Neoprene Mat 4x6' Blizzard Hollows (120x180cm)

Snow changes the rules of a scene

The winter Blizzard Hollows subject builds on a light, almost white surface with traces of drifts and dark rocky hollows. For play that has an immediate effect: a light background turns every figure into a sharp silhouette, and colored cloaks, shields and coats of arms suddenly hold together as a whole. If you are used to dark tables, you will see that difference as soon as the first unit is set out.

Properties of the material

The rubber layer underneath weighs enough for the surface to stay where you put it, and at the same time it holds flat even on an imperfect table. The printed textile on top takes repeated rolling without the color rubbing away at the folds. Against hard boards, this type has one further advantage: a miniature that tips over lands in something springy rather than on the edge of a sheet of plywood.

Maintenance and some closing advice

With a light print comes one extra duty: dirt shows on it sooner than on a dark one. It pays to keep a cloth to hand and remove stains straight away, before they dry. Chemical cleaners and hot water do the print no good; lukewarm water with a little detergent is enough. And if you are going to combine snow with terrain pieces on the surface, reach for models with a white loose material along their edges, so that the transition between mat and model is not abrupt.

A winter scene from scratch

Snow on a table has one rule: the fewer kinds of white, the better. Choose a single material for the drifts and keep to it across the whole surface, or the differences in texture will start fighting each other. Shadows in snow should be bluish, never gray, and it is enough to suggest them very faintly. At the transition to rock, a thin layer of gloss finish helps, suggesting slushy ice.

Miniatures with a dark base stand out most against a light surface.