In this post I’m going to walk through the process I used in painting and detailing one of the two airships. This one was called “The Crimson Corsair” and was the airship of the villains. I knew I wanted the players to arrive at the floating city (upon which their adventure would take place) in a sleek, fast ship. I wanted the villain’s ship to contrast that, so I decided very early on that this one needed to have some real visual impact when it hit the table. The large balloon would serve to make the ship look bigger and more imposing. The open foredeck was the perfect place for a dragon to rest and sun himself.

I’ve got to admit. I grew more and more excited as each piece came off the printer. This was, I think, the largest single model I’ve printed so far. The hull printed in four pieces. The deck was another three.

I opted for black primer (Rustoleum 2-in-1 spray) and a basecoat of Burnt Umber acrylic craft paint, followed by a light (but not drybrushed) application of Chocolate Bar; a favorite color of mine from Apple Barrel that has a nice reddish-brown appearance.

The trim of the ship was painted with Tuscan Red. I applied selective washes in a few places where it felt too “flat” – Agrax Earthshade and Carroburg Crimson as appropriate. They added just a touch of contrast.

At this point I started work on the balloon. The base was (shockingly) a party balloon that I covered in paper mache. I enlisted the assistance of a couple little helpers (my 5- and 6-year old nieces) on that step. They loved getting messy. After the paper mache dried I used some 3M Super 77 contact adhesive to glue on “patches” of a fairly rough spun linen fabric I picked up. Deal tip: if you buy the end of the bolt of fabric, JoAnn Fabrics gives you a discount! The fabric was colored after the glue was dry using artist’s inks, water, and an airbrush.

Now that I had this massive form I needed to come up with a way to have it “float” above the deck of the ship. I 3D printed a custom baseplate (essentially a shallow, oval bowl) that I could glue onto the bottom of the balloon. The dowel I was used for a mast went into the center of it. I then took four lengths of decently heavy gauge steel wire, and after bending a small ‘L’ shape into the tops, hot glued them to the balloon. What I was left with was a mast that held the weight, and four supporting struts to aid in balance.

I needed the whole thing to be transportable, so I couldn’t permanently attach the balloon. I ended up using magnets. A pair of magnets in the center held the main mast in place. The support struts (since they were steel) were held in place with their own magnets that were glued onto the deck. It wasn’t exactly rock solid, but it was more than secure enough to put on the table, and stand up to some light bumping.

To finish off the detailing I made use of some tan thread I found at JoAnn’s. I think it’s used for cross-stitch patterns. Maybe? I’m not really sure. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ At any rate, I wrapped it around the steel wire to make them look like heavy ropes. I had also picked up some open netting that I believe is used for making custom ribbons, garland, etc. I painted it with Burnt Umber, and voila! I had a “net” that appeared to hold down the balloon. I used some more of the tan thread to create rigging between the balloon and the belaying pins on the sides of the vessel.

Aside from a few other minor details, that’s essentially it. I can’t even begin to estimate how many hours this took. I did it over the course of probably 3-4 weeks, working mostly when I had time and was in the mood. There was some experimentation, but my basic ideas for the techniques held from conceptualization to the final product.

Suffice it to say I was incredibly proud of the reactions I got when this hit the table. It wasn’t just my group, but people at other tables (we were playing in a space with 7 other gaming groups) took notice. I even had a few asked where I bought the ship. That was a nice compliment.

Link to the Frigate model: http://www.printablescenery.com/product/firgate-2/?affiliates=27