How We Made Our Hand-Painted Dragon Games Master Screen

Colourful hand-painted dragons on the outside, engraved red velvet on the inside, and genuine gold leaf bringing another finish into the mix. Our Dragon Games Master Screen brought together several workshop processes in one piece — and gave Shaun a few new problems to work through along the way.

It began with conversations at our market stall. Customers often ask us about RPG and tabletop gaming pieces, and those conversations have gradually helped shape what we make. This screen was the next challenge: something ambitious, full of character and recognisably Bee Kind Reimagined.

Why we made it

We started with smaller gaming pieces, trying character sheet boards, storage boxes, dice trays and more. Those projects gave us a way to explore ideas and learn what people were interested in.

After working on those smaller pieces, Shaun wanted to take on something more challenging. A Games Master Screen — also called a Dungeon Master Screen or DM screen — offered room for a bigger visual story, both inside and out.

The aim was to create a statement piece. Something that gave us scope to experiment with materials, colour and detail, while building on the tabletop pieces we had already been making.

Designing something different

Shaun researched the screens already out there before deciding how to approach ours. The question was how to make this one feel distinctly Bee Kind.

That led to a combination of finishes: burnt-effect wooden surrounds, engraved velvet, colourful dragons and genuine gold leaf. Each gave the screen a different texture or detail to explore.

The outside would carry the dragons. The inside would have its own adventure story. Both sides needed thought, rather than leaving all the interest on the front.

Working through the magnets

The magnets were one of the early challenges in the build. Working through that part of the screen became one of the learning experiences along the way.

It was one of the learning points along the way, alongside the decisions about the interior, painting and finishing.

Creating the engraved velvet interior

Introducing engraved red velvet was an important step towards making the screen feel more like our work. It brought fabric into the build alongside the wooden surrounds and gave the interior a strong colour of its own.

The imagery inside tells an adventure story, giving this side of the screen its own character. The burnt-effect wooden surrounds frame that imagery and add another finish alongside the velvet.

It is a detail worth opening the screen to see. The interior became a substantial part of the design, with a story of its own to explore.

Painting the dragons and adding genuine gold leaf

The dragons on the outside needed to be colourful and special. Shaun hand-painted them, bringing the colour into the piece by hand.

Genuine gold leaf was then applied to the dragons' chests and backgrounds. Alongside the painted areas, it introduced another material and finish to the exterior.

Painting and adding the leaf were central to the character of the finished screen. They helped turn the dragon imagery into the statement piece Shaun had wanted to make.

The finishing touches

The edges were finished with black webbing and chrome pins. Four chrome 180-degree hinges and three spring clasps completed the screen.

These final details sit alongside the more decorative work: the painted dragons, gold leaf, engraved velvet and burnt-effect surrounds. Together, they bring the different parts of the build into one finished piece.

The finished result

What began with customer conversations became a project that pushed Shaun to try something more challenging. The finished Dragon Games Master Screen combines several materials and processes, with an adventure story inside and hand-painted dragons outside.

It was a fun learning experience as well as a statement piece. The magnets needed thought, the interior developed its own identity, and the finishing work brought it all together.

We are proud of where those early ideas led. It is a piece that shows the kind of work we enjoy at Bee Kind Reimagined: exploring an idea, solving problems as we go and putting our own character into the result.

Take a closer look

Explore our Hand-Painted Dragon Games Master Screen for more photographs and the full product details. This is a one-of-a-kind piece; the listing shows its current availability.