what do we want? a cure for adhd!

when do we want it? oh my god, x-wing starfighters!

it's xxx-mas and like all kids, i get all kinds of excited about new toys and fun stuff to do with the toys i already have.

recently, i've been super excited about ffg's x-wing. so i've decided to make a play mat that's portable to take along with my little mens.

would you believe they're fighting on hoth? no? didn't think so.

the rules suggest a 3'x3' playing area (though you can go with a larger play area for larger point games). i want to keep it basic, so i've decided to stick with a 3'x3' size.

to make your own, you'll need the following:

• 1 yard of 36" wide cotton duck canvas (3'x3') available at most art supply shops 
• black gesso (the smallest bottle will be more than enough)
• skull white or menoth white paint
• a paint roller and a large bristle brush (games workshop's tank brush works great for this)
• a drop cloth
• rubber/nitrile exam gloves
• paper towels and warm, soapy water (for clean up and in case of spills)

day 1

1. put down a drop cloth unless you're cool with getting black gesso all over the floor.
2. lay your canvas out flat on the drop cloth
3. use the roller to apply the gesso to the canvas and let it dry overnight

i sense the dark side...

definitely use a drop cloth unless you want a rough square outline on your floor.

day 2

1. you're going to be using the bristles of the large brush to flick paint onto the mat's surface, so put on the rubber gloves unless you're cool with having white paint all over your hands.
2. load up the brush with paint, then wipe across a paper towel to get all of the thick excess off of it. 
3. from a height of about a foot from the surface, hold the brush parallel to the mat, and pull your finger across the bristles of the brush allowing it to throw off small points of paint. you may want to try this on a piece of cardboard first so that you know the right amount of paint to have on the brush and how the pattern will appear on the mat.
4. let the white dry and you're done!

i think the results speak for themselves:

here you can see me trying out the delivery of paint via flick.

despite my best efforts i did have some big drops splat down near one corner.

i carefully blotted them up, then covered them with a couple of coats of gesso.

luke, wedge, and dutch versus vader and elements of black squadron!

as always, comments are welcome!