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SotonShades
11-03-2012, 02:29 PM
Good evening folks and folkettes!

Well the title says it all really. Taking inspiration from the board shown in the 6th Ed rulebook and a recent WD article, I am going for it. Despite all its many, many faults, I do like the Realm of Battle Boards (RoBB) and look forward to the expansions GW were so keen on telling us would be coming. I'm even tempted to save up for a set of the FW boards. Maybe some of the Zone Mortallis ones as well... I'm going off on a tangent. Yes, the original RoBBs.

Mine have been painted brown for a few years now and have recently been sitting rather forlornly in the garage. I just couldn't think what I wanted to do with them to make them interesting to fight over and as a result I really wasn't bothering. Seeing the swamp just made something click in my head about how I wanted to do them.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8183/8150963112_55f1861704_c.jpg

Very much a work in progress, but a good start and has given me a bit more confidence to push forward with the project! I've used spray paints in a couple of different shades of green to be the murky swamp waters, with the brighter shade being where sand banks and shallows show through. I sprayed all of the low areas of the board with the darker green, followed by doing a few random blobby shapes in the lighter green around the shore line, the skull pits and any areas where the darker green hadn't covered too well, then used the darker green again to soften the edges of the lighter areas and give better definition to a few of the other spots.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/8150937453_e3a56ce5f7_c.jpg

I tried to keep the lines as natural/curvy as possible, even while working around the cracked earth. I plan on filling the cracks in with some clear lacquer or something. Hopefully they will just look like they are at the bottom of the pools of water.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/8150935651_afb87a8094_c.jpg

For the skull pits, I plan on painting the skulls as you would normally, then giving them whole pit a very heavy green and brown wash, before filling them with the clear lacquer as well. I'll then go over the whole thing with some form of water effects (probably not the GW one as there just isn’t enough in a single bottle!) to give it a more cohesive look.

As you can tell, I really need to touch up the brown. I still have a huge amount of the original brown paint I used to paint it first time round. I will probably mix in a load of fine sand and go over all of the non-water areas to give miniatures more grip on the hills, as well as touching up the shore lines.

I have never done water effects on this kind of scale before, so any helpful tips will be more than welcome. Any other comments, criticsm, advice or questions are also great. Hopefully I'll be getting on with the skull pits soon. More pics then.

Shades

Deadlift
11-03-2012, 02:37 PM
Amazing, a very original use of a board. I still have to paint mine and this is a good kick up the backside. I love the contrast between beach areas and the water. Looks very neat. Job well done :cool:

ted1138
11-10-2012, 11:11 AM
Ok, I now feel very bad about not using my board for so long. Good luck finishing this off, it looks absolutely amazing... :)

SotonShades
11-11-2012, 03:54 PM
Cheers guys.

Apparently I am unable to concentrate on a single project at a time at the moment, so this evening I've been painting the now underwater skulls. Far, far too many wash layers and highlights, but I'm liking the effect I'm getting. Only two or three more layers to go (I think) so I might get some pics up tonight or tomorrow.

SotonShades
11-14-2012, 02:55 PM
I've got to say, I have never enjoyed painting so many skulls this much before! Not in too much of a mood to waffle tonight, so straight on to some pics.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8340/8186155260_99884fcd2e_c.jpg

Skulls at the shore line.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8065/8186149034_aaaeaa5b16_c.jpg

I might have to repaint the rocks in this pit. Part of me wants to wait and see if adding the water effect will help, but obviously by then it will be too late. Dare I trust my instincts? For that matter, do i trust my instinct of keeping it as it is or the repainting one? Either way I like the skulls :)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8487/8186152140_a0e6203cfe_c.jpg

Smaller skull pit looks good. From looking at pictures of underwater archaeological digs and the like, I tried to not be too neat with the paint, as layers of silt and the like seem to build up in perculiar ways leaving odd highlights of 'clean' bone showing where the light doesn't catch them. Not to mention filling eye sockets and cracks, so i didn't have to worry tooooooo much about filling in detail accidentally.

SotonShades
11-14-2012, 03:05 PM
and the skull pits on the other, flat board;

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8337/8186161440_897c109cfa_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8070/8186157938_614c7093b5_c.jpg

Don't know if you can tell from these pics but, despite using the exact same technique and order of washes and paint layers and painting both boards at the same time, these ones have come out much much bluer. Even the rocks in the smaller pit almost match the spray painted area. With these bits being further away from the shore, I'm not really complaining. Hopefully it will create more of an illusion of depth. We shall see.

Speaking of illusions; the next step in my master plan!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8479/8186163062_39c59e8132_c.jpg

If only I had a Yacht to use this on...

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to add it to my board instead. I've heard of people using Yacht varnish as a way of making lakes and rivers with waves in them before, so i might see about trying that if I can find any tutorials. I probably have too much in these two pots for the area of my 6'x4' board, but they were cheaper combined than buying Water Effects from GW, so I'm not compaining. Also, I still need to finish my Dreadfleet bases...

Deadlift
11-14-2012, 03:36 PM
Looking good, loving the slimy "Pirates of the Caribbean" look of the under water skulls. They look great.
I am enjoying this thread very much :)

SotonShades
11-15-2012, 09:38 AM
Cheers much.

Mini update today. Just realised that the varnish cannot be the next step in my master plan, as I need to re touch the shore lines and cover all of the lance with sandy paint, which means finding some sand to go in said paint! I know their is cement in the garage... bit too fine and cloggy me thinks :P Also, I don't fancy my boards weighing twice as much as they all ready do!

SotonShades
11-18-2012, 10:32 AM
Hey there swamp fans!

Today I have managed to get the shores lines neatenned up and touched up the rest of the dry land as well. As for the original coat of brown paint, I've used Dulux's Earth Glaze 1, though this time I have mixed in a load of sand so that models have at least somekind of grip when they are stood on the RoBB hills.*

It will also give me even more of a contrast between the smooth varnish of the water (save for any waves I model/sculpt in) and the land. Hopefully I'll be using the same technique on the bases of my Wall of Martyrs and the rest of the scenery I've got so it will all match when it is on the hill or will look like it's natural islands in the swamp.

I'll wont take any pictures at this point, as they won't look all that different from the earlier ones, save for the shoreline being more clearly defined. If anyone is really desperate, just ask and I'll get some up.

Maybe during the week/next weekend I will have some time to put the first varnish layer in, even if that will only be so fill in the pits.

Shades

Deadlift
11-18-2012, 11:08 AM
Look forward to the pictures, just out of interest once painted do you plan to transport your board at all, or will it be just at home. I am asking because I am now in the planning of my own board (volcanic to go with my Salamanders) but am worried that the current case is not strong enough to prevent the boards from paint chipping etc. I was thinking a combo of varnish and bubble wrap between each tile, what do you think ?

SotonShades
11-20-2012, 04:45 PM
My board has been transported between 5 or so places of residence, used as a bedside table and a multitude of other sins. The case is certainly strong enough for regular use, though you may want to consider a more secure container for the clips. The first layer of paint did chip off a little, particularly on the raised edges of the hills, but nothing too dramatic. Part of that was, I think, because it was hastilly applied and didn't have any undercoat at all. A matte varnish (probably with gloss over the lava/swamp in your/my case) is probably a good call and/or some kind of protective layer of bubble wrap or cloth would also help. On other people's and shops' boards, the main dammage I have seen has been from use, particularly where people just push their models or drop heavy ones, so I'd guess varnish is the best solution there.

As for me... Well, I don't have space for a permenant set-up, so they will be sitting in the case a lot of the time. Whether I'll be taking them out of the house; dunno yet. Will see how much other people want to play on them how often. I certainly wouldn't be opposed to taking it with me to a game (having to drive to pretty much any game anyway) so we shall see.

SotonShades
11-24-2012, 07:12 AM
All right Swampaholics! Got some pictures for you all!

I've managed to get the first pour done for the deeper water on the board sections. Started off just pouring rough blobs over the deepest parts;

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8064/8213905312_6e0c225e62_c.jpg

As you can see I wasn't trying to be too neat at this stage as I was planning on brushing out the edges to smooth the transition between these sections and the later stages.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8200/8213903634_69a6038c3a_c.jpg

I filled them up to just above the level of the board. You can still see the detail underneath. Skulls in this case!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8342/8212814085_d5d6b6d9f6_c.jpg

I brushed out the edges carefully, then topped up the blobs by pouring a little more varnish into the recesses. As much as possible, I tried to let the varnish level out naturally, but occasionally a little push with the brush was needed, especially into the smaller cracks.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8338/8212813103_8b1d284258_c.jpg

Just a quick shot so you can see a little more clearly the end effect. I've been assured that the varnish WILL dry completely clear, but that the thicker portions may take longer than the 8-10 hours drying time in the instructions on the can. I'll have to let you know tomorrow how that goes, hopefully with some more pictures.

In other swamp news, I have sprayed my Wall of Martyrs and have a ton of paint and sand to start matching the base to the board. Again, more pictures later hopefully!

Now, I have to go get on with some stuff... and hopefully not get too high on the fumes coming off the varnish.

SotonShades
11-25-2012, 07:42 AM
Good news and bad news.

Apparently my deffinition of clear and colourless is very different from the varnish manufacturors. Basically, the deep bits are still wet, but the edges and the shallower puddles have set. And are still orange. Not exactly what I had in mind.

Good news though, it does look pretty swampy. At least that's what I've been told by those who've seen it in the flesh. So hopefully once I've covered the rest of the boards, it will still look good!

Not realy worth posting pictures as the boards still look about the same as the third picture in my last post. Once the deep water has finished setting I'll get round to the next layer, as well as getting some pictures of the skulls with some models floating above them. Not necessarilly in that order of course!

SotonShades
11-29-2012, 05:02 PM
Quick picture update today!

I still haven't managed to do any more work on the swamp board because, if you can believe it, I am STILL waiting for the resin to dry! The good news is that all of the deep pools of resin have formed a fairly thick skin. However, that skin is still quite felxible and there is definitely still fluid underneath on most of them... Still, it's a start!

So why the picture you ask? Well, as the resin has dried out, it has shrank. Rather than simply setting like I thought a resin varnish would, some part of the fluid has evaporated, making the deep pools less deep. That has resulted in this;

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8231122430_ffd01937fb_c.jpg

Cool wavey effect over the skulls; sure, I'm not displeased with that as was trying to work out how to sculpt something similar into it anyway! Outlines over the rocks; meh, I'm not too concerned. At least i don't think it will detract from the finished look of the board. 1-2mm drop below the level of the rest of the board? Oh bloomin heel. Really not good. It doesn't look too bad on that board but...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8230060619_b1036fdc1e_c.jpg

Yeh that is quite a big drop. I'm sure I can just do another pour, but I was hoping that I could just paint the next layer over all of the wet parts of the board. I guess that's gone out of the window. What I might do, once this layer has set completely, is use some Water Effects to fill the difference between the levels. Hopefully that should dry out a little quicker than this varnish has as well. Then I'll do the next varnish coat as planned. Hopefully this approach will help keep the wavey distorted look down in to the skull pits as well.

I was also planning on getting another pic showing that you can still see the skulls quite clearly through the resin, but I couldn't get my camera to take a decent pic. Either the light was reflecting off it too much or I couldn't get the right focus... Hopefully some better light will help there. If not, I have a few friends who've been asking for practive with their DSLRs...

Until then,

Shades

energongoodie
11-30-2012, 01:35 AM
This is looking awesome!
Great work BOLS chum.

Deadlift
11-30-2012, 02:35 AM
I would go for another layer, it's looking good but I think another layer would be worth it in the long run.

It's a fantastic looking board none the less :).

alshrive
11-30-2012, 03:07 AM
this is looking absolutely awesome! I hope to get a chance to play on it one day!

SotonShades
01-12-2013, 06:17 PM
I might be wrong, but it looks like the varnish has FINALLY dried!

I mean, it's only taken 2 months nearly... However, in our garage at the moment, it is entirely possible it has just frozen.

I'll get it in to the house tomorrow, let it warm up and see what happens. With any luck, I might even get the next layer on. Who knows, by the summer I might actually be able to start sculpting some waves onto it!

SotonShades
01-14-2013, 03:47 AM
Yeh... I said frozen jestingly... :(

The only bits that haven't dried are the deep skull pits. One of which got stored on it's side by my parents, so looks utterly terrible at the moment with a huge bulge protruding above the level of the flat areas of the board. Not quite sure what I am going to do about that one. In both cases, the 'clear' varnish has also dried very dark, so you can't actually see the skulls underneath very well at all.

What I may end up doing is cutting the varnish skin away and let the fluid beneath set. I think it might be too large an area to just poke pins through to give it chance to dry. Really disappointed with this result, as I've got a feeling it might just ruin the overall look of those sections of the board. I am almost tempted to break out the white spirits and strip the varnish off completely and start again, but I'm not sure what it will do to the rest of the paint job, and don't really fancy starting from scratch.

Any suggestions?

SotonShades
01-14-2013, 04:33 AM
Or...

Whilst manipulating one of the bulges of fluid (as I have been doing since the boards started warming up yesterday) I'll accidentally tear the skin with my hands, and pull it off easily. Now I am going to have a lovely sharp edge in my water...

SotonShades
05-06-2013, 04:25 PM
Hello again. Loooooong time no post; at least not on this thread.

I finally decided to do something about the orange varnish. It still wasn't setting and I was really unhappy with the colour. Having one of the first sunny days this year where I didn't have something to do that prevented me being in the garden, I got out the 5 boards, a washing up bowl full of terps and several brushes, sponges and scouring pads. Once again, everything did not go to plan as such.

Apparently the set varnish is completely impervious to terps, so I had to rip through the skin on the deeper bits before I could clean out the rest of the gunk. On the other hand, it also did nothing to the paint underneath, which was a blessing of sorts.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7440/8714797075_f3b80fc058_c.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/8715920000_595dc10706_c.jpg

These two boards are fully cleaned up. As you can see, I didn't manage to get rid of all of the orange, but I am hoping that the remaining patches will just look like a floor covered with dead weeds or a different type of soil or something when it is all under the water layers.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7349/8715919088_267c984375_c.jpg

I just about managed to get all of the detail out. There are still some skulls with orange patches, but that isn't inconsistent with pictures of underwater human remains I used for reference when painting the skulls in the first place, so I'm not too worried about it. You can't quite tell from this picture, but there are a few patches where the scourer took off the layer of paint leaving grey patches on the skulls and a few of the rocks. As it turns out, they look a lot like highlights on the skulls anyway, so again, I'm not too fussed.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/8715923248_d423d0d10a_c.jpg

The other three boards I was working on. As I post this, they have all been taken up to the same level as the other two boards. With the top most board there I will probably add more brown paint/sand mix to cover up some of the remaining orange. Apart from that, I'm fairly happy with how the boards have cleaned up. What I'll be doing is using the 6th board as a tester for the new clear varnish (bought from a far more reputable store, so should actually be clear this time!) and see how much it looks like water.

TTFN

Shades

DeadPanda
05-07-2013, 02:07 PM
Glad you got stuck back in matey, good job on getting rid of the varnish. What do you plan with the orange around the edges of the skull pits ? Are these the areas you plan on adding the sand to ?

SotonShades
05-07-2013, 03:00 PM
I'm going to see what I can do with a knife peeling it off, but probably most of what is left in the first three photos will stay. I might even add in a couple of other patches so it just looks like patches of sludge floating through the swamp water

SotonShades
07-12-2013, 10:25 AM
Making the most of the glorious weather I have today, I did my level best to clear off the last of the orange varnish... it did not go well. I decided that is wasn't going to be worth trying to blend it in, so instead covered all of those areas in a sand/paint mix. The results are below.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7450/9268137329_0cc662fd4c_c.jpg
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5502/9270914990_e4c2a3d264_c.jpg
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5470/9270918142_b1ba9ccaae_c.jpg

Some of the areas will need a second coat, particularly where it was fairly deep so the paint layer had formed a skin that was stopping the rest from drying underneath. To fix that, I used my hobby knife to pierce a load of holes in to let the moisture out. It also didn't have the best texture, even before I covered it in holes.

BlessMyBeard
07-12-2013, 10:49 AM
Loving this swamp board, really nice work mate!

SotonShades
07-15-2013, 08:33 AM
Cheers much.

I am currently letting the second varnish coat dry, so I thought I'd share some terrain I planned to go with the swap board;

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/9290808191_3b249eccc7_c.jpg

When it came out I did buy the full Wall of Martyrs box set. I do have everything painted up to this standard, aside from the bunker that is waiting on some steel-esque metallics on the skull and wings motif. As you can see, I did cover up most of the skeletal remains and junk piled up against the trench walls with a sand/paint mix. I'm quite chuffed with the result, especially as it provides a nice contrasting shade to the brown metallic bulk of the trench works, whilst still letting the steel colours pop.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5478/9290812503_a80f5c9757_c.jpg

I'm also quite pleased with how the walls work out on the swampy areas of the boards and the land areas. Neither look too much like an artificial line (at least not compared to most other scatter terrain I've seen).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7390/9293594132_0234eb0cb8_c.jpg

That will be it from me for today. As I said, I have two layers of varnish on the water parts of the swamp board, which has accidentally left a lovely foamy bit at the shore line. Unlike before, my new clear varnish is clear. Once that second coat is dry I shall see whether the boards need a further coat and/or if it is work sculpting some waves in to the varnish. I'll get some pictures then, possibly with a few models on as well.

Shades

isotope99
07-15-2013, 09:08 AM
Excellent use of the wall of martyrs. Add in some free standing patches of aquarium reeds/plants etc. and this is going to look great. It currently looks like a sort opf D-day landing scenario which is also fun. Maybe some half buried tank traps and wire or artillery craters and you have some saving private ryan action going on.

If you can get a cheap (i.e. ruined by awful paintjob) tank off ebay such as a rhino or chimera you could saw it in half and have 2 bits of bogged down vehicle sinking into the water as terrain. I'm using this idea as a base for my soul grinder/brass scorpion, melting into a pool of lava.

SotonShades
07-16-2013, 04:49 PM
It's like you are reading my mind :) Although I am saving some of those ideas for my club's swamp board in the works as well

interrogator_chaplain
07-19-2013, 09:34 PM
You could put water effects in one of those trench pieces to make it look like it's flooding. Great idea for a game board, it'll really stand out from the rest.

gunsniper24x
08-29-2013, 01:12 AM
about how much time have you put in to it because it looks great

SotonShades
08-29-2013, 09:17 AM
Thanks much.

Far, far too much time waiting for things to dry, and several hours trying to get rid of as much of the orange varnish as possible. If I were to start again with a new board and without the orange, I could get the board done in a day (including drying time), with probably another day for the trenches (although if I really pushed myself I could possibly do them simultaneously working on one whilst the other dries). Over all, I have spent almost a year and a half on it, doing very short bursts then leaving it for ages.

SotonShades
10-18-2013, 02:41 AM
Look It! Look It! Look It! The board in use! (though with a lot less terrain on it than usual; Apocalypse needs space...)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8120/10265701555_f17e8bdec5_c.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7336/10265572045_26f1e18368_c.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3801/10265493934_df2c779a07_c.jpg
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5464/10265547426_a2435c5033_c.jpg

Brakkart
10-18-2013, 03:14 AM
Yeah the board looks really good. Also I see a Battlefield in a Box Grand Vestibule there so thanks for that, cos I'd been wondering just how big it was. Will have to get me one of those. Good to see all that hard work and time you spent on the board paid off in the end.

Malikor
09-22-2014, 01:50 AM
The board looks amazing. I picked up one of the RoBB when they first came out as well. Used it all the time and love it. Its great to see one that has been done in such a interesting way as I have been thinking of getting a second one and didn't want another "hills n grass" board. Plus like you said, you need lots of room for apocolypse and having 12 sections to work with would be great.

Great work!!!

CoffeeGrunt
09-22-2014, 02:33 AM
Why did BoLS Facebook link to a thread that hasn't been posted onto in almost a year?

Victus Mortecarium
09-22-2014, 10:08 AM
Does the water count as difficult terrain?