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Miniatures Adventure => Age of Myths, Gods and Empires => Topic started by: Fremitus Borealis on August 10, 2020, 02:19:49 AM

Title: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: Fremitus Borealis on August 10, 2020, 02:19:49 AM
As you may have seen in my other thread about custom shield decals, in the last couple weeks I've gone from being utterly baffled by the process, to having a pretty decent idea of how it's done. There are some AMAZING guides online for the nuts and bolts of the process, including on Jeff Jonas' website here: http://www.ancientbattles.com/HeroesOfGreece/AncientBattles_Homebrew_Transfers.html (http://www.ancientbattles.com/HeroesOfGreece/AncientBattles_Homebrew_Transfers.html), as well as this site -> https://mitchwargaming.blogspot.com/2013/03/pictish-shields.html?m=1 (https://mitchwargaming.blogspot.com/2013/03/pictish-shields.html?m=1) which has complementary info to Jeff's.

But what was giving me fits from the start is the software end of the equation. I had no idea where to even start really, but now that I'm to a point where I can make the god in the machine to basically what I want it to, I figured I'd share my findings here, in the hopes that it could help some of you who may be struggling with the same bits.... or at the very least, so that I know where to look once I forget how to do it (again)  lol

So, where to start on the technological fun?

Step 1: Well, first you will need to download two (free) programs: Inkscape and GIMP. (For all I know you don't actually *need* both, but as I said, this is my process I've cobbled together :) )

Step 2: Assuming you've already got an image you'd like to use on your lads' shields, you can take the following steps.

Step 3: Once you've got a shield design (or dozens thereof) you're happy with, you'll need to get them laid out on a page to print onto the decal paper, as thoroughly outlined at Jeff's website, above. To do this, I've been using the Inkscape program. (I guess you could open them in like MS Paint or something, but that is way-too inexact for my tastes, and besides, that decal paper ain't cheap!) Anyway, to save yourself lots of time (and tears, oh so many tears), you can follow these steps:

So anyway, yeah, that's what I've got so far. Hopefully it helps one or two of you! If anyone has anything to add (tips, strategies you've found) please feel free! This is by no means meant to be comprehensive/exhaustive; as I said, it's more or less a way for me to keep track of what I've figured out the last few weeks, so I know where to look once I forget it all!  :D
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: has.been on August 10, 2020, 03:16:17 PM
Thanks for posting. I will have to give it a try.
I think it will work well on vehicle sides & bonnets, e.g. police force logos.
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: Fremitus Borealis on August 10, 2020, 05:41:59 PM
Thanks for posting. I will have to give it a try.
I think it will work well on vehicle sides & bonnets, e.g. police force logos.

No worries. In fact, for vehicles I'd wager you might be able to skip a lot of the steps in part 3, just because spacing might be less of an issue? The main thing is making your decal into a transparent image in GIMP, because otherwise you're wasting printer ink on stuff you'll just end up cutting away.
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: wmyers on August 11, 2020, 04:29:15 AM
This is awesome!

Thank you!
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: Fremitus Borealis on August 11, 2020, 10:21:12 AM
This is awesome!

Thank you!

You're quite welcome! As you know from the other thread, it's the guideline issue that was really throwing me, so I thought others who were trying this might appreciate having this info all in one place  :)
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: Atheling on August 11, 2020, 01:46:20 PM
Yeah, it's very good of you to go to the trouble. I've saved the thread to a "DIY Transfers" bookmark  as I'm being driven slowly insane by painting Early Byzantine Officer bucklers  lol
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: has.been on August 11, 2020, 01:48:28 PM
Where do you get your transfer sheets from?
I have asked in our local stationer shop, but they had no idea what I was talking about.
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: Fremitus Borealis on August 11, 2020, 01:55:29 PM
Yeah, it's very good of you to go to the trouble. I've saved the thread to a "DIY Transfers" bookmark  as I'm being driven slowly insane by painting Early Byzantine Officer bucklers  lol

Yeah, I'm not confident enough in my painting to even try, so kudos to you  lol
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: Fremitus Borealis on August 11, 2020, 01:58:08 PM
Where do you get your transfer sheets from?
I have asked in our local stationer shop, but they had no idea what I was talking about.

You can usually find them at craft stores, or, if all else fails, Amazon. I bought mine from a US company called Micro-Mark, who are one of the most comprehensive hobby shops I've ever seen (they sell models, every tool you could imagine, paints, etc.), but if you're on the other side of the pond, shipping would be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming, I'm sure.
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: Atheling on August 11, 2020, 01:59:30 PM
Yeah, I'm not confident enough in my painting to even try, so kudos to you  lol

Years back I used to be quite outspoken about all the use of transfers  lol

Not anymore!  :D
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: Fremitus Borealis on August 12, 2020, 02:45:07 AM
Basically if it's anything other than big Greek letters, my free-handing is useless  lol
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: wmyers on August 12, 2020, 04:11:33 AM
If the technology is there, use it.

Transfers may never surpass the wow factor of a well done hand painted one, but after reading about top convention painting award winners finishing 3 miniatures in a year (on a good year!) I think I would rather put a decal on and say that is good.
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: has.been on August 12, 2020, 09:26:51 AM
Thanks Fremitas, I will try Craft shops &/or Amazon.
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: Emperorbaz on August 13, 2020, 11:52:02 AM
Thanks for the tip on Inkscape. This is just what I am looking for, will download and give it a try on my Mac!
Uk buyers should search for MrDecalPaper on eBay, he stocks the transfer paper and gives a very good service/range of papers. I’ve successfully printed home made transfers before, but need to practise more with the artwork on the computer!
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: Fremitus Borealis on August 13, 2020, 12:22:18 PM
Thanks for the tip on Inkscape. This is just what I am looking for, will download and give it a try on my Mac!
Uk buyers should search for MrDecalPaper on eBay, he stocks the transfer paper and gives a very good service/range of papers. I’ve successfully printed home made transfers before, but need to practise more with the artwork on the computer!

Cheers. Yeah like I said, the creation of "guides" in Inkscape is what took me FOREVER to figure out. Right now I'm actually poking away at it again to see how to create invisible circular guides within the square one... basically so any shield designs I import can be just the design itself, instead of a whole circle of color. I'll be sure to update the post if I ever figure that out  :D
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: Fremitus Borealis on August 16, 2020, 02:15:21 AM
So, figured I'd tack on one thing I was just experimenting with today, when I should've been, like, painting or something  lol

But, following this tutorial on the YouTubes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbtukN4o1Hw), I was able to take an ancient coin (in this case, Demetrios I of Baktria) and turn it into a cartoony image to use on shields or standards. I'll attach the "before and after" images below, but basically, the reason I share this here, is that unlike most processes with this stuff where you have to piece together 8 different tutorials to have any hope of a passable result for our wargaming purposes (I mean, see the original post!!!), I was able to do this with really just this one tutorial. Mind you this was my first go at it, so ideally the next one will be better, but I mean... considering I'm going to shrink the image down to 10-15 millimetres and look at it from 3+ feet away most of the time... I think it'll work  :D

 
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: has.been on August 16, 2020, 06:49:50 AM
Can't wait to see the finished shield.
Same process would surely work with original shield/vase designs.
Title: Re: Fremitus' "how to" guide to (the digital end of) DIY (round) shield transfers
Post by: Fremitus Borealis on August 16, 2020, 12:26:37 PM
Can't wait to see the finished shield.
Same process would surely work with original shield/vase designs.

It may, or it may not :D I think the process in the last post works best for taking photographs of people (the coin was a bit of a stretch!), as there are actually fewer "necessary" lines than in say, a vase painting. I'm actually currently toying with taking a scene from my favorite vase painting (Herakles stealing the Delphic tripod and running off like a dog from the dinner table lol) and making it into a transfer, but there are just so many more tiny lines and such that it's way more tedious, and I keep going (there's gotta be a better way!). But hey, the more you practice, the better you get, so who knows.