Another upgrade project.

Renewing a number of ancient, medieval and fantasy collections has kept me quite busy these past eighteen months, on the plus side, it did rein in any expenditure for new figures. Time now to bring the same attention to the terrain. 

The four terrain mats, which vary in size and type, have worked well in the past, but for Christmas I decided to gift myself a new one from Baueda of Italy. This will take a few months before it arrives, then I realised the need to upgrade the current terrain collection to match that of Baueda, see their selection at their webpage. 

Practice makes perfect.

To test the steps required to reach the colour variation of a Mediterranean style mat, I used an old mat (24 in. x 24 in.) to experiment with. From the photo, you will see much of the electrostatic grass has disappeared leaving the ground colour exposed. 

 

Step by step.

Step one, I covered the entire mat, including the grass, with a coat of acrylic White household paint, covering the grass would add texture on what would otherwise be a smooth surface.

Step two, using a roller, I applied a coat of Warm Grey over the entire surface, though labelled warm grey it dries a nice earth tone.

Step three, Yellow Ochre (thinned with water) is applied with assorted sponges covering about 20 – 30 percent of the mat.

Step four, next Burnt Sienna (thinned with water) was applied sparingly using the same sponge technique as before. Before doing this, I tested the colour on white paper, gradually adding water to reach a suitable tone. Applied in parallel lines, this should suggest undulating ground. The final effect looked ragged with sharp edges and to correct this, I used Warm Grey to soften the edges.

Step five, mixing Warm Grey with Black, this was applied with a sponge to bring depth and variation of the ground before the last step.

Step six, as an experiment, I sprayed diluted white glue over the mat. This was followed by a light sprinkling of electrostatic grass covering about 30 – 50% of the mat. When thoroughly dry, a second thin coat of diluted white glue was sprayed to fix the grass in place. No need for the grass to stand upright, as the mat will be rolled and stored after use.

Test mat is complete, now everything is ready next week for the larger (120cm x 80cm) mat.   

Some thoughts.

After each application of colour, I let this dry a full day. This was done to ensure each subsequent application of diluted paint would not loosen the previous day’s work. White paper was used to test the quality and consistency before application. 

I found step three, Yellow Ochre, as not really necessary. Using Warm Grey, Burnt Sienna and the mix Warm Grey and Black would be sufficient for the final mat.