, it's just too expensive...

Originally Posted by Hermes Serpent

What I've done when modelling stuff for wargaming is photograph or scan an original of the surface I was going to be needing and upload it as a JPEG file. You can then print it out on to multiple sheets of paper and using thin glue paste it down on to a firm surface (the mdf sheets you are using) to give a realistic look to the surface. It works for posters and brick walls as well and can be cheaper than railway modelling paper sheets.

Nigel

Agreed! I'm hoarding the last of my building papers after a trip to the local hobby shop, where the stuff is going for silly prices. Much, much cheaper on your side of the pond!!! The plastic sheets from Evergreen are cheaper, but too regular for what I'm thinking of. The Missus, Queen of the Internet, took a look at your suggestion and has been wallowing in downloaded textures. We have a 27" color roll printer, so this might be the way to go. I think I'd want to coat the paper, though, for durability.

Time to experiment, and thank you!

Originally Posted by Big Andy

Did you have to special order the albino chlen in your picture from Gidj and Sons?

Since I mentioned them, did you ever meet Gidj or any of the Sons?

Not really; it's just in the flat white I use to primer everything. It gives the colors a nice little 'bounce', as Phil said that the colors on Tekumel are a little mode intense due to the way people like to decorate and to the brighter sunlight.

Yes, we did, on a number of occasions. We did some business back and forth, every now and then, when we had something to trade that they liked. And we dealt with them on other issues and matters, as well; something about having a device for visiting other worlds...