Dark Age houses - completed.

So, with no idea if our house move is going ahead or not, I pressed on with completing the buildings for Dux Britanniarum over the holidays.

The trusty pizza box card came in handy once more to provide bases for the buildings. I fixed them in place with the hot glue gun then smeared liquid nails adhesive over the card before scattering sand on it. I like using the liquid nails as it doesn't soak the card and cause warping, it can be pushed around easily, and when it dries it dries hard. It also takes paint well.

Nearly there...

I used grass green and earth brown craft paints for the bases before dry-brushing apple green over the grassy areas. I may add a bit of vegetation in the shape of small bushes here and there, but basically that's it for these.

And done!

I may add a high-status building for the village, something like this...

A relic of the Empire, it would be the dwelling for an important person such as a local magistrate and his family. Next up after that will be a church and a watchtower.

Merry Christmas!

A Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah  to all my readers!

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Dark Age byre

It appears that making Dark Ages buildings are like peanuts - you can't stop at just one...

Even with things being a bit up in the air due to a potential move, I've still got the urge to make something gaming-related. I thought I'd continue the Dark Ages theme and work on a byre or a lowly cattle shed. Rather appropriate to the time of year!

I made it with one wall open and supported by posts, which seems a common enough configuration with barns and such in this period. The interior was painted dark brown, and I'll put some flock inside to represent straw and dung when I mount it on a base. The roof eaves are made of thinner card than the main part as I aim to get a kind of beveled edge to the thatching.

The bright yellow thatch on the previous house has toned down a lot with a good dose of sepia ink. It's the house nearest the camera in the photo. I might treat the farthest house to the same wash, as it seems a bit bright too. Oddly enough the only thatching I've been happy with from the start is the natural Taco Bell napkin pulp version shown in the middle. Call it a happy accident.

Dark Ages houses - and a pause in proceedings

I've finished what will be the last Dark Ages houses for a while.

As an experiment I tried a mix of sepia and yellow ink on the left hand house thatch, and... it's a bit bright. Far too yellow! I'm going to tone it down later, but as things stand these will be the last buildings I make for a while. It looks like a house move is in the offing soon, perhaps even involving a return to the UK. Given the costs and sheer amount of upheaval involved in any house move it's a bloody nuisance all round, especially at this time of year, but these things happen. I really don't want to add to the burden and anxiety by making or buying any more wargames related stuff. So, this is A J signing-off for now...

Dark Ages houses - 2

I've made a bit more progress with the Dark Ages British houses for Dux Britanniarum. Under the rules for raiding settlements, farms must have at least three buildings, villages at least four. I'll need to make another house to set up a village, and a barn or similar for a farm.

The first layer of thatching is now on the roofs. My wife and I were returning from a meeting earlier this week when we stopped off at Taco Bell for some quick eats. I noticed their paper napkins had an interesting texture and a similar colour to old thatch, so I grabbed a couple extra. Pulped up with water, Spackle, and a bit of craft paint and PVA, they turned into a nice mush just the right consistency and colour for the job.

These only need another layer or two of thatching and the doors to finish. Once all the buildings are finished I'll base them up in one go so the ground around them will look consistent.

A couple more Dark Ages houses

Today was a bit of a mad cooking day, but I found time to work on another pair of Dark Ages British houses.

The method used is the same as before. The farthest house is the same size as the one I made earlier; the one nearest the camera is smaller. Familiarity with the process means I'm making faster progress on them. Next up will be the paint on the walls and posts and the sand keying on the roofs. After these are done I'll move onto a barn and a church.

A heads up for those who may be interested. Splintered Light Miniatures are having an End of Year sale, with 20% off the order. I'll be placing an order for one or two of their 15mm Dux Britanniarum pieces before too long.