A question regarding slate

[Axineton]

So I bought some modelling slate for use on bases and was just wondering shoild I paint the pieces of slate or leave them as they are?

[Omnissiahs Fury]

Personally I always spray black, then dry brush various greys going from dark to light to make it look a little nicer, it doesn't take much effort at all, but gives it that little bit oomph that I like, Did once experiment with zandri dust and yellows for a sandstone like effect, but did not like it at all. :(

 

But unpainted looks fine with a dark basing scheme.  (for example dirt/ mud)

[Kinstryfe]

I usually paint everything. Unpainted you sometimes get a jarring effect between painted and reality, and my minis look like miniatures on a rock instead of a cohesive figure.

[Axineton]

Cool! So the consensus is paint them I'm happy doing that

[Arkhanist]

I haven't used chunks of slate specifically, but I have noticed an issue with natural materials generally. I believe it's down to the higher 'artificial' contrast range we use on models (darker shadows, brighter highlights) so it doesn't just look like a single colour blob at a distance. When you put that against unpainted materials there's a clearly visible mismatch in how they look, so your brain interprets it as 'model on a pile of gravel' rather than 'alien world'. One way to fix that of course is just to paint the natural material as you would anything else. Another option is to boost the contrast, but not completely paint it - i.e. a shade wash and highlight drybrush. That then ties it into the boosted contrast of the model without losing the natural colour range of the material entirely, and is less work of course.

 

Try out a few things and see - in the end, it's if you like the look that matters.