THE HOMEBOUND PENNANT

This type of pennant served a different purpose.

Some ships in the U.S. Navy marked their journey home by flying a homeward bound pennant.
These were custom-made and often extremely long—sometimes supported to keep them from dragging in the water.

They symbolized the end of a voyage and were part of a long-standing naval tradition.

The one I made for the SC-96 represents a 285-foot pennant, with one star for each officer and one foot for each crew member (13 in total). It reflects the occasion when the ship steamed into San Francisco Bay on her return.
At first, I printed 22 stars, but later found out that the SC-96 only had 13 officers, so I corrected it.

I followed the same process used for the flags, but printed this one on a larger-format printer to achieve the length and keep the stars evenly spaced.
It’s the same printer I worked with for over 27 years before retiring—though I still get the chance to use it now and then.

The pennant is first printed on paper just like the other flags, then hand-painted to finish.

😎

Now for THE PENDANTS.

Always beautiful and colorful.
They were meant to show life, motion, and presence even when the wind was barely there.

Here is a brief history about them:
Pennants (or pendants) go back to medieval times, when they were used on lances and ships to show identity.
By the Age of Sail, they became standard on naval vessels, usually flown from the masthead.
The most important was the commissioning pennant, which showed a warship was officially in service—it stayed up the entire time the ship was active.
Their length and style could also indicate rank or command.
Aside from symbolism, their long, narrow shape made them very visible even in light wind, which helped with identification at sea.
So while they look decorative, pennants were really a mix of signal, status, and tradition.

Steps for Making Scale Pennants

1. Research & Artwork
Like the other flags, always try to obtain reference material for the design. At this scale, simplify the artwork but keep the key elements recognizable.

2. Print & Prepare
Print the pennant design on good-quality paper. Keep proportions accurate and leave extra margin for handling.

3. Paint & Detail
Paint the colors carefully. Use fine brushes for the emblem and outlines. At this scale, suggestion of detail is more important than perfection.

4. Cut to Shape
Cut the pennant cleanly to its final outline, including the taper and any split tails if required.

5. Form the Shape
Gently pre-shape the pennant to simulate wind flow. Slight curves and twists will make a big difference in realism.

6. Make the Frame
Using thin brass wire, form a triangular frame. Solder or secure the joints, then add small bead tips to represent finials.

7. Paint the Frame
Paint the triangular wire to resemble rope, giving it a more realistic and period-correct appearance.

8.Rope Effect Tip:
Paint the wire a light tan or beige base coat, then lightly drag a very fine brush with a slightly darker brown in a subtle spiral motion along the wire. Finish with a thin wash to blend it—this gives the impression of twisted rope without overdoing the detail.

9. Attach the Pennant
Glue the pennant to the frame, wrapping slightly around the leading edge if needed.

10. Rigging Lines
Add fine thread or line to the frame. Keep it light—too heavy will ruin the scale effect.

11. Final Shaping
Once installed, adjust the pennant to create a natural flowing motion. Avoid symmetry—real wind never looks perfect.

12. Weathering (Optional)
Lightly tone down colors or add subtle wear if you want a more realistic, aged look.

Thank you to everyone who has been following along with this tutorial.
This marks the end of the flag tutorial—I hope someone can benefit from it.
😎

You're a great Chugalone.
I see a lot of content, information, and images in this message, not just idle chatter. Thank you so much.

Do we have any members from the Netherlands here on the forum?

I’d really appreciate your input on these Dutch flags.

😎

CONTINUING :

9. Next, flip the painted flag onto its back and hand-draw small oval shapes along the center line. These will later simulate the spaced attachment points of a flag being pulled by the wind. (pic #1)

10. Now take a thin thread (or rope) and carefully glue it along the cut-out openings, following the line of the ovals. This will represent the rope used to secure the flag to the halyard.
Take your time positioning it so it sits naturally along the edge, as this detail will enhance the overall realism and give the impression of a properly rigged, wind-tensioned flag.
The loops were added afterward. (pic. #2 and 3)

11. Now fold the flag with the painted side facing out. Carefully cut out the oval openings (half-moon shapes) along the edge. Once done, glue only the cut-outs, making sure the rope sits neatly inside them.
Do not apply glue to the flag faces just yet—that will come later. Take your time aligning the edges so everything matches cleanly, as this step locks everything in place and gives the flag its final, realistic shape. (pics. # 4-6)

12. Using a long needle, carefully create a small hole through each of the cut-out openings. These holes will allow the attaching rope to pass through, just like on a real flag.
Take your time and make sure the holes are centered and clean, as this will help the flag hang naturally once rigged. (pic #7)

13. Now for the grand finale.
Fold both halves of the flag together using white glue—apply just enough to bond them, but not so much that it oozes out. Don’t worry if the paper feels slightly wet; remember it was pre-sealed earlier with clear coat.
Here comes the critical part: before the glue dries, begin shaping the flag by hand (or using any preferred method) to create natural waves and movement. I used different small dowel diameters and semi-wrapped the wet flag with varying twists, similar to what I did with the Arrested flag.
Don’t worry if both halves don’t align perfectly along the edges. Once everything is fully dry, you can trim the edges with scissors and touch them up with paint.
After the flag has dried in the desired shape, apply small amounts of CA glue along the attachment edge to seal and strengthen that area. Once that has cured, you can make the small holes for the attaching rope. (pics. 8,9).

14. Once the flag has dried completely, check the edges and trim them evenly. After trimming, touch up and paint the edges to give the flag a clean and finished look. (pic #10)

15. Attach the flag to the mast, spar, or flagpole using the holes you made earlier with the needle and a very thin rope. Secure it carefully so it sits naturally along the staff. Don’t forget to also add a halyard to complete the installation.
Here you can see the results of wetting and wrapping the flag using different dowel thicknesses, which helps create a more natural and dynamic flow to the fabric.

Next entry I will explain "How to create the Pendants"
😎

Well Done Men!!!!! Love this website!!!!!!
👍😊

Very colorful Chug!

A few years ago I came up with a tutorial as well (attached here). Kind of an anti "stiff rectangular flag" look on some fantastic models got me going. This works well if you can print an already available picture that one has downloaded.

Lew

Chugalone, I must confess that I liked the post before reading it.
I was sure I wasn't making a mistake, and in fact I did.
The result is beautiful, but beyond that, I don't think anyone before you has addressed this particular topic.
Thanks for sharing an unedited topic.

Introduction:

Hi everyone,
I’d like to share a small tutorial on how I make my own custom flags for my models, particularly focusing on antique Dutch (Holland) flags like the ones I’ve made for my Half Moon build.


Before getting into it, I just want to say that this is simply my way of doing it.
There are many different approaches out there, and every modeler tends to develop their own methods and preferences over time. This is just one option that has worked well for me.

As a bit of background, the Half Moon (Halve Maen) was the ship used by Henry Hudson in 1609 while sailing under the Dutch East India Company. During this period, Dutch vessels often carried a variety of flags—not only the familiar tricolor, but also regional, company, and heraldic designs such as the Prince’s Flag and the Dutch lion emblem.

These flags added a lot of character and identity to the ships, which is something I wanted to reflect in my model.
Hopefully, some of you might find this useful, or at least it may give you a few ideas for your own builds.

(picture #1)
I’ll start with the 🦁 Dutch Lion (Leo Belgicus / States General emblem), which I’ve placed on the main mast—and to me, it’s the best-looking one of the lot.

The rest of the flags were all made using the same method, so once you see this one, the others follow exactly the same process.

The Meaning of the elements:
• 🦁 Lion (Leo Belgicus)
o Symbol of strength, courage, and sovereignty
o Used widely across the Low Countries
• ⚔️ Sword
o Represents defense and readiness to fight for independence
o Especially tied to the Dutch struggle during the Eighty Years’ War
• 🎯 Bundle of arrows
o Each arrow = one of the Seven United Provinces
o Bound together = unity and strength through cooperation
• 🔴 Red background (field)
o A bold heraldic color symbolizing power and authority
is emblem represents the Dutch Republic and its unity during the 16th–17th centuries.

1. First, I search the web for the most appropriate flag design.
Once I find it, I print it out at full size.
Using tracing paper, I then hand-draw the image with a fine-point black pen, adding a bit of extra shading—you’ll see later why. (picture #2)

2. Once I’ve completed the ink hand drawing, I make a copy and reduce it to the scale needed.
It’s also important to create a reverse copy of the image, as the finished flag will have an opposite side (this method isn’t applicable to all flags). This is where tracing paper becomes very useful—you can simply flip it over to produce a mirrored version of the artwork.

3. Now for the final shape. Don’t draw the flag as a perfect square—add some natural waves to give it movement. Also include the attachment edge where the flag will be secured using a needle and thread—you’ll see how this comes together later. (picture #3 and #4)

4. Once you have both sides printed to the correct size, it’s time to pre-seal the paper.
Before painting, pre-seal the paper by spraying one light coat of satin clear enamel, and then apply another light coat after you’ve finished painting. (picture #5)

5. Now you have both sides of the flag (one right and one left) along with the final wavy shape.
At this stage, pick up your brush—and maybe a small shot of whiskey to steady the hand—and start painting.
In my case, I painted the red background using small brush strokes to give it a fabric-like texture.
For the lion, I used three different shades of yellow, along with blue for the claws and to add depth to the sword shadows.

6. Once the red background had fully dried, I proceeded to paint the main yellow base for the lion.

7. Next, I added a lighter shade to create the highlights on the lion. (picture #7)

8. Next color. (picture #8)

9. Adding the blue. (picture #9)
As you can see here, painting the background with a fine brush gives the flag a subtle texture, creating the visual impression of real cloth.

Next entry I will show how to attach the flags to the model.