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Post by onethatwas on Nov 20, 2013 22:27:27 GMT
So I've been trying to find ways to save myself time (since I have little to devote to crafting) And space (since my house is tiny. Literally 4 small rooms total).
To this end, I thought to myself recently, "wouldn't it be nice if I didnt have to agonize over measurement precision as much? Dont they have half-inch wide dowels that i can use to easy measure my walls (the most tedious part of crafting imho)?"
So I decided to sacrifice some time today to get a dowel that is the required width of my prefered wall. In the process i also saw a splendid foot wide/2 foot long board made of redwood (dense as heck wood that can take a beating from razor cutting) that i can use as a lap board. Attach a wooden ruler to it and i have easy measuring for most projects.
So now I can shave off some of the tedious measuring bits when i need to cut out more walls (no more measuring half inch marks and drawing lines between points, hoping I measured precisely enough), and the lap board will save my small kitchen from becoming a disorganized work station and make measuring room sizes a bit easier with the tethered ruler.
Yay convenience. A bit costly to make crafting easier, but the ability to craft quicker is priceless...
Anybody else have simple tips for making the craft process easier?
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Post by thedmg on Nov 20, 2013 22:32:30 GMT
Hire underlings...
I always find producing all the required bits first and then mass assembling eveything works best.
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Post by DMNate on Nov 21, 2013 0:08:46 GMT
I agree with theDMG. I find it's quicker to form a sort of assembly line for my things. However, this may not be possible for all types of dungeons. It'd probably be tough to mass produce cavernous walls and floors.
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Post by ashrothedm on Nov 21, 2013 14:45:51 GMT
Multitask: I rip up sponges, break apart foam, cut walls, cut dowels, cut little bricks, etc. all while watching TV. If you have semi-idle time, you can use it for prep work.
Mise en place: Get everything you need to craft the thing you're working on in place and in the order you are going to use it. Just like the mass assembly suggestions above, put the things in place and burn through the build.
paint-by-color: Something I do is that when I need a color, any color, I use it on every tile that I think I am going to need it on. This one might be a little obvious, but if not, it can help. I don't paint one object or tile at a time, from start to finish, but I paint all of my blacks, then grays, then blues, etc. across all objects.
Work on more than one project at a time: I have a few aqueduct tile, river tiles, road tiles, treasure piles, and rock piles all in progress. While one set is drying, another set can get attention. Again, this might be obvious, but if you're waiting or focused on just one project, precious crafting time can be lost to idle time. It can take longer for a single piece to be ready, but overall, everything should be done in less time.
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Post by sgtslag on Nov 21, 2013 18:51:45 GMT
I take the Works In Process approach, to painting, and crafting, both. Learned it from an old Forge Smith(?) Dragon Magazine article from the archive (published before my RPG'ing debut). Anyway, it means that you work on what you want/feel like, when you have crafting time; discipline is still required, or you will never actually finish any project, drifting continuously, from one start-up, to another. It does, however, relieve much of the stress of working on a project, as you are not locked into only working on one thing, until it is completed.
I also work assembly-line style, wherever possible. When I put paint on my palette, I paint as much with it, as possible, until it is gone, starting with similar objects (all figures are grouped according to pose, so I can perform the same brush-stroke on each, in a row, until I am done with that group of poses, and that color of paint -- I paint armies, groups of 10-100+ figures, usually limited to 4-8 poses only).
For terrain pieces, I try to make several similar pieces, to maximize efficiency in painting, and crafting. It is not always possible, but it helps push stuff into the "finished" column, on my long, laundry list of projects. Cheers!
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Post by brokentoy on Nov 22, 2013 12:51:33 GMT
Assembly line as well; be it batch cutting, gluing, priming, painting or finishing touches, I try to group similar operations as much as possible.
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leolad72
Paint Manipulator
I am a DM; it isn't in my job description to "kid around"
Posts: 147
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Post by leolad72 on Nov 29, 2013 0:55:04 GMT
The right tool for the right job. Make or plan on making a lot of tiles? I went out and found a decent paper cutter. Similar to the big ones used in school, libraries, etc. It's got a gridded surface and the overall area is 6"X9". Saves me a lot of time and hand fatigue when cutting tiles, I can slice up walls and edging by the score, basic door shapes, etc.
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