"Homemade Afghan/Arab/Bedouin Tents" Topic

Happy New Year, TMP!

It's been too long since I've posted an original thread here, so I'm happy to post this one. There's a ton of info and WIP pics on my blog, detailing the simple method I used to make some tents to represent the encampment where a Pathan Tribal force is pausing to rendezvous and regroup before deciding on their next move.

The battle I built the tents for is part of an ongoing NWF campaign being chronicled over on LAF since early last Summer. At some point myself or one of the other participants should repost the highlights here, since I think many TMP users would enjoy them. Hopefully starting this thread will inspire myself or one of my campaign allies or enemies to do so in the near future.

Back to the topic at hand, here's a LINK to the new post on my blog about building the aforementioned tents:

link

…and as always with me, here are some pics to whet your whistle and hopefully compel you to stop by for a visit, where you can see many more and, if interested, get some more details on the simple DIY build:

Very nice!

Great technique and great write up. I need some tents …

Great job as usual!

Those turned out nice.

Ethan,

I'm sure the Brom sisters would be delighted with your pukka pavilion.

Great job on the tents. They are evocative of what I saw in Tunisia in the 1980s.

Jim

Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

Jim, that means a lot coming from you, I really appreciate the thoughts. I'm a big fan of your blog. You & I only met a couple times in person, but next time I will ask about your time in Tunisia!

Always enjoy visits to your blog. The tent tutorial is really useful!

Awesome. Will steal it.

I've seen this done with thin cotton cloth (wetting it with 50:50, water:PVA Glue. It makes sense that it would work with paper, as well, using Mod Podge, which is similar to a water:PVA Glue mixture. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

Great job E, agreed, very evocative!!!! The attention to detail you put into your projects is commendable. Your tables are always magnificent!
I'm looking forward to the AAR from the upcoming battle.

Thanks again to everybody for their comments, and please steal away, that's the idea! Sgt. Slag -- when I was halfway done I realized I could have used some fabric scraps instead. I think for this particular design it might require curved frames in the front and back, which pipe-cleaners could work for -- or else maybe just use something to "form" the fabric into the curved shape while the PVA glue is drying. Of course the nice thing about the fabric would be the built-in cloth texture. I may very well try it next time, so thanks for mentioning it!

Sarge, thank you my friend, I'm looking forward to it too!

I've got a couple of Heroclix Giganta figures (giant Human Female figure, in a leopard-skin bikini) that I am converting to Storm Giants (AD&D monsters), and Storm Giantesses would NOT go out into the public wearing leopard-skin bikinis… I am planning to clothe them with the fabric and PVA Glue mixture, for some more appropriate dresses.

DM Scotty's YouTube channel demonstrated the cloth and PVA/Water technique in two videos on making Orc tents, several years ago (Part 1, Part 2). You are correct, you need some sort of form to use beneath the fabric to hold it in position until it dries and hardens -- then the form can be removed, if desired, and the fabric has not bonded to it. The fabric will take paint, once dry, as well.

I may take your approach and use Mod Podge -- simpler, no muss, no fuss, no mixing. Again, thank you for sharing. I really appreciate the post. Now, where did I put those Giganta figures?… Cheers!

Awesome work Mad Guru.
Your terrain projects always have the right feel about them.
Very inspiring.

Thanks for the link and added info, Sgt Slag! However you make your tents, I hope they turn out great and that you get around to posting some pics of them here at some point.

Chris… holy-terrain-master-moly! I don't know what to say, other than: thank you! Coming from you that means a great, great deal. You made my day -- also my year so far!

Inspirational stuff as usual. And your terrain is, as always cracking!