"A Textured Paper Decoupage Table!" Topic

Wow, this might give a few of you creative types some ideas …

… but perhaps on a light stretched fabric canvas frame, or a framed cork pin board?

link

NOTE: Now, just imagine doing this BUT with hand-torn irregular "strips" of embossed paper sheets that already have all sorts of different raised texture patterns.

Dan

Desert terrain. Alien desert terrain. This is not fair, Dan. It's nifty, but it's not fair…

Oh, and thanks, by the way…

Or go with the "crackled paint" look in some of those areas:

Seems like PVA glue and a little glue gun smears here and there can do wonders to that crackle paint stuff:

link

link

Or … You could go the fantasy-ancient planet ruins route, and start off putting down 12" x 12" sheets of embossed cobblestone ("pebbled") paper over the stretched fabric can we, and just lay down the small crumpled paper pieces over the joints, as if the floor was partially covered with dirt.

Dan

Interesting article. Thanks

Ooo… nice!

Yes and after that you can put your signature in the corner and sell it to some art affectinado for plenty moolah too ;D
Thanks there Dan lots of good ideas BTW I'm already collecting paper egg cartons for some paper mache terrain these ideas will be added to what I want to try out.

Great fine there Dan,

I think I would just stick with the Decoupage seem way more simpler!

Doug

Doug,

This lady makes the "crackle" technique look really easy:

YouTube link

Of course, I wouldn't worry about what colors I use. I'm really going more after the texture effect.

I would spray paint the whole thing with primer afterwards, then dry-brush.

Dan
PS. This guy cracks me up!
YouTube link

OMG, check this out … from "Terranscapes":

YouTube link

YouTube link

Dan

Dan
I like the look of the decoupage for a desert board, could do the crackle paint for dried water hole.

Doug

"Crackle paint for dried water hole"

Good idea!

Dan

Could also do it for a dried stream bed or river bed as well, just saying.

Doug

I wonder how layers of pink board would look being decoupage with brown paper? Huummmm…..

Would be lighter then covering it all with Spackle and alike, with a tougher coating.

I really like Terranscapes plateaus

Definitely lighter than spackling. No question about that.

The problem would be warping as it shrinks the surface with the decoupage. That's part of the reason I proposed using the technique with something like a framed canvas or a framed cork board.

Dan

If you made a wood under frame with a 1/8 inch hard board sheet then attach (glue)the pink board to that like many people do, that could prevent warping from the decoupage drying.

I think the key is a hard and stiff backing.

Inspiring post and comments, thank you!

Your Welcome, Gunbrid

I'm going to give this all a try, after I build my gaming table. Then I post my findings I really like the look of table above I really think it will look great for a desert terrain.

Warmonkey,
That should work, it's like when one soaks a canvas for painting over a wooden frame and let it dry to stretch to an almost drum skin tautness.The main issue would be the choice of the backing material,as hardboard will deform and peel when subjected to moisture perhaps plywood or melamine covered hardboard would be a better choice.
Sealing the wood with pva or varnish would also help. At the moment I'm experimenting on pitting texture on cloth which has the added benefits of portability and better storage.
Z

I planned on coating the hard board and frame with a varnish just for those reason, to protect it from moisture, I will sand the top side to the frame for better adhesion when I glue the pink board down to it.

WarMonkey,
That would indeed make a difference .
I assume you are going to use pink foam for its top texture.

Look up papermache( or as it is known locally cartapesta) ,it is very similar to what you are after or look up the stuff they build carnival floats out of.
Basically most of them are newspapers + pva on a chicken wire skin over a wooden frame.

Z

For the painting canvas frame idea, here are some results and tips from several gamers who have given it a try:

link

Dan

Z: "That should work, it's like when one soaks a canvas for painting over a wooden frame and let it dry to stretch to an almost drum skin tautness."

I like that drum skin analogy a lot!

Not sure when. But if I go this route, I would have to first try a test with a small 9" x 12" unpainted framed canvas my wife never used. And it the concept works after the layers of paper and the paint dry, then I'll start buying the stuff for the 24" x 36" I would need.

Dan

Glad you like it Dan,

It is basically a system that has been used since the cavemen, take a strong straight stick, a hard flatish pebble and some tanned hide strips. The strips are used to tie the pebble to stick tightly, then they are soaked and as they dry they tighten even more.If I'm not mistaken American Red Indians used this system to do their drums with wet hide stretched on a frame ( sorry for the history lesson :)) but we have forgotten a lot of skills which can still be useful.

Just keep in mind that a drum's frame(I have a pair of tom toms)is solid, stronger wood,whilst that used on canvas is thinner and flimsier and so less strong, i.e. that is why a drum is much tauter than a canvas.

Hope this helps and thanks for the links , loads of useful info.
Z

That seems interesting, would like to find a good way to back the canvas better.

Here's a what if, if you make a frame of wood with cross members then attach the foam core sheet to it, then stretch the canvas over that, that should stop any sagging, I think you would get a very light weight board that might be able to survive some years of use that has a low cost that would have very little to no warping.

You could then do a decoupage of brown paper or tissue paper to get the effect of the photos above, that could just be another hard layer of protection.

Doug

Zruneload
Yes I want the pink foam for doing terrain relief, I hate just plain flat gaming boards, when you could have streams, ditches, gullies, washes, rolling hills, plateaus and mountains.

Did I leave anything else out?

Doug

Warkonkey,
If I were to do it I would steer away from only canvas.Even if,as you have said ,you would put cross members( X or + pattern or both )it will still be very prone to puncturing and tearing. Canvas is normally used for painting because it offers "springyness" when painting oils for e.g.

I would personally make a frame from 3" x 1" wood ( you could use wood from scrap pallets ),fit a sheet of hardboard with melamine facing and then stretch the canvas on it. Another thing when you stretch canvas use non corroding fasteners as the canvas will loose tension if they come off.

Oh , and yes pink foam can be used as a base for papermache also

Z

For a slightly different project, I used a pre-prepared canvas frame from a thrift shop and with a little reinforcement underneath, it has turned out to be a sturdy and light bit of terrain.

‌"TMP link

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Nothing is finished, of course. One day…

THAT'S it! That's exactly what I was proposing. I'm glad to see the concept is more than just an idea.

And it looks great too!

Thanks,

Dan
PS. That's a fantastic way to create a "Venice"!

I was really pleased with the effect.

I started on this after an excellent game of Empire of the Dead with some NWA link guys at Little Wars Melbourne t littlewars.com.au They had made a bunch of Victorian wrought iron-style bridges out of card that linked up a series of these 'islands' (although they used MDF boxes, not canvas stretchers).

I could see Venice working really well – all those gondolas to leap over!

Nice set up great job

Ahh worded that like it was mine – this is the set up at Little Wars, not mine. I wish!

I used some crackle medium mixed with sand and got this.