Advice on Space Wolf shoulder pads

[Karhedron]

Does anyone have any good advice for painting the pack markings on Space Wolves should pads? I will shortly be doing a large number of Grey Hunters and Blood Claws and I would really like to try an replicate the "dag" markings. In the past I have cheated with just a pack transfer on the right shoulder pad.

 

The problem is that I cannot freehand straight lines. At all! Not on a flat surface and certainly not on a curved surface like a pauldron. So any tips, tricks suggestions or transfers I can use to get the effect shown below without having to paint straight lines by hand.

 

 

[Lysimachus]

Maybe one option would be to paint (or even spray?) the whole pad in the lighter colour, then use masking tape to create the dag shapes? Then paint/spray all over again with the darker colour, let it dry, peel off the tape... you should end up with reasonably sharp edges?

Edited Saturday at 03:53 PM by Lysimachus

[Karhedron]

Masking tape sounds promising actually. I did the crosses on my Death Company shoulder pads that way. The only tricky bit will be getting the size and shape consistent from model to model. 

[Grotsmasha]

Use a wider tape, and measure out a length on an easily removable surface, like a Tupperware lid.

Then measure 6mm increments* along one edge, start the second edge @ 3mm, then continue withe the 6mm spacing.

Then all you need to do is cut diagonally from mark to mark, this will get you many same size days.

To place them, so the centre one first, pointy end first, this will leave the overhang to grip for easy removal.

The best way to prevent bleed through is to paint the underneath colour over the tape too, as this will bleed, then the second, the intended colour, shouldn't.

 

*6mm is a guess, it'll maybe be less.

Edited Sunday at 11:04 AM by Grotsmasha

[Bouargh]

You also have some decals available. Ain't cheap. But you can easily make your own if you have a laser printer at hand and some time to "parametrize" your home-made templates.

 

Just for reference:

Wargaming Waterslide Decals for 28mm Miniatures – ImpatientTabletop

 

I won't pretend it is easy - I have tried some times ago and it has been a total failure essentially due to my lack of abailities into deifning the proper dimensions for a decal to be set on a pauldron. In fact scanning existing decals to have a minimum size reference would have been a good idea. But it came to my mind too late. I still have some waterslide sheets for xerox so I might try to resume this type of activity some day...  

[Karhedron]

£9 is not bad considering a sheet will do multiple squads. Thanks for sharing!