Homemade Settlers of Catan - 06 Finishes

1-Sculpting | 2-Molds | 3-Casting | 4-Painting |5-Packaging | 6-Finishes

While playing a few test games I began to feel the finish I put on the pieces was a little flat and boring.  I also began to over think the color scheme of the hexes. Do I want all the hexes to have a completely unique look so it can be easily identified or should they blend as if they are natural neighbors. Both styles look good but I decided to push the blended look a bit. In doing this I needed to raise the saturation and contrast of the tiles so they stand out as unique tiles. Working with other media I knew if you put a clear coat on something it traps light and causes the colors to glow. Or at least I think that's what is happening. It also increases the contrast of the pieces making the dark colors darker. Since I used acrylic paints I decided to look for a acrylic varnish. I started with the Liquitex Acrylic Gloss Varnish and would later would return for some Liquitex Acrylic Matte Varnish.

After a few tests with the Gloss varnish (1 control, 1 with 1 coat, 1 with 2 coats, etc) I determined a few things. 1. It really changed the appearance of the tile. Rather than look like paint on plastic it started to look like the tiles were made up of colored plastic. The downside of a gloss finish is how much light reflects off the surface and into the players eyes. 1 coat was not horrible but the 2 coats of gloss made it difficult to see the colors and shapes when the game was under an overhead light source. So I returned to the store and tried the Matte finish. I tired several tests (1 control, 1 with 1 coat, 1 with 2 coats, 1 with a 50/50 mix of gloss/matte, etc). The mix I went with was a 1/3 gloss 2/3 matte mix. This was a good finish that added depth, increased the intensity of the colors and offers a nice layer of general and UV protection.

Then I went in with 2 coats of gloss to highlight a few pieces. I hit the tops of the mountains to emulate the sun reflecting off the white caps, river to create a permanent wet look, barn roof to emulate a shiny tin, etc. The other use for 2 coats of gloss was on the player color of the settlements/cities/roads. I think it works quite well.

1-Sculpting | 2-Molds | 3-Casting | 4-Painting |5-Packaging | 6-Finishes