So you have your Art of War Studios tokens, and you're wondering how best to make them absolutely pop on the table. Well, fear not; this handy guide shall show the the quickest ways to get your tokens table-ready!
When your tokens turn up, they will look like those above; both sides are covered in a protective film, and the engraved side acts as a stencil or sorts. You could simply peel the films and use these tokens; the engraving shows up really well without any additional work. Or, you can choose one of two recommended methods to make them really pop;
Crayon
This is the method we use in the studio, as it provides a really solid finish, and, from start time to end time, is the fastest way of getting tokens ready. All you need are tokens and the right colour crayons - we use Crayola brand, as they give the most consistent pigmentation.
The first step is to peel off the front stencil;
Once the front is peeled off, gently rub the right colour into the engraved area, until the engraving is filled with colour;
If you want to, you can apply other colours to different areas, as we have done with these Apocalypse tokens. Just make sure you're careful with the crayon rubbings, as they may mix with the other colours if you aren't careful.
With all the colour applied, take a cloth and rub the tokens, removing the residue from the crayon. We actually advise being quite rough with this, as it will compress the colour into the engraved areas, and give you a better finish.
You end up with some really striking tokens!
Paint
We've seen lots of excellent painted tokens, and we definitely recommend it if you have an interesting colour scheme in mind. It is also the easiest method, as you will see;
Grab the colours you need and a brush. We recommend thinning your paints so that they are the consistency of milk, and applying 2 or 3 coats. We use Citadel paints, but any acrylic based paints are perfect.
If you wish, you can also apply other colours, again, keeping your paints thin, and applying 2/3 coats.
Once dry, peel the paper mask, and give the token a little rub with a cloth - the end result looks fantastic.
Here is an example of the tokens painted, and filled with crayon (painted on the top; crayon on the bottom)/ so that you can tell the difference;
There you go! A little bit of effort and your tokens will look absolutely tremendous. We hope you enjoy your Art of War Studios products, and we'd love to see your examples!