Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Friday Quick Tip: Paper Tarps
By: grey_death



With the talk of objectives over on FTW, I've decided to feature a major part of how I go about making my own. Using paper for tarps and cloth has been around for a long time, and a lot of people use this method extensively for both tanks and terrain alike. Such an important technique cannot slip through the cracks here on The Painting Corps!



I use Tamiya's 1/35 Jerry Can Set and a 40mm base for my objectives. They are just the right size and are perfect for just about any army to fight over. And the 40mm base is the apparent standard around the web for Tournament style objectives.



Once assembled I glue them all in place in a manner that gives me a good amount of vertical variation and just a little bit of story. Here the 'story' is conveyed by the broken bucket on it's side, inferring the stockpile has been here for a while unkempt.



You'll need some watered down PVA glue, and just a bit of paper. I've taken to using a certain fast food restaurants take out bags, the texture is great and the paper is heavy enough to not just tear and rip apart when trying to press and push it into place.



When sizing your tear of paper, make sure you leave a little bit more than you think you'll need. you can always crumple it up along the base later and give it a more natural look. Too little and you'll have a towel instead of a tarp!



Dip the tear of paper into the watered down glue mix. A pair of tweezers will make things a lot easier as well. Between using them to dip the paper in the glue, hanging it to drip dry and using the slightly dulled edges to help push the paper into place later, they're an invaluable help with the entire process!



Drape the paper over your model and use your tweezers to get it roughly into place. Once it's over the spot you want it to be, use a wet paint brush (larger brushes work well for this) to help adhere and form the paper to the surfaces. Use downward brush strokes to get a more natural look over the objects (gravity and all!).

Be sure you let the paper dry thoroughly before even THINKING of priming and painting! But luckily all that time you wait for it to dry will be paid back ten fold by the ease of painting it. Use drybrushing and washes to paint your tarp and the natural texture of the paper will show through nicely.

Like I've said, this technique has wide ranging possibilities, and it's a great addition to any repitiore of modeling tricks. Best of all, it's nearly free.

What kind of projects can you think to use this on or have used something similar on?

gotta love using this trick


just kinda of an addition or side note here:

if your GS skills are not the best or you dont use it, this trick can be used to make robes / hoods / capes.
done with the same method, simply pulled about with tweasers until it looks right.
also, with capes it helps to hold the cape in possition with something until its dry.

Hmmm... I wonder... how effective could this be at making capes and cloaks...

Nice work Grey_Death!!

BTW you could also use this method for making tents, and some people use the paper from the shoebox.

You can also use tarps for making ghilly suits for sniper units. Imagine a converted Ratling sniper with a camo tarp over it lying prone on a 40 mm base.

interesting...

Not to nit pick, but a ghillie suit is not a tarp. It is a suit that is covered with 3-dimensional frills, such as strands of burlap or jute string. In the service, some of us with high enough marksmanship scores were trained to make these. I was not one of them, but I had a good friend (my squad leader) get selected for the course. If you wanted to make a ghillie poncho for a sniper, making the tarp would work as a base, but then you might glue some static grass over the top. That actually sounds like a good idea, anybody willing to try it?

Fafnir wrote:Hmmm... I wonder... how effective could this be at making capes and cloaks...

Why don't people read posts before posting? Dude... Look up ONE post.
/headdesk


I used this technique many years ago to make Air Recognition flags for my German WWII tanks and for rolled up tarps/stowage for tank detail. This has many fine applications.
Nice tip, Grey.



Ghidorah

FoxPhoenix135 wrote:Not to nit pick, but a ghillie suit is not a tarp. It is a suit that is covered with 3-dimensional frills, such as strands of burlap or jute string. In the service, some of us with high enough marksmanship scores were trained to make these. I was not one of them, but I had a good friend (my squad leader) get selected for the course. If you wanted to make a ghillie poncho for a sniper, making the tarp would work as a base, but then you might glue some static grass over the top. That actually sounds like a good idea, anybody willing to try it?

I had a friend take static grass and place it on the snipers cloaks in a downward fashion with multiple types and it looked really good

If you use curtain netting with the paper, you can make some pretty cool textured tarps. Just put the netting in the PVA with the paper and with a bit of practice, it should come out looking OK

A gauze 2x2 or 4x4 from a first aid kit... or rolled gauze, whatever. Works really well in that capacity too. Just add paint to the PVA water mixture and let the gauze soak it up.
Used that for individual camo as well as camo netting on some old historical vehicles.