G3rman Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Hey guys, I have another question to ask everyone. Although I have been playing since 4th, I never got into the decoration of bases and I'm kicking myself now. I really want to decorate up my bases but I'm not sure where to start, what is the basic level of decoration you would do on a base? 'm not looking to do anything fancy, I'm just tired of having primed bases for my marines. I want to do a small rock base, maybe a few heroic characters actually standing on large rocks, and with light snow over it. I've seen the snow tutorial and the ice tutorial, but they didn't exactly give me the info I was looking for. Where can I find the small rocks or pebbles used for such basing? Or the slightly larger pieces, either real rock or cork? And what would you use for the snow? Any help appreciated. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/241087-bases-where-to-find-the-material/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellHunter Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Usually table top quality is just gluing a layer of sand on the base and drybrushing a little color on it. Thats usually as far as I get personally. some people use plasticard to make something like tile or concrete. Best place to look would be the tutorial section for ideas. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/241087-bases-where-to-find-the-material/#findComment-2911525 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacinda Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I have different bases for different armies. My Sisters are on cathedral stone floor bases that I bought from Dragonforge. My chaos are on rocky bases made from a few fist sized chunks of shale I pulverized with a hammer; the resultant bits were anywhere from 10mm to fine sand sized bits but mostly about 1 to 2mm grains. My Van Sarr necromunda gang are on diamond patterned metal base with the yellow and black warning stripe around the edge. The few necrons I made were on a dessert sand base made with plaster and a coarse toothed comb to but in the sand dune lines. If you do something like that, all you need to make are about 5 or so because they are so easy to cast up and very easy to paint. I am currently painting some Dark Angels and putting the on what I would call a standard base. Sand, brown paint and a few clumps of scorched grass. I have a Malifaux gang all done on cobbelstone streets and another with bases meant to represent a steampunk junkyard. Considering the number of armies I play against that are just bare bases with whatever primer and paint smeared on them from the figures, I would say any one of these would be better than table top quality; even those that are fast and easy to do. My Britonians are on what I consider a basic base that is simply painted and flocked. What sort of look would you like? Urban ruins? Lava? Ice? Blasted wastelands? Open ground? Blood soaked pits? Space Hulk interiors? I have seen some incredible (as in truly unbelievable) pieces done on swamp bases, but each base was hand carved from a block, painted to immaculate detail and covered in water effects before applying the surface details and finished with more worldclass painting. The end result left about 1/3 of the base looking like a cutaway view of a murky pond. This is way past table top ready. Just what sort of look are you wanting? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/241087-bases-where-to-find-the-material/#findComment-2911869 Share on other sites More sharing options...
G3rman Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 I'm not looking to do anything fancy, I'm just tired of having primed bases for my marines. I want to do a small rock base, maybe a few heroic characters actually standing on large rocks, and with light snow over it. I've seen the snow tutorial and the ice tutorial, but they didn't exactly give me the info I was looking for. Where can I find the small rocks or pebbles used for such basing? Or the slightly larger pieces, either real rock or cork? And what would you use for the snow? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/241087-bases-where-to-find-the-material/#findComment-2911876 Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Furyou Miko Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Mine vary. My Sisters, as it stands, are just on Adeptus Battlegrey bases (whole base + sides painted. When I get around to it, I'm going to glue gravel from a OO-scale modelling kit on, then add small details where I feel appropriate. My Necrons are all what I call 'fully based' for tabletop - painted bestial brown, then natural-colour coarse sand and small stones held on with PVA, then the whole base painted in a 'varnish' of PVA glue to harden it. My Scarab Swarms, on the other hand, are fully 'display' based, mostly with spares from sprues and bits out of the 40k basing kit. My guard weapon teams get the gravel treatment, then they get boulders made out of cork fragments, bits of equipment, spare rifles and the like. I haven't really based any non-weaponteam Guard yet. >> Good sources for basing materials: Model railway supply shops and places like ModelZone. I know there's a company that makes very good 'fake snow' powder that you apply by coating the base in PVA, then dipping it in the powder and shaking it round a bit. Take the base out (usually by holding the model stuck to it) and flick it a couple of times to shake off the excess, then wait for it to try. As far as small rocks are concerned, coarse builder's sand from a construction site (or Homebase/B&Q if you don't feel like the blue collar equivalent of stealing office supplies...) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/241087-bases-where-to-find-the-material/#findComment-2911878 Share on other sites More sharing options...
red_starrise Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I base my armies the same, in an urban theme. I usually do the standard basing of sand/litter painted then washed, drybrushed & sealed but I also include on most of my models a bit of the scenic touch by adding parts of destroyed vehicles, enemy casualties & additional rubble/urban decay components like pipes, cables, power lines, etc. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/241087-bases-where-to-find-the-material/#findComment-2911885 Share on other sites More sharing options...
NemFX Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Well, these are of varying quality and success: Lame, basic: Painted the top part of the base whatever the army-standard base colour is, rim is black. So, if it's a desert army, then the sand colour, nothing else. Lame, advanced: Got a little more indepth with my Ultramarine command squads, did same as above, but used my liquid eyeliner brush to make the dark gray bases into cobblestone roads. Okay, basic: Glued some fine gravel and tiny (tiny!) stones to the bases after the marines were glued to them. Painted up in first method. Painted larger rocks a different colour at the top. Okay, advanced: Got some fake plants (not cheap!) and some Indian moss (dirt cheap and plentiful!) painted up the base as usual, painted the plants to look realistic. I don't really think I've made any truly epic bases, so I'm just gonna call them okay. I'm not a fan of the big epic bases that overshadow the models and make them look like they are on unrealistic terrain. "Why yes, every 6 inches or so, there DOES happen to be a big pile of rocks for me to pose on.." Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/241087-bases-where-to-find-the-material/#findComment-2912149 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solid Zaku Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Here's what you do for rocks. Find a piece of corkboard, just about any will do, and you can find them at any supply store for less than 5 USD for a 12x1x12...or a flat square of it. Then, supposing the family or the misses won't defenestrate you for it, send it through a blender. Yup. Put the corkboard in your trusty blender and let it rip. Don't do too much in a single go, however, a little goes a LOOOOOONG way. I mean long. Hell, one flat square could reasonably base an entire armies worth of models, or a tabletop if you ground it finely enough. Don't grind too fine, or else it's just dust and dust is free. It comes either in classic cork color, or black, which by itself makes for some nice looking volcanic rock. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/241087-bases-where-to-find-the-material/#findComment-2912183 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellios Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 You have a number of ways to make stone... You can use another material and paint and texture it... Using small bits of slate also works. Snow can also be done in a number of ways... For characters bases on large raised rocks consider finding a good icicle tutorial... It will look sweet... Also consider finding a tutorial for doing bloodsplatter... as blood splatter done well (not the snow painted red!) on snow looks very striking. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/241087-bases-where-to-find-the-material/#findComment-2912195 Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathar the great Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Maybe this will give you some ideas: Massive Voodoo - Basing Tutorials Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/241087-bases-where-to-find-the-material/#findComment-2912206 Share on other sites More sharing options...
onipunk Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Cork Basing Tutorial (how to do rocks) How to do patches of snow Voila. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/241087-bases-where-to-find-the-material/#findComment-2912327 Share on other sites More sharing options...
G3rman Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 Thank you all. Exactly what I was looking for. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/241087-bases-where-to-find-the-material/#findComment-2912335 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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