Help with putting symbols on tanks

[Giger]

Hi chaps, I have some sci-fi tanks that I've just painted up and they look great but as they're quite sleek and simple they are just missing something so I was going to put a symbol on the side of the tanks (in this case a logo of sorts) however I could never free hand it so what is the best way to do this?  Would printing them off on paper then pva them on work (I would give them a couple of layers of varnish on top as well)?

[Westfalia Chris]

Hi chaps, I have some sci-fi tanks that I've just painted up and they look great but as they're quite sleek and simple they are just missing something so I was going to put a symbol on the side of the tanks (in this case a logo of sorts) however I could never free hand it so what is the best way to do this?  Would printing them off on paper then pva them on work (I would give them a couple of layers of varnish on top as well)?

If you have a decent inkjet printer, doing your own decals using decal sheet and gloss varnish is a simple enough process, although you would obviously need to design the symbols in high-enough resolution for it to look good.

Also, an inkjet printer cannot do whites; the best results would possibly blacks or dark tones, while lighter colours (reds, yellows in particular) would only work decently well on a light paintjob.

Apart from that, the "printing on high-quality smooth paper and glueing on" does work, but you should try to make the piece of paper conform to an existing panel shape, or have it resemble a panel or hatch so that the thickness doesn't look too out of place.

A final option which I regularly use would be a stencil. You could print numerals or geometric designs on a medium-strength paper/cardboard (160g/sqm), then cut those out using a scalpel or very fine modelling knife. After that, place the template on the spot where the design should go and use a stippling brush or sponge to apply some layers in a drybrushing fashion.

[Elwood P Dowd]

A really old method of transferring a design , is to paint a layer of enamel varnish onto that area of the model . Wait until  it's gone a bit tacky and then  press your design face down into it .

When the varnish has completely dried ,. by soaking the paper and lightly rubbing with your thumb it should leave just the ink layer of the print adhering to your model .

You may understandably, want to practice this on something less valuable first , and you do get a mirror image .

It's been forty years since I last used it , but I remember it working reasonably well ....

[Giger]

Thanks for the tips guys, much appreciated.

[dwartist]

Thanks for the tips guys, much appreciated.

Tanks!!?? Decals is the way to go G. You'd need to glosscoat first though and use decal setting solutions for best results . Lots of nice 'sci-fi decals' by Dream-Pod 9 and Hiqparts or even Ma.k.