Six by Nine Textured Mat

[Mr. Peabody]

Made using the infamous 'caulking technique'.


It's a big beast at 6'x9', but thankfully not too heavy.


We learned by making a couple of 3x3 mats that you want to use the finest texture possible and spread the acrylic caulking 'schmoo' nice and thin to keep the weight down. 


Lots and lots of drybrushing, but no washes... I would have liked to airbrush this some, but don't have an outdoor set-up.


The colour is mostly cocoa or 'milky coffee' with the faded green ochre spots for interest. Not sure if I want to scatter any flock on this or not... 

[zizi666]

That's a mighty fine gaming mat.
did you use anything in particular to spread the caulking?

[Mr. Peabody]

Glad you like it. 

did you use anything in particular to spread the caulking?

Disposable nitrile gloves.

We mix the caulking and sand with a bit of water -not too much- in a bucket and it becomes very easy to spread.
The 'extra textured' areas were done by going back and reapplying some more of the caulking mix and then packing on some cat litter.

[Cosmotiger]

A couple of mats like this are my next major terrain project. I have to wait until it's warm enough to work in my garage, though.

[FramFramson]

Wowee, looks great!

[Mr. Peabody]

Wowee, looks great!

Yeah, but do I start scattering flock all over it now? I'm very much of two minds!

[Vanvlak]

That's a beaut!   
Does it take kindly to folding, or should it be stored rolled up?

[beefcake]

That's really cool. Did you do the base layer of caulk and texturing at the same time or was it a couple of layers?

[Mr. Peabody]

Does it take kindly to folding, or should it be stored rolled up?

Rolls up just fine (wouldn't think of folding it) around a six-foot length of 1 1/2" dowel. A similar length of plastic pipe would be perfect, too.
The bonus is that the mat stores standing on end, so it takes up very little room.

That's really cool. Did you do the base layer of caulk and texturing at the same time or was it a couple of layers?

We used almond coloured caulking with a couple of tubes of grey and brown thrown in to create a medium toned grey-brown. Then we mixed in some water and some left-over paint wash (perfect for adjusting the hue if it isn't where you want it) and when the mix was creamy and smooth, but held stiff-peaks, we mixed in the fine sand.

The finer the sand, the better your schmoo will spread and the easier it will be to go back and add more schmoo over top without it looking obvious. A good thin layer, done right, will hide the weave of the canvas, provide plenty of texture for painting and will remain flexible. Your mat will weigh less and will cost less to make.

Pro Tip: Don't use a caulking gun! Have a container of water handy, put on the disposable gloves and get your buddy to cut the tube of caulking open from end to end. Spread the tube open and with wet gloves, scoop the caulking into a bucket. Keep your gloved hands wet and emptying those tubes will be an easy job.

Definitely plan to do a mat and at minimum one hill or other feature with the same schmoo and paint treatment, so use a big bucket and make a lot. We used eleven tubes of caulking and had about 2 litres of schmoo left over after doing the 6x9 and the big hill. I still need to do 9' of railway embankment and would like to do a test of a patch of grassy ground. I think I have enough..

Left over schmoo should keep if kept in an air-tight pot or jar. But we have yet to keep any around to find out for how long.

[Vanvlak]

Thanks Mr Peabody. Very convenient to store.

[FramFramson]

Well, for flocking, what games do you think you might use it for? Badlands or desert, maybe leave it as-is. But if you're going for greener shores, flock away. Or you could always flock it with thinner and thicker areas.

[Mr. Peabody]

This will serve mainly for Eastern Front, 1/72 scale games.

[Mr. Peabody]

Right... Toying with some Heki 'moorland' grass mat material, just to see what it does to the hill.

These would be anchors allowing more flock material to be spread about.


I'm thinking these 'sheets' of flocking might have a better life-expectancy on a big mat when compared to large areas of loose scatter material glued down with matte medium.


Thoughts?

[Mr. Peabody]

Woah... Lots of flock on the hill now    .

Looking significantly more organic at this stage.


Glue still drying, crap photo, but I'm feeling better about this piece.

[FramFramson]

That looks sufficiently scrubby. A nice low rise for the steppes.

You might want to try to blend the transitions a little on the grass patches (not too much though) just to enhance the natural effect.