LOTR Middle Earth Map Showoff Thread!!!

[Pwrsrce]

All right...

Since a healthy number of us got in on this recent run, I figured it was about time to start seeing how everyone is weathering them up

Let me first say that I have never weathered a paper prop ever in my life...So I really had NO idea what I was doing...hehehe...But that ended up being part of the fun...

Here's the process that I used for mine...

1. Using a spray bottle, I misted it three times with strong tea...Letting it dry completely between mistings

2. Using the same aforementioned bottle, I then misted it twice with coffee...(once again letting it dry completely between mistings)

At this point it had pretty much the color I wanted, but it was really too even...So I decided it was time to really start messing with it a bit...

3. I burned the edges with a lighter and sprayed some heavy coffee on those edges of the map...I also sprayed some coffee randomly in a few different areas...(mainly to break up the color a bit so it didn't look so even)

4. I unscrewed the top of the spray bottle and "flicked" the stem across the whole thing a few times...This caused the little "rain" spots...

And FINALLY...

5. I took all the black ashes from when I burned the edges and sprinkled them over the map...I then rubbed them randomly over the whole thing to dingy it up some more...This was totally a random idea, but I liked the results...

Sooooo....What do ya think??? Did I do OK for my first try???

Comments and/or criticisms are both welcome and appreciated...

And by all means...LET'S SEE SOME MORE...hehe...


Thanks,
Jason

 

[hydin]

i think you did a hell of a job.

i would have maybe dropped a lit match on random spots to get that "burnt hole" effect, but honestly it looks pretty awesome.

have you decided how to frame that sucker yet?

chris

 

[Nexus6]

WOWZ, that's excellent. :eek

You didn't go overboard on the weathering, but you also went far enough.

Honestly, I wouldn't change a thing. :thumbsup :thumbsup

 

[mgr]

That looks fantastic. I am really looking forward to weathering mine.

 

[superjedi]

Looks great. Nicely done.

 

[Pwrsrce]

Hey guys...I appreciate the positive comments...

Hydin...I guess that is the real question isn't it? I mean this thing is pretty stinking big...What I would like to do is mount it on black velvet and then put in in a dark wood (semi-distressed) frame...

I may do the dropped match thing on my second one...I'm probably going to try the "folded" look with that one as well...

Thanks again for doing these...I cannot tell you how long I've wanted one of 'em

Nexus...Yeah...I was scared that I might take it too far...I wanted it to have a realistic "used" look to it, but I really didn't have any idea when I should stop...

After I rubbed those ashes around on it...I stepped back and thought..."OK, That's enough"...

At this point I'm anxious to see what techniques other people are using...

Jason

 

[juno]

That looks really great. One nice thing about laser print and copies is that you really don't have to worry about blurring the ink.

Don't drop a match on it -- apply a little lemon juice where you want it to be burned and then apply heat to it. Browns perfectly AND faster than the surrounding paper so you have a bit more control.

 

[gobler]

Very nicely done. I'm awaiting mine (should be here any day now) and am going to age it using the spray bottle method. I'll post a pic when I'm done.

 

[WebChief]

BEAUTIFUL. I can't wait to get mine.

 

[KnightAsylum]

Nice work.
When mine arrives I will follow your lead, and see how it goes as I have never "aged" anything before.
Thanks for the tips

 

[Howard]

I think that looks absolutely fantastic.
Thanks for the info.

The only weathering I'd add would be a couple of blobs of candle wax.

Howard.

 

[Gigatron]

Here are pics of my map that I finished up last week

First is the map taken with a flash

Second is no flash

I used the tea and coffee method I described in detail in one of the other threads

I just want to add, if anybody is going for near screen accurate weathering, be very careful about burning the edges or burning holes in the map. The originals had little to no edge wear and certainly no holes burned in the middle. Here's a link to the thread with all the screen caps of both the FOTR and TTT maps http://www.therpf.com/index.php?showtopic=118045&hl=map

Enjoy,
Fred

 

[M Bison]

Beautiful work. I hope to do the same if I am able to get my hands on a map.

What I was thinking of doing was putting it on red velvet though. I think it would make it look more like a museum piece that way.

 

[Pwrsrce]

Nice pics Gig

To be honest, I was on the fence about burning the edges at first, as I knew that it would not be totally "screen accurate"...

However...I ultimately decided to do it, as it was the easiest way to hide the hard lines at the top and bottom of the coastline.

How did you weather your edges? Did you just do some simple tears?

I think that's very tastefully done, and may end up weathering the edges of my second map that way.

Awesome job...

Jason

 

[irishjedi]

Very nice.

I did some "burning" of another map that I have, and ultimately think that it wasn't needed. I agree with Juno that the lemon juice/heat method (like holding it over a light bulb) works nicely.

I also like to soak the paper in tea/coffee and then bake it in the oven to dry on low heat. It makes the paper "crispier". Still flexible, to an extent, though.

Todd

 

[IronFist]

The following could be the lamest complaint you will ever read on the RPF:

I went ot Wal-Mart last night to pick up some stuff to weather my maps. I got me some cheap instant coffee and... there were no spray bottles.? I hunted all over the kitchenware, plasticware and even the health & beauty sections. Nothing.

Now, I would swear to my deity of choice that I bought two, small spray bottles there when I started tattooing. I can't fathom the fact that my weathering the maps is being held up by $1 worth of plastic.

 

[hydin]

in my wal mart they are near the toothpaste aisle with all the tiny travel sized thingies.

chris

 

[Scourge of Malice]

They look great.

 

[Gigatron]

<div class='quotetop'>(Pwrsrce @ Nov 17 2006, 03:26 PM) [snapback]1359747[/snapback]</div>

Nice pics Gig

To be honest, I was on the fence about burning the edges at first, as I knew that it would not be totally "screen accurate"...

However...I ultimately decided to do it, as it was the easiest way to hide the hard lines at the top and bottom of the coastline.

How did you weather your edges? Did you just do some simple tears?

I think that's very tastefully done, and may end up weathering the edges of my second map that way.

Awesome job...

Jason
[/b]

Thanks, Jason. You've got some really nice coloring and depth going on in yours :thumbsup

If you look at the screen grabs, they drew a border around both of the maps probably because they couldn't figure out what to do about the top and bottom coastline either.

As far as edge treatment, I did very, very light burning. The paper barely caught fire. Mostly, I would let it light and then put it out immediately and just let the embers burn for a second or two before putting those out.

When it comes to weathering with fire, I try to be realistic (if I'm not copying a specific piece). Way back when, maps were very important pieces of equipment and were very well taken care of (as far as not being damaged beyond use). Sure, accidents happen - some dummy holds the thing a bit too close to the fire or spills their beer on it, but they never let it get to the point where it would look like they tried to use it as a torch. If I were going to go that far, I'd burn off a fairly large section to make it look like someone tried to rescue it from a house fire (or tent or whatever they happened to be living in that was burning to the ground at the moment).

Anyway, with all the maps that had been ordered, I'm surprised there aren't more showings in here. I think it took a total of 3 hours to weather mine and most of that was just waiting for the thing to dry between colors.

-Fred

 

[sector 7G]

here is mine, aged using lemon juice and an iron