Felt comes in a few different varieties.  Some is soft, some stiffened and some even has a sticky side.  These varieties all have good uses in building a theatrical model.

Felt is especially fun because it comes in many colors and is very cheap.  It is easily cut and manipulated with scissors or a simple utility knife.  It can be used flat or can be pulled and manipulated into various freeform shapes. 

It soaks in paint in a weird way and is hard on brushes so painting is not a very viable option.  Markers work ok on felt, so for minimal detailing that is probably the best way to go.  Spraying paint with a stencil also works well, however it is difficult to get detailed enough with a stencil for that to be a good “in scale” technique. Spraying paint with an airbrush is the best way to tone. 

The fact that the shape can be changed when wet can be used as an advantage, for the right piece of freeform scenery.  It can also be stiffened into a more permanent shape using products like sculpt or coat.  Most of these products will also make the surface hard, but this can be a very fun effect for the right piece.  Generally, plaster bandage will achieve the same piece of freeform scenery with less effort, but options are always nice. 

Stiffened black felt is the best model masking ever.  It is perfect for legs and boarders, and really has the right feel for soft masking in scale.  This is the way I most often use felt. 

Soft and sticky back felt come in handy for use as carpeting in scale, especially for plain colored carpets or carpets with a sprayed toning.  Soft felt also makes great throw pillows in scale.  It is already a decent thickness for most small scale pillows and simply needs to be cut to the right size and shape.  It is also great for giving scale furniture that cushioned look that really helps it stand out.  While painting a hard surface is very acceptable for model cushioning, sometimes taking just a little extra time for details like keeping soft surfaces soft can really make a difference in the impact of the piece.  Sometimes it’s just fun to use different materials too.

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