I'd spend ages tinkering with the bases of my models. Adding sand, stones, brass details, static grass and more. I was seldom happy with the result. Its a little known fact, I once painted a Sisters of Battle army back in the mid 2000s. There I said it. I still have it (somewhere) buried in the garage. I used chopped up left overs of plastic kits to build up their bases, along with green stuff, bits of wire and God knows what else. At the time I was really pleased with the results, especially when I used drybrushing to weather them up a little. I got them out a few years ago, and despite my heady sense of achievement at the time, they were a disappointment. They were cluttered and fiddly, and in hindsight they took an age to complete. It was this experience that influenced my view to strip down and simplify the bases of my Old School Citadel miniatures, which I started painting in earnest in Summer 2011. I was always inspired by '80s models, and the simplistic approach the Old Masters took.
Trouble was, I wasn't satisfied with the 'Woodland Green drybrushed with Bilious Green) approach. It just looked too simplistic in comparison with my models. Nor did I want to go for the staple of earlier '80s models, which was the coat the base in PVA and sprinkle over a layer of railway flock - I think, but I am not sure, that static grass was not widely available during the 1980s. Anyone know for sure?
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| Six plaguebearers, including two painted by Andy Craig in the centre and one unreleased test (front rank, far left), which display the classic Goblin Green and Bilious Green combo. |
Eventually, I developed my own style of Old School base. One thing I wasn't prepared to do was go all Fraser Grey/Kevin Adams and produce detailed green stuffed foliage, but I want to acknowledge the style of a simpler age. In the end I developed a quick method which I feel matches the bases perfectly.
Here it is:
1) Undercoat base in Goblin or Woodland Green.
2) Wash over with slightly watered down yellow ink, in a blobbing fashion to create a sense of natural colour difference in grass.
3) While the ink is still wet, use a brown ink around the edges of the base, so that the ink runs into the detail created by the sand. I sometimes paint irregular patches at this stage, again to create a natural look.
4) Once dry, I drybrush over the top with white or bone coloured paint and tidy up the edges in black.
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| Examples of my basing technique explained above. Here we see a Champion of Slannesh and a Chaos Sorcerer. |
How do you view bases? Something simple or something worthy of more attention? Do you have different views depending on the nature of the model (character/rank and file)? Do you have your own colour mixes or secret tips that you are willing to share with us?
Orlygg.
Bear in mind that I am a disgusting heathen, but I prefer plain black bases. I might stretch to a coloured edge to distinguish between similar units or mark the front arc, and I do like putting the name of the character on the base -- that more than anything feels old school to me -- but I'm not fond of anything on the top of the base, aside from the miniature itself, of course.
ReplyDeleteSomething about detail on the base bothers me, even if it's just a bit of green flock; the recent Space Hulk miniatures, with all the bits of debris and so on, really rub me the wrong way.
I understand and accept that I am in a very odd minority on this. ;)
I too am a big fan of naming miniatures, though it can be time consuming to write all the names on. When models have a real name rather than just 'Thug A' its adds to the narrative of a game and forces you to see your models as characters in a story.
DeleteFor most standard Ancient/Medieval/Fantasy models with a vaguely North Western European terrain feel, I PVA sand to the base. When it is dry, I paint it with Foundry 'Peaty Brown Shade'. Once dry, I drybrush with GW Bleached Bone (or whatever it is now called). I tend to do base edges black...not sure why exactly...
ReplyDeleteI use static grass , or the new tufts available these days, depending on what takes my fancy for the force I'm painting. Even with 'Old School' models, I go with that basing approach, as it works for me... I have recently rebased all my 90s 4th ed High Elves in the same way to replace the 'layers of green flock' approach that preceded my discovery of static grass!!!
I bought tufts and loads of Gale Force 9 stuff at Salute for my Saga historicals. Love the stuff, though personally it wouldn't look right for me on an old school miniature. I find static grass a bit of a pain asit seems to go everywhere but where I want it!
DeleteAt the moment, I do pva dipped in sand/gravel (3 different sizes) to get a variety of texture. This is then undercoated black, given a heavy overbrush in something like VMC English Uniform or GW Graveyard Earth, with a series of drybrushes up to white to get a blasted wasteland effect. Rims black - of course!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the colour tips. I may have to try that out on some historicals.
DeleteI keep experimenting with mixing in colours such as Iyanden Dark Sun and Tau Sept Ochre, as well as Bleached Bone, and VMC Iraqui Sand.
DeleteI really like your style of base. I've been trying something only slightly different(though I think I'll start borrowing your ink application regimen): I glue the sand on to a washer unevenly with superglue, intentionally leaving some blank spots. I then base in dark brown, then dry-brush with yellow. I then hit it with a general wash of diluted purple 'ink' I've mixed up. Something like 1:1:1:2 primary red, midnight blue, dark brown, and black. Then I go back to the bare spots and wet blend from dark purple up to near-white. The idea is to make puddles which are reflecting a roiling, stormy purple sky. I'm still working on this effect though, especially in achieving the illusion of depth.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try your method, though. I like the variation, and how it evokes a stubbly, sickly green mossy growth more than actual grass. Thanks for sharing!
I would be very interested to seethe results of your work! Got anything posted or a link for us to see?
DeleteHa ha no. Not yet. I've been off the blog for a few months now, but I'm hoping to start some serious posting soon. I'll let you know.
Deletegreat article, in the early 80's we used to get our flock from Beatties model shop (anyone remember them?)in Brum it was two doors down from GW but they also had a good range of citadel miniatures (work that one out), anyway apart from the odd crazy goblin green base I have always gone for brown tones, plain base, add pva, dark brown base, lighter tones on top, maybe a touch of static grass if I am feeling creative, I always make sure nothing affects my unit ranking or falls off the base and offends you opponents kitchen floor. I always create a matching colour scheme movement tray. I swear by brown, I mean imagine the battlefield of Agincourt that much footfall equals zero grass. Occasionally I go for a plain flat sand colour with white highlights for army's fighting in desert conditions. Your bases look great I have always had my own ideas of what the ground conditions of the chaos wastes are like and have gone for muddy highland type bases. I mean you only have to look at Scotland it's full of Chaos Thugs.
ReplyDeleteJ
Well the wastes, the old school version anyway, are supposed to be infinitely variable, so for RoC anything goes. And you are quite correct about Scotland, though I have seen a few ogres up their too!
DeleteDidn't realise how important bases were until I started my plog. I swear I have had more comments and been asked for the 'recepie' more times for my bases than I have for the minis I have painted. :D
ReplyDeleteWith lots of minis to paint you have to find something simple and easily reproduced.
I confess I am glad to see the back of goblin green bases ... I think they look silly ... and I also think old minis look great with a modern paint job on the base.
I also think bases look best with painted edges and don't really like blackedges on bases ... although yours look good the way they blend out to the black edge ... works for me.
Your skin and base stones are rightly famous Harry. I always loved the way you include the grey stones for variation too. Though your bases are probably the most successful I have ever seen at creating a sense of coherency. That is probably why so many people admire and what to emulate your work.
DeleteIs there some cosmic significance in the fact that 3 of us commenting are University of Exeter graduates?
ReplyDeleteAre we? I was there 1997-2000 and 2003-4. Could we have crossed paths in the past?
DeleteEek, I was there 1998-2001, and then 2002-2003, but I also worked there for a few years after that. Maybe we crossed paths in the Ram or the Ewe, unaware of a fellow Warhammerite.
DeleteI frequented those places indeed, but rarely indulged in the horrors of The Bop or The Lemmy. Strange tidings indeed! But who is the third Exeter Veteran?
DeleteI think I saw that Harry is but before our time(s). I will never forget having to throw a pair of shoes away after a young man vomited Snakey B on them in the Lemmy. Classy.
DeleteI think that bases must be part of the general result and nice at first sight, being part of the display, but one must be careful not to overdo them, as they must not withdraw attention from the mini, which is the real point.
ReplyDeleteI just use sand and kinda neutral brown earth colour with some highlights. I have sometimes flocked them a little, but I'm way too lazy, I usually just go for the plain sand recipe :P
You are quite right in saying that bases should not be over done. In my mind there is nothing worse than a cluttered base. I often find them distracting and awkward to use when gaming.
DeleteI use Humbrol Model Filler, sometimes mixed in with sand or model railway 'gravel', to give the base a bit of texture. For my Dwarfs I paint the base Vermin Brown and liberally apply Brown Ink, before sticking on a few patches of static grass. For my more recent Dungeon miniatures I paint the base grey, with a drybrush of a lighter grey, and a second drybrush of something like 'Bleached Bone'.
ReplyDeleteWith my recent Beakie Marines I'm planning on painting the 'roughed up' base green before applying some static grass. We'll see how that works out.
Do I have to provide a list of my alma maters?
I've not thought about a brown base and ink wash. I might paint up an old school plaguebearer or something to test it out. Soil has always been a bugbear of mind as I find earth quite hard to get right. As for alma maters? Optional! (;
DeleteI use normal sand, paint it Black with a brown wash followed by drybrushes of lighter & lighter grey up to almost white.
ReplyDeleteFew patches of static grass &/or tufts to finish it of.
Goblin green edges, homage to when I started playing in 93.
Look great. I for my part use the old PVA and corral/bird sand technique. After that i paint it with watered down dark earth paint, some lighter dry brush and static grass patches. The reason is simple. Fast and easy to repair when in use.
ReplyDeleteI only name my Generals/Officers or magicians. But do not put a name on the base.
I always paint the edges of my bases black. Don't ask why I do not know.
Everyone of my armies use a different basing style, My Genestealer Cult are on Snow while my Ork force is Brown Waste style for example . I feel the basing can make or break a good looking force and try to use the base to either tone down the paint scheme or liven it up alittle.
ReplyDeleteI was always looking for old school looking bases and what were the brands used in the good old times for making the scenery in the old WD battle reports.
ReplyDeleteI believe I have found something which is very close to the old White Dwarf tabletop.
I paint the base in dark brown, glue some Woodland scenics Blended turf earth blend...when dry, I put on the base some "Premier hedge and bush foliage light green" from Javis (found at salute)
The result is awesome and simple.