How To Make Your Own Decals

Today is one of those moments wherein I can say that I truly love my hobby for it pushes me to learn new things to achieve greater effects! I remember when I started out, I barely knew how to paint. Through trial and error and watching and/or reading numerous tutorials, I learned that painting is more than choosing colors and applying it to a model. You have priming, basing, shading, layering, highlighting, dry brushing, etc, etc! Suddenly I was learning how to flock models, how to kitbash, how to work with green stuff, how to strip miniatures, and the list goes on. Today, I learned how to make my own decals!

WHAT ARE DECALS YOU SAY?

In a Warhammer 40k point of view, they are the glossy stickers that come with the miniatures. You need water to remove them from their paper and apply it to the miniature.

WHY MAKE YOUR OWN DECALS?

The designs included in the decals are only limited and sometimes you need more than ten. Worse is that you need a certain design and the decal doesn't even have it! By making your own decals, you get the design you want and you can have multiples of it without worrying of running out! You can also have your own designs and create your own chapter symbol (the reason why this hobby attracted me in the first place even though I do not follow it now)! This also applies to any other hobbies such as gundams. So let's start making one now!

WHAT YOU NEED

The materials listed here are local to the Philippines only. If you are a foreigner and you happen to stumble into this tutorial, just buy the equivalent and the steps would be the same me thinks! I am in no way endorsing the brands named here. It's just a quick way for people to familiarize themselves with what to use. They can branch out and choose brands they think are better.

• Decal Paper (Brand name: Scopa - you can buy these at National bookstore)

• Now there are two types - "Inkjet Decal Paper" and "Laser jet Decal Paper". Choosing what to get depends on the type of your printer. The usual home printers are ink jet and internet cafes and printer/photocopy shops usually have the laserjet ones. Still, check your printer's settings or manual just to be sure. It is important to match the paper type with the printer because according to my researches (I didn't want to try it out!), if the paper and printer don't match, whatever you do, the ink won't dry! I chose the Laserjet Decal Paper and had my design printed in a net cafe shop.

• Design
• You should have a design because this is the whole point of making your own decals. You can make your own or try to copy an existing chapter of your own choosing. Good thing the good folk over at bolterandchainsword did all the dirty work for you! Emperor be praised! Here are the decal designs! This link has a wealth of designs from Sisters of Battle to forgeworld chapters and some custom ones. I chose Bran Redmaw's Company design for mine. Thanks bolterandchainsword!

•  A Clear Quick Drying Lacquer Spray (Brand names: Scopa, Bosny Clear No. 190 or Bosny Flat Clear)
• Bosny clear gives that glossy look the decals should have. I guess Flat clear means that it removes the glossiness of your decals already. I chose Bosny clear because I'm going to apply matter varnish anyway when I finish the entire model. This is also necessary because it seals the ink to the paper and prevents the design from crumbling.

WHAT TO DO

1. Get a design and print a test page first to see if the size is right for the place where you want to apply it such as the side of a tank or the shoulder pads of a marine.

testing to see if the design would fit the shoulderpad

2. Print the design on the decal paper. Remember to match the paper type with your printer type! and let it dry for a while.

3. Spray the decal paper w/ the design on it with the Clear Lacquer Spray at point blank. It should have that same glossy look as the decals that come with the miniatures (picture on the left). Let it dry. If you don't spray it with the Lacquer Spray, images can be scratched off as like the one shown on the right picture.

And there you have it! As easy as that and you have your own decal design! Hope you learned something new today and would eventually try it out! If you do try it out, let me know what designs you made! If you have further questions, don't hesitate to ask! I'll answer as best I can! Making the decals is super easy but a real pain to apply to the model. That would be a another story for a different time!

Some of my samples:

P.S.: The above tutorial is the product of research over the internet and trial and error. Hope you learn something new and decide to try it out! - Jarl Camacho of the 8th company