Right, so I’d been seeing that Mandalorian skull symbol everywhere, you know, the Mythosaur thing. Got stuck in my head. Figured the workshop wall looked a bit bare, needed something tough looking up there. Decided I’d just make my own flag.
First thing, had to get the design right. Pulled up a few images online, found a clean version of the skull. Printed that sucker out big enough to use as a guide. Then, materials. Didn’t want anything fancy. Found some sturdy grey canvas-like stuff I had lying around from another project. Good enough. For the skull itself, just decided on using some black fabric paint I had.
Getting the Fabric Ready
Measured out a decent flag size on the grey fabric. Nothing huge, maybe three feet by two feet, something like that. Cut it out. The edges looked raggedy, so I spent a bit of time folding them over and doing a quick stitch line with the sewing machine. Didn’t need to be perfect, just stop it fraying too much. Left one side open wider, folded it over, and stitched it down to make a sleeve, you know, so I could slide a pole or a dowel rod in later if I wanted.
Okay, the skull. Didn’t trust myself to freehand it straight onto the fabric. So, I took that printout and transferred the design onto some thick cardstock. Carefully cut it out with a craft knife. Took a while, fiddly bits around the horns and teeth. Made myself a decent stencil, though.
Painting the Skull On
Laid the grey fabric flat on some old newspaper. Positioned the stencil right in the middle. Weighed it down with some heavy stuff around the edges so it wouldn’t shift. Then just took that black fabric paint and a sponge brush. Dabbed it on carefully through the stencil. Didn’t want it too thick, or it might bleed under the edges. Did a couple of light coats rather than one heavy one. Had to be patient, let the first coat get tacky before doing the second.
Peeling the stencil off is always the nervous bit. Lifted it carefully… yeah, not bad. A tiny bit of bleed in one spot, but nothing major. Looked pretty sharp, actually. Left the whole thing flat to dry properly overnight. Fabric paint takes its sweet time.
Finishing Up
Once it was totally dry, I checked it over. The paint felt properly set into the fabric. Didn’t bother ironing it, the canvas was stiff enough. Just slid a thin wooden dowel I found in the garage into that sleeve I’d made. Found a couple of nails, banged ’em into the workshop wall, and hung it up.
Stood back and looked. Yeah, does the job. Looks pretty cool up there, gives the space a bit of character. Took an afternoon, mostly waiting for paint to dry, but pretty satisfying to have made it myself instead of just buying one. Proper rugged look to it, just like it should be. Happy with how it turned out.