|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:01:57 GMT
I never realized how awesome autumn is for crafters, when you do an afternoon walk with the family and come back with as many crafting materials as your pockets can carry!  *SNIP* Wow, wings! Extremely fragile, but still... perfect shape! I'll probably give them a glossy varnish and see what creatures will lend themselves to them. i.imgur.com/PslkoaM.jpgI finally got to experimenting with the wings... I used some that were colored different, but the effect is the same - and it surprised me quite a bit! i.imgur.com/HEqsqA4.jpgI painted 2 sets of 6 'wings' each, one set with pva glue and one with transparent acrylic gloss varnish. Both are now very flexible not not at all brittle anymore. I would have no problems of glueing them to a miniature and using it in play. But while the varnish looks as I expected it (well... glossy), the pva glue completely dissapeared! You don't see even a trace of it once it dried. i.imgur.com/gbVdW0l.jpgLeft wing without any treament, center: PVA glue (looks like the left one), right one: glossed (sry for the blur). So in the future I'll probably go with PVA glue, as it keeps looking natural after it dried. |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:02:15 GMT
Tauster if you do any science fiction role playing those parts of printer cartriges could be made into bulkhead reinforcements, fuel cells, and other machinery with the addition of straws or wires into holes in the pieces and the like. You could even make some trap like thing with the framing pieces! |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:02:37 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:02:57 GMT
I finally did something with my noodles... *ahem* I got two nice and weird-looking types of pasta...  ...glued them together, painted 'em black and drybrushed them with a metallic goldgreen:  Obviously I still have to paint the hotglue, but I figured I take some pictures now because they show better how this was done. Here's an example how I apply the 'one- bit-of-scrap-metal-glued-to-each-tile-and-dungeon-deco-piece-with-a-neodym-magnet-inbetween' - method: i.imgur.com/ConGwDc.jpgYou can barely see that the deco pieces are levitating a few mm above the ground. While this effect is neither wanted in play nor intended during the crafting, it not very distracting. And when all is painted up, this should be camouflaged even better. i.imgur.com/W26pDYU.jpgi.imgur.com/QfkSAb3.jpgPoplar twigs, treated with the same color scheme: i.imgur.com/VaIEIjv.jpg |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:03:49 GMT
I love the pasta idea. Do you have any concerns as to their fragility? No problems - both types are pretty sturdy. Nothing broke while I crafted them. Of course if you drop them, they will probably break... Or you could just boil them for 8 minutes, add some fresh garlic, olive oil, and a few shaves of parmigiano reggiano and BAM! Dinner is served. Urgh, I don't even want to think how you would feel after eating those painted stuff!  
But here's another thing, this time not found in the supermarket but on ebay (once again...). You all know those super-kitschy polyresin figures: faeries/elves, dragons, angels (the latter ones commonly used as chinzy decoration on graves)... They are perfect for us roleplayers! I found an ebay seller who got dozens of different models; here's some of his stuff. Some is not exactly cheap for our purposes, but some auctions are really cheap. I'll post prices for some sold autions, just for reference. All LED lights are color-changing. Add about 5 € shipping, plus 0,5 € for each additional auction after the first. dragons: 1) dragon head with LED ball. 12 cm high, 17.5 cm long (12,10 €) i.imgur.com/3VR0aTV.jpg2) dragon with crystal ball, 12,5 c high, 12 cm long (9,50 €) i.imgur.com/7Q1scLE.jpg3) dragon warrior with armor and sword that's too large even for a dragon, 20 cm high, 10 cm long, (9,38 €, another version ended at 5 €) i.imgur.com/B221nmG.jpg?1angels: 4) angel standing on rock, 21,5 cm high, 9,5 cm long (5,5 €) i.imgur.com/ncfoPxL.jpg?15) angel on pedestral, with LED light, 20,5 cm high, 10 cm long (6,1 €) i.imgur.com/USzmJBq.jpg?16) set of two angels, sitting in some kind of 'feather shell', with LED lights (11,95 for two pieces), i.imgur.com/UGw2Dxh.jpgAll LED lights are color-changing. Add about 5 € shipping. I got hold of all three angels and am still hunting for one or two dragons. This will probably add up to a total of a bit more than 30 € - which can't really be called cheap anymore - but here's what you get for that money: 4) This one is very high, and will make a outstanding centerpiece in a (ruined?) temple. If this was a miniature, it would have been priced way above 5,5 €! 5) & 6) I will probably convert the angels, carefully sawing the figures off so I can use those stands/pedestals otherwise. The figures will be used as statues (if you scratch them a bit and break off some limbs or even the head, you have great additions to a ruin set!), and the LED lights will surely find some nice use elsewhere. I try to get one or two dragons, but I'll limit myself to approx. 5 to 6 € each. I already have three smaller dragon statues (8-9 cm high), and one of these larger ones would be a nice centerpiece statue. If there's a LED light in, I might be using it either as is (after all, this is a great dragon magic effect that comes already built-in and requires no additional crafting!), or I gut it and use it elsewhere. It's probably not reasonable for most of you to buy from a German ebay seller, but here's his shop anyways: myworld.ebay.de/jl-warenhandel/There should be plenty of this stuff on eba.com or other national subsites, I guess. |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:04:08 GMT
I just saw one of miniGirl's new tutorials, where she shows some templates for brick surfaces that she sells on her website. tutorial: 4-PACK Mix Brick Stencil Templates: www.hobbyhottips.com/4-pack-mix-brick-stencil-templates/While the price is only 8 USD (and worldwide free shipping, something I learned to appreciate after the Bones II Kickstarter...), I immediately thought what materials to use for this purpose. I guess we'll find some packing materials and other free stuff... Of course I could make most of these stencil template simply by taking a strong sheet of plastic and really exactly working with a cutting knife or scalpell. With a hole puncher you might be able to recreate the round forms. Mind you, I don't want to cut in her business (I already feel bad for trying to find free substitutes *g*), but I always try to find some way to do things myself before I buy something. I really love her way to create the 3D-effect on bases, and I'll try to recreate that very soon (although I'll probably use clay instead of green stuff, if only for cost savings). I'll try to find a way how to do larger tiles with this, not only small bases. If I could find a way to 'stamp' a 10x10 cm area, I could make lots of modular tiles. Long story short, let's open the brainstorming! |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:04:23 GMT
As my inkjet printer was on strike, I had to clean the printhead today. After a few hours of sitting in a bath of cleaning liquid, the stuff had a deep blue-black color. Which immediately made me ask myself if this stuff could be used as color/ink for washing miniatures. I am leaving the pot with the liquid on the balcony (secured against the autumn winds - I don't want that stuff on my carpet!) so that some of the alcohol and other chemical solvents can evaporate overnight. I'm curious if this works out! Using leftover inkjet printer ink, highly watered down for washing effects - has anybody tried something like that before? |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:04:53 GMT
Here is a tip I found on a different site (not going to link as I'm not sure if that is frowned on). For those of you that have birch trees near you (or other seed pod producing trees), you can use the seed pods they produce to make tiny leaves. The seeds are always connected to tiny leafy looking parts. They look great for basing minis. There is a company I believe that I does this and sells them.  |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:05:07 GMT
Tauster, Have no experience using inkjet ink as a mini's wash, however, I will warn you that the ink is water-based, and it will dissolve, quickly, if it get wet, so varnishing may prove challenging, after you get it the way you want it. I would suggest a light application of a solvent-based sealant. Best of luck with the experiment. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a side bar, here is a link to a package deal, on Amazon.com, for an inkjet printer, plus a but-load of ink, for a very reasonable price (look for the bundle of printer + ink cartridges, two sets, below the main listing): link. I have not pulled the trigger, but my mother-in-law did, based on my recommendation (Computer Technician, 23+ years). I installed it for her, ran a photograph print test, and I am not-so-patiently waiting for my HP inkjet to run out of ink, so I can order this bundle myself! I have a lot of 2D FatDragon Dungeon Tiles, along with their Borderland Keep pieces, to print, and build, for my 2nd Ed. BattleSystem mass combat games... They suck ink cartridges dry fairly quickly, so this will be a sweet deal. Cheers! |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:05:27 GMT
Tauster, Have no experience using inkjet ink as a mini's wash, however, I will warn you that the ink is water-based, and it will dissolve, quickly, if it get wet, so varnishing may prove challenging, after you get it the way you want it. I would suggest a light application of a solvent-based sealant. Best of luck with the experiment. Thanks for the warning. Here's what I have done anyways... 1) 2 poker chips pasted with modeling paste to get waves. For better durability, the waves are actually pretty shallow; lightsource in the picture is very low and from the side for better visibility i.imgur.com/eAq4ZSd.jpg2) the test 'color': 2 different shades of blue; a mix of inkjet printhead cleaning fluid and whatever solved in that stuff (approx. 4 hrs each) i.imgur.com/QP3Wb68.jpg3) kind of basepainted with lightblue (regular acrylic color), stippled on only lightly. The left chip has already the first wash of the dark 'ink' on (picture taken a minute after whasing, so it's still totally wet). The right chip shows the basepaint (I want to wait with the washing to see the difference between washing on wet and dried basepaint ). Several pictures taken with different lighting variations. i.imgur.com/pnQNOWf.jpgi.imgur.com/XztLoiL.jpg
i.imgur.com/NUEvqWc.jpg 4) 1st base almost dry, 2nd base washed after basepaint dried. (ink is still wet in the picture) The difference between both ways: If you wash when the basepaint is still dry, the higher parts - in this case, the wave crests and most of the areas where the color does not pool, i.e. everything that is not a wave trough - will lose their paint to a degree. Again, two pics provided with different light settings so you can see better what I mean. And this is actually something quite valuable to know (at least for a paint noob like me). i.imgur.com/8cGuyGd.jpgi.imgur.com/CtP25Mv.jpgI'll edit this post to add pics of additional steps. 5) Update after 1 night of completely drying i.imgur.com/i2DdAI8.jpgi.imgur.com/XUv0bWR.jpgTwo shots in clear daylight... I like the left one definitvely better, so in the future I'll apply the wash immediately on the wet basepaint. Still I haven't experimented with the lightblue 'ink', so I will give the right base a good wash with it and see what happens. After that step I will try some white drybrush on it. The left one (my favourite) will be left alone as I am satisfied with it's looks. The lower one in the center is an earlier water base where I just stippled several colors over each other, also without waiting for each color to dry. Please ignore the glued-on metal scrap - I discovered only after gluing it on that the pokerchips have a magnetic metal core...  Thanks for the link, but I didn't mean to buy a new printer. I have a 10 year old model that is still working - apart from the print head I assume. Noname ink cartridges cost less than 1€ for each color, so I don't have a cost problem. However my next printer will be a color laser printer, should I ever switch. I simply have too many pdf ebooks that I would want to have printed out in a better quality than my old epson stylus color can provide. Btw: Both the brush and the aluminum can could be washed out completely - the color did not cling to it. So it seems you won't ruin your brushes with that stuff. ...oh, and since this is the 'lets keep those junk and do something with it!'-thread, here's another little thing: If you have cat like me (or a dog), you probably have recognised those aluminum cans. They are perfect for mixing colors in, and can even be washed out times and again. |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:05:43 GMT
I have just started creating dungeon tiles so my collection isn't up there quite yet but i have used tea bags strings for my spider webs terrain. I also have pics of some other stuff i have collected and actually put together quite easily. I have used the bottom of a french fry container as well as a lid that went on a chili container. I also have deconstructed a empty pack of cigarettes and used that as well. When i look at something now i wonder what it could be used for and usually as i start brainstorming it just slaps me in the face![]() .
I hope yall enjoy theses ideas.
|
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:06:06 GMT
I have just started creating dungeon tiles so my collection isn't up there quite yet but i have used tea bags strings for my spider webs terrain. I also have pics of some other stuff i have collected and actually put together quite easily. I have used the bottom of a french fry container as well as a lid that went on a chili container. I also have deconstructed a empty pack of cigarettes and used that as well. When i look at something now i wonder what it could be used for and usually as i start brainstorming it just slaps me in the face![]() .
I hope yall enjoy theses ideas.
Some creative upcycling in your dungeon, I like that! I started collecting all kinds of containers (food, cosmwetics, electronics, etc) about 2 years before I came to crafting roleplaying terrain because I was heavily interested in crafting steampunk stuff. Now all these things won't be reborn in another victorian age flux compensator but as dungeon or cave parts. Which is just as well for me. And since trash & junk is almost everywhere, there are always these tiny voices screaming 'take me with you, use me in some project, save me from going to the landfill!' that I most of the time have to ignore. If nobody looks and I have something with me to put this stuff in, I can take it with me. But that is rarely the case - I don't really feel like rummaging in trash in front of others (especially not in my neghbourhood where those others know who I am), so I have to let 90% of those cool stuff go to waste, quite literally. But that's the crafter's dilemma I guess... |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:06:28 GMT
Since I watched miniGirl's tutorial/ad for stamping 3D structures into bases, I was looking for some stuff I could use... Here's what I cam up with today. The clay is still drying, so painting will be done in a couple of days.  Plaster i.imgur.com/heWwDlT.jpgI really like this effect and can't wait to hit it with color! I found several meters of rollen mesh in the workshop and pressed in the clay using the rolling pin (wrapped in foil to avoid getting clay on it). i.imgur.com/Aia4Moi.jpgNot sure how I'd call this, but it looks very organic, a bit like honeycombs: grown but still kind of regular. i.imgur.com/Inpd77n.jpgGuess what I used to create this... If you really want to guess, don't click on this link: i.imgur.com/XN33xGG.jpgSeveral ornaments i.imgur.com/2W6CA51.jpgI have a bag of old passive cooling fans that I had intended for steampunk projects. Turns out they good for other things too! i.imgur.com/8rZG6gV.jpg |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:06:53 GMT
Found a new pasta type in the supermarket: i.imgur.com/M5lexWS.jpgNot really cheap (1,60 € = about 3 times the price when compared to the usual low-budget pasta bags), but still nothing that breaks your crafting budget. However if you look at price per piece, it's unbeatable. And you'll never need even half of such a pasta bag, no matter how large you craft your dungeon. [update/addendum] I absolutely love these wavy, undulating edges! First thing that came to my mind was a creature that flies through the dungeon. You can use it in whatever terrain you want: - give it a sand colorscheme and it can sail over desert dunes. - a camoflage-like paintjob would make it the horror of a forest or jungle environment - white and lightblue with a pearlescent finish for an snow, ice & frost theme. - weird, vivid colors for the plane of faerie - flying fungus critter, anyone...?  Several demented ideas for such a creature: 1) It's a quite slow flyer that ambushes it's prey. It hunts by shooting/dropping paralysing slime gobs at victims, then slowly lowering itself over the paralysed but fully aware victims and slowly digests them. Has a soft body that is very easy to kill. Paralising slime can be harvested for various ...evil porpuses. Or antidotes, if you want to be generous to your good aligned PCs. 2) As above, but it hunty by simply dropping on its prey and paralises it with the touch of it's underside. Imagine several kg's of some wet, leathery thing landing with a *splash* on your head. Do not imagine how it first paralises you, then slowly crawling over your body and leaving burned skin behind. Ugh... 3) Psionic predator bred by illithid or aboleth. I'll probably go for the latter - I still need some stuff that makes aboleth truly shine. Or glisten, if you will... Or simply divide one piece of paste lengthwise and glue it on some cave wall or the ground - it makes a great stationary fungus growth. ...even if I like the flying creature idea much better, just for the weirdness of it.  |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:07:13 GMT
Not a pure roleplaying game-related thing, but a fun project nontheless. I'm sure we can come up with encounters using something similar like that. Further ideas: 1) Use a smaller glass, you can have some cool magical effects in your encounters. There are tons of glasses with cool shapes out there. Apply transparent hotglue, cackle paint and/or some light colors. 2) If you need something that emulates flames/fire, use these small, flickering LED tea candles. 3) Use these super-cheap battery-powered LED light chains instead of solarcells, so you don't have a visible solarcell (bad for suspension of disbelief) but a small battery box that you can hide under a fake rock. I'll post some examples here (hopefully soon) - if you have done some LED-based crafting, please share your stuff! [update A] 1) and 2) combined: i.imgur.com/pi5ZHzr.jpg[update B] Not exactly game-related, but I'll share it anyways... The tutorial inspired me to make a 'glowing book'. i.imgur.com/UdcVKxR.jpgi.imgur.com/P9Mc3ws.jpgi.imgur.com/DTmUjFB.jpgI have some really old books around and took a rather large one, a Brockhaus Encycolpedia from 1886 with a beautiful stamped book case and gold-lettered spine (you can get these beauties really cheap on ebay or in some stores). I cut some cardstock to fit in the book - actually a bit smaller than the pages - and glued aluminum foil on oe side (first time I used spray glue - this stuff seriously rocks!). Then I taped a cheap battery-powered LED chain on and folded the cardstock in half. When placed on shelf half-open with the foil reflecting the light, I now have a wonderful 'glowing book' that illuminates my wall. Not nearly enough light to read by but great for setting the mood. And the best thing is that the book is not harmed; I can use any other large book just as well. Crafting time: less than 20 minutes. Cost: 6 € for the LED (which is way overpriced; after I got this one,I found tons of cheaper offers elsewhere). |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:07:36 GMT
This time it took me only two days to turn newly collected material into ... something. Normally, things sit on my table for weeks and months waiting to be touched by knife, hotglue and paint... Without further ado: Behold the flying noodles of doom!  If you already have some bases and stands for flying creatures, this takes almost no time at all: Pick some material for the eyes, glue it on (blow on the hotglue until it dries, forming the eyestalks) and glue some piece of magnetic metal (or a magnet) on the belly. Add some texture with hotglue to the back - and you're done. 15 minutes for all six pieces, I would say. Making the fly stands took much longer (approx. 30 min) |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:08:01 GMT
Oh I'm going to have to make some of those for an Xplorers game! Much better than flying pancakes from Star Trek! Are the flight stands plastic fork tines? Thanks! I find their shapes hilarious, with the undulating sides and the eyestalks. But I'll give them different sets of powers that will quickly erase any trace of laughte from the party's faces. Those guys might be level 11-12 and have fought very powerful foes so far, but that doesn't mean they should smirk at flying spaghetti monsters! I recently found that all those different pasta typed are incredibly useful for us crafters, and that eye-opener, whenever I'm in the supermarket, I check not only the non-food aisles but also the pasta shelves. Sadly, the more exotic the shape, the more expensive the pasta bags. But we're still talking about less than 3€, so what's expensive for food is dirt-cheap for crafting material. At least that's what I tell my wife... I used clipped-off plastic fork handles for the flight stands. The tines I saved for later use, probably as icicles for a arctic-themed cave. |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:08:21 GMT
I've painted up some of the flying pasta monsters. Nothing fancy, just darkblue basepaint and some lighter shades of blue whashed and drybrushed ofer it. I wanted to go for some exotic color scheme, but this seems easier said than done - I just can't come up with a color combination I like!   So a darkblue colorscheme means these critters will be in some way water-related. Ah well... Another type of pasta, this time funnel-shaped with an undulating edge similar to the flying pasta monsters. I glued 2 to 4 of them together and painted them up black with purple-brown dots and muddy green with yellowish-green drybrush highlights. Quick and easy and not very creative (boring color schemes, my weakness...), but they have a very nice shape, so I'll probably will make some more at some time in the future.  Close-ups: i.imgur.com/Ytt6l0c.jpgi.imgur.com/OpPt7Ps.jpgAnother thing: I found smoe plastic parts in an old shed... The bag holds several thousands of them, so I try to come up with something to do with them. If you have any idea, please post! Inner diameter: 0.9 cm Outer diameter: 2 cm Height: 1.2 cm  |
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 7, 2013 21:10:38 GMT
I copied (quoted) all the content from the original thread in the old message board.
Please do not use the old thread for any further postings, as I will not transfer them to this one.
All new postings will appear only here in the future.
|
|
|
|
Post by tauster on Nov 24, 2013 12:56:31 GMT
Playing with pasta never seems to get old...  Another funnel shape for weird Underdark fungus-growth.   |
|
Cheers!