Showing posts with label Tips:Hand Painted Flags. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tips:Hand Painted Flags. Show all posts

Monday, 26 September 2011

Hand Painted 15mm scale flags - Part 2, Prussian

Pruessisches Fahne

Slightly smaller than the Saxon Flags. Go 14/15mm strips for these. Keep in mind that AB figures are 18mm compared to true 15mm, so the scaling in not exactly 1:100 for the flags. Prussian Infantry flags are quite small - 750mm to 1m square.


Start with the basic colour all over


...and then include any flashes to make Maltese crosses on the flags.


Add a white oval to the centre of the flag.


Gold circle with a bar in each corner.


Gold dash on the centre of each side of the flag.


Scroll in the top part of the central oval - use the same colour as the flag facing colour.


Der Imperisches Adler, right hand side.


Der Imperisches Adler, left hand side. This shot shows the half eagle. Note the straight line through from head to tail.


Red Beak of the chicken, red for the top of the crown (which is coming up next, at the top of the central oval), and red in the crowns above each circle on the corners of the flag.


Gold for some footwork on the eagle, and as a crown for the eagle. Most Glorious he looks now !


Gold again. The outline of the crown above that red thing we added at the top of the oval.


Gold around the edge of the central oval, with some fancy extensions added.


Note that some flags have a different border around the central oval ... most follow the pattern of the frilly lace work in Gold. Here is one that has alternating black and gold parts around the central oval (on the left).


A silver sword on the eagle - vertical thin strip of silver, starting from the feet, and rising to just behind the head, level with the head.


A bit more gold on the scrolling part at the top of the oval. Try and get the words "Gloria Pro Patria" done, preferrably in a Gothic font if possible. Or, if your eyes are like mine, then a few simple dabs of gold will suffice.



Dont stress the detail too much, since these are folded up and blown around in the wind, so some details may be hidden. They are also small, so you need a decent set of magnifying glasses to spot the inevitable errors.

Finally, when gluing, wet the whole back surface with an even (thin) layer of PVA, and use the dollshouse clothes pegs to ensure a tight fit around the pole.

When half dry, they remain somewhat flexible, and will bend into whatever shapes you want to simulate the flag blowing in the wind. Once dry, they will hold their shape very strongly.



More in Part 3 - the finished product !

Hand Painted 15mm scale flags - Part 1 Saxony

Some handy tips on how to make your own flags using canvas sheet.

You can easily buy small books of A5 pads of canvas paper, already primed with white acrylic paint. These make great bases for building your flags on if you prefer the DIY approach over inkjet printed flags.

Here is an example of some flags I knocked up for my 1806 Saxons :

Saxon Infantrie Fahne


Cut strip 15/16mm wide, and mark sections that are 15/16mm wide, + 2mm for the flagpole.

Border strip in facing colour. (Note - painting the flag allows for an exact match on the facing colour).

Add in red sections - crown on the right, and centre of crest on the left.



Black and white on the corners of the flag, bit of white on the crest,



and the start of the scroll in blue. A bright medium blue is good.


Draw the crest out in parts, keeping the scroll even on each side.


A few more details in Black, and a few touches of white.


Very thin crossed red swords in the corners.


Gold for the outline of the royal crest, and nails for the flagpole.


More Gold details - Royal signet on the right hand side, and the frilly gold details on the Imperial Crest on the left.


More Gold - scroll work on the edges over the facing colour, and tiny crowns in the corners on top of the black.



That completes the Saxon flag. See Part 2 for Prussian Flags.