It has been some busy weeks since the last update on this mat business.  Had time to go to a 50th birthday party, visit the Tower with the kids, Father’s day celebration, some relaxation by the river and starting a new Job.  However I have done some progress on the 12 by 5 feet battlement, or the hairshirt as I call it,  that I will march my soldiers on at the Joy of Six on the 15th July.

I managed to do the dry brushing for most of the mat, I use the normal three colours on top of the chocolate brown I have used for the last 10 years or so.  It may not be the best combination but serves to tone down the cholate brown and the final light yellow is very effective.  All my stuff, terrain, model bases, etc. fits together, it is done with the same colour and even the static grass (I use the two tones of green that Kalistra sells).

Here is my best advice for doing the dry brushing of the mat, use a small brush (not a paint brush) and take your time, change direction, small brush strokes.  Dry brush to scale!

 

 

I prefer a little bit of patchy application of the grass areas as I want parts of the base mat to be seen, you may like it differently.  This is a messy process as it is difficult to turn around the mat to shake the excess of with this big mat without causing major mayhem – with static fibres flying everywhere.  When I did my 2 by 2 boards I used to shake them in a large plastic bag.  Now I use a bagless vacuum cleaner (make sure it is empty before you start) but it is not a perfect process.  I also detailed up the river and used some high gloss varnish on top.  This is how it ended up (note the darker grass areas are to be filled with trees on the day) and I am very happy – apart from the real estate, bridges and trees it is all in the mat.

 

 

 

So apart from making some bridges (5 No.) I think we are ready to go and I can fit the roll in the car….

the trees are ready….

and so are the men…

Joy of Six 2018 we are ready for you,  I hope to see you there (link here).

Traders

Baccus

Wargames Emporium

Commission Models

Brigade Models

Leven

GM Boardgames

Heroics and Ros

Rapier

Christopher Morris (Books)

GS Miniature Workshop

And as for the games…

GM Boardgames	Battle of Seven Pines
Wakefield and District Wargamers	Ultra fast Sci-Fi
SAD Wargames	Operation Excess
Cold War Commanders
COGS	DBA
COGS	To the Strongest
Gripping Beast	Swordpoint 6mm
Naval Wargames Society	Zeebrugge Raid 1918
Per Broden and Wyre Foresters	Horka 1708
Commission Figures	Napoleonic
Mailed Fist	Normandy 44
Yorkshire Renegades	Megara
Ian and Mark Henderson	Hastings
MAD gamers	Future War Commander
Baccus 6	Manchester 1642
Milton Keynes	DBMM Ancients
Harry Ryder	Battle of Issus
Grantham Strategy and Gaming club	Battle of Britain
Ian Willey and Lee Sharpe	Magnesia
Robert Dunlop	Matz 1918
Sheffield Wargames Soc & WD	Cliches of the Great Patriotic War
James Mitchell	ECW – Halfway Down

 

Also some seminar and Dr. Mike’s painting clinic, more stuff here http://www.thejoyof6.co.uk/

/ All the best.