Make Paper Flags Droop

Making those folds realistic, in a flag of any size, is trickier than it looks at first glance.

I once had to do a series of drawings of ships with various flags flying from their masts. After getting frustrated with my attempts to make them look real, I finally took my camera to a flagpole on a nice, sunny, slightly breezy day and took a bunch of photos (at high shutter speed) of the flag as it drooped and blew around. I was a bit surprised at just what the shapes in the various shots turned out to be.

If these are printed on both sides of the paper, to be folded over the halyard, I use a 1:1 mix of white glue and water, glue the flag sides together, and then apply more of the mix so the paper is well saturated.  I can then wrinkle and drape the flag with whatever folds and sags I want and it will hold that shape when dry.