Two boards finished for the cause...

So the boards are finally done. I can play small games, Confrontation for example or perhaps 350 points Warmachine games. I'll try to get another couple of boards made soon for larger Warmachine and the like. I'm pretty happy with the construction and painting side of things, the flocking is OK but I think I need to figure out how to mix the colours a bit better.

Here's a couple of different layouts:

And some close ups...

Flocked!

My daughter and I managed to get the first of the terrain boards flocked yesterday afternoon. In case we don't get the second one done this weekend, I figured I'd post some pictures now. The first picture shows the variety of colours used. It turns out I forgot to use the main colour flock that I've used on other terrain pieces. I guess I'll have to "fix it in post" as they say.

To add the flock, I mixed up a 50/50 mix (doesn't need to be too exact) of PVA and water. Adding a drop or two of dish washing liquid helps to break the surface tension, allowing the glow to spread better and helps to avoid sharp edges where the glue stops. I applied the glue one complete section at a time. While it is possible to work in smaller stages, I always have trouble avoiding an obvious edge between such areas.

To start with, different colours / sizes of flock where added by taking small quantities in your fingers and scattering it in patches. Once this is done, the main flock colour is added over any remaining exposed glue. And left overnight. Just resist the urge to shake off the excess any earlier.

So time has passed, and in the morning tip the board up to shake off the excess flock - there'll be a lot of it. Tap the back of the board to dislodge even more. Once you're done, the excess can all be gathered up and put into a separate "mixed" collection of flock. On the next board I'll use this as my main colour. The photo below shows the board as it is now. I've added one of my other terrain pieces to a) show how they're used with this terrain, and b) show how I got the wrong colour flock :(

To deal to the second problem, I plan to add patches of more glue on top of the flock that's there, using the right colour this time. We'll see how it works. At that stage I also intend to add some static grass and longer grass to finish it of...

So much for step by step...

OK, so I got a bit carried away last night. Rather than taking step by step photos of each layer of paint, I just went ahead and pretty much finished the painting in one hit. There's a moral here - never let your best intentions get in the way of getting the job done :)

Anyhow, I finished lightening the colour on the main terrain, up through Raw Sienna to a colour nicely described as "Popcorn". I'm not completely happy with the colour progression, although it is similar to what I do for my bases. Next up, I hit all the rocks with a couple of greys to make them stand out a bit. This includes all the small stones scattered around the board. It helps to break the ground up a bit. It doesn't matter if you get some of the ground surface surrounding the stones either. In fact I think it looks better this way.

Finally the road got some colour, using the same set of colours used on the rest of the ground, working the brush primarily along the road, not across it. In the first photo below, you can see some of the colours I've been using in the bottom right hand corner.

It looks better with paint...

I've started to get some paint on my terrain boards, and it's amazing how much difference it makes. First up was a solid coat of black all over. For this kind of work I'm using standard acrylic paints, the kind that come in a squeeze tube for about NZ$4 from most book stores. If I was really keen, I'd use acrylic house paint instead - really durable but I just can't justify the expense at the moment.

The black I mixed up in a small jar, roughly a 1:1 mix of black paint and water, with some PVA glue added in to provide some additional strength. Watering the paint helps it to get into all the nooks and crannies. Later colours won't be watered down. Use a cheap 1" brush and layer it on. Once you're done, you'll probably need a smaller brush to get in at some parts of the rocks.

It'll probably need a good day to dry, and once it's done, you may find you'll need some touch ups. Next up was a coat of Burnt Sienna - just a few drops of water added to this one, and it's dry brushed pretty thickly onto all of the board. It should mostly cover the black, but still leave a bit showing. I did the rocks and road with this colour too. The picture shows what it looks like at this stage, where I've just started to add the next colour, Burnt Umber, to everything except the roads and rocks, which will receive a different colour build up.

Hopefully tonight I'll get another colour or two on it...

Texture and patience

Work has kept me busy the last few weeks, but I have been able to make some progress. The terrain boards are starting to look promising now...

In the last entry, the board's structure had been built, and the foam glued in place. Next I took some off cuts of foam and cut them into very gentle slopes. The main thing is to leave plenty of flat spaces to add separate hills / buildings, woods or whatever. We're just wanting a little bit of elevation to break things up.

These were glued in place, and then, where I wanted rocky outcrops, pieces of bark (from our garden) were added in place. Don't worry if this looks a bit rough at this stage, the next step will take care of the gaps between foam and bark.

My next step was to put the roads in place. This was done using filler (I believe it's called "spackle" elsewhere). It's just a form of plaster, which can be scooped onto the roads using an old knife or putty knife, and spread roughly in place. Then a damp brush is used to smooth it further, brushing in the direction of the roads. This gives a nice mud / cart track texture.

Also use the filler to take care of any gaps between the wood and foam, and to fill in the gaps between bark and foam hills. The picture below shows both of these steps. One piece of advice here. I made the mistake of not applying enough filler to the cracks between foam and wood. It really is worth your while to fill each and every crack. If the foam sits above the wooden frame anywhere, use a sharp knife to trim it back into line. That way the sand / flock we apply later will take much better.

Here's the boards finished to this stage...

Once the filler has had plenty of time to dry, the next stage was adding some texture to the surface. I used PVA or Wood glue with just a drop of water in it to help it flow. With an old 1 inch brush, completely cover an area - I left the roads uncovered. Next I sprinkle over a mixture of small stones and sand. I even mixed in some old coffee grounds. The main thing was to start with the bigger stuff, and finish with the finer sand, completely covering the boards. If you've got young kids, this is a great step for them to help with, as can be seen in the photo below. Wait for a few minutes then tip the boards on their side to shake off the excess. Once things are properly dry, tip the boards up and gently hit the back of them to dislodge even more of the sand. It's better that it comes off now, rather than later.

If you're lucky, that's it. I wasn't - I'm learning as I go - so I had to go back over the boards filling in sections that needed a bit more. Once all this is set, and you've knocked off excess, then mix up a 50/50 mix of water and PVA, and add a drop or two of dish washing liquid. Coat it fairly liberally over the entire board. This serves two purposes. First it helps the stand to stick better, and secondly it coats any foam that's still exposed. That's important, as next time I'll be spray painting the boards, which will melt any exposed foam! The dish washing liquid breaks the surface tension, and helps the glue flowinto the gaps.

Now I just have to wait for it all to dry - which given the weather today may take some time.