Cloth/material options?

[Darren]

Hi,

Wasn't sure where to post this, and no luck with a search.

I am very slowly getting into figure painting, and for a couple of planned builds wanted to use actual cloth material - one for an umbrella, one for a flag.

Now, I could paint resin for these but wanted to add some damage, etc so figured actual cloth would be good.

Aiming for 75mm scale, obviously it needs to be very fine and without thick weave.

So keen to see what others use. Silk, scale sailcloth, other materials? Or something like a thin paper, foil, or alternative product? Actually, typing it now, foil might be good as I've seen that used for flags?

Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks,
Darren

 

[Nap]

Hi Darren

Nice to see you posting, a good question ......

couple of suggestions lead sheeting which can be cut and shaped , I would use a foil , might be to delicate though

Another is to use a 2 part sculpting putty like Magi sculp or Greenstuff , rolled out and shaped , you could use actual material to get any required texture

Moved this so hopefully more will comment

Have a fun time

Nap

 

[Ferris]

You could use aluminium foil, copper foil or lead foil (from older whine bottles). These will be sturdy and keep their shape well.

Like Nap says, an alternative is putty rolled thin. To do this you need to use plenty of talcum powder to stop the putty grom sticking and a heavy rolling pin. If the putty is allowed to pre-harden a bit (say an hour for Magic Sculpt), it is far less sticky. After rolling, let it harden another hour and it will be strong enough to widthstand folding and will hold its shape. Mount after full hardening.

In 75mm scale I wouldn’t use real cloth. Think it looks ‘dollhouse’, out of scale and will not hold its shape well.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Adrian

 

[Alex]

Copper sheet is what I use

 

[Banjer]

I've only done it a couple of times but had good results with copper, the most notable success was the lance pennant on the Almond Polish Hussar. The white metal one bent the lance over time.

Bill

 

[DEL]

Wine caps are good and some even have texture. If you know anyone in a long establised architect firm they might have some old very fine weave printing linen lying around from the days before CAD and IT.
Simply cut to size, soak and lay over formers, as it dries it will retain shape. Great for pavilions, tents and tarps too.
Individual threads can be teased out and tears and holes look pretty convincing battle damage .
Derek

 

[Mirofsoft]

Silk in mix of white glue ( for wood ) and water 50/50

 

[Darren]

Thanks all! Some awesome suggestions and many I hadn't thought of, including copper and printing linen. And will have to have a go at rolling Milliput really thin.

Cheers,
Darren

 

[Blind Pew]

Hello, mate. For anything like that, I'd use foil. It's cheap, maintains its shape well and is easy to use. I use foil lids that often come with foodstuffs, although they're getting rarer these days. Have a play and see what suits you, that's what modelling is about...

 

[pkessling]

In the old days, drafstman used “drafting linen.” A very fine linen with a sizing. I was lucky enough to get several sheets back when I was painting. You can actually dissolve most of the sizing with water. Leaving a very finely woven cloth. Made terrific in scale flags. Draw the flag on it, shape it with water and then paint.
Used to use nylon rope for plumes, manes, tails, etc. Unravel the white nylon rope, comb out with a brass brush, color with a permanent marker, shape with water. Once dry it stays in whatever position you created.

 

[theBaron]

Del and Phil, you guys beat me to it on drafting linen!

 

[clubcat]

paper pattern tissue coated with paper varnish. then paint on your design. then spray mist and fold gently

 

[balder]

Another thing you could try is to start with a paper napkin or tissue and gradually coat it with uv resin. I had a lot of luck making a draped tapestry with this method. Slowly work in a fold, coat it with the resin, hit it with a uv flashlight, and continue. I used to use pva glue but it takes so long to dry. I used to use CA glue but the tissue is very brittle after and breaks easily. With the uv resin you have plenty of time to arrange your “cloth” since the resin doesn’t cure until you hit it with the UV. And it’s pretty strong too.
-Gerald

 

[Darren]

Thanks for the additional ideas - definitely some experimentation coming up. Gerald, the UV resin is a clever idea too, I have some so will give it a go.

I did try and search for drafting linen with no luck - guess it's one of those things that some people were lucky enough to have lying around (I have plenty of vellum with old ship plans on them, but never got hold of linen).

Part of the enjoyment is trying new processes and techniques so looking forward to trying a few things.

Darren