Terrain Sheets & Flags

So today - in between dealing with painters, carpenters, pool shops, and all the million and one trivia that life imposes, I took advantage of a 30 degree (C) day..

I was collecting the whipper-snipper from the repair shop, went to look for the mixing bottle for 2-stroke, and there in the shed was the 'Tuscan' paint from about 1974...    Being of a curious disposition I of course wondered if it was any good after 40 years..  with an immense tussle I finally overcame the rust and the can..   and with a shake or a hundred.. now - what to use it for?

Of course! - the terrain sheet I worked on several years ago, a simple beige sheet sprayed with 'Brunswick Green' - in a patchy pattern. Tuscan is perfect for dry dusty roads. Some hunting around - and I had a few suitable paint-pots:

Some mixes from the home store - and some cheap artists acrylics...

Pegged out on the grass....   waiting for the paint to dry and dull down a bit... very watery so it is just suggestive, and even better, on the other side is much more 'beige' so much better for dull and dusty climates.

I tried to keep the shapes and sizes neutral enough to work for 6mm & 15mm European theatre. I was aiming for something that looked like an aerial photograph...  it sort of works....

And then I decided to do some Pictish/Pre-Feudal Scot flags. I have a very simple technique, just make up patterns, (or 'borrow' them from elsewhere) - print out to the right size, apply white glue and bend around brass rod or similar into a realistic shape, then paint out major colours and patterns - using the printed version as a guide.. In this case I grabbed the Pictish Horse & Z-Symbol rune, added some colour - Bob's your Auntie's Husband.

So here they are.. printed, glued, crumpled around a brass road, and just awaiting some paint to look the part.