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a few years ago i had found myself with less time for my favorite passion (gw games). and needed a faster way to get display boards and model bases done easy and quickly. so a friend and i came up with what i think is the easiest fastest way to get basing done. this idea really helped with building the 4 oversized bloodbowl boards we use in a local store for leagues.
what you will need:
sand (craft stores carry a very fine sand which comes in several colours)
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=gc0028
ballasts of different sizes (small type rocks used in model railroading)
house paint (about a pint or quart should be enough for lots of usage use basecolours such as black or dark brown they can be easily mixed by your local hardware store to match any gw paint you want)
elmer's glue (i have been using the same gallon bottle for over 2 years and i've just maybe reached the half way mark)
water
large mixing bowl (preferably one with a pour spout)
large brushes (tank brushes to 1" wide brushes are perfect)
plastic bottle(s) and caps (any size is good as long as you have storage for it)
this idea could be used to do one model or a whole gaming board.
first, make sure your house paint is well mixed
next using the mixing bowl mix about 1/2 a cup or so of elmer's glue and equal parts of water. now it's not exact so what i usually do is pour the glue in and add water a little at a time to get the consistency i feel works well for me.
second, add sand to the glue mix. about a 1/2 cup again it's not exact. the consistency i like and found works is very wet sand.
third, time to add the paint. now a little goes a long way. it's the reason why you only bought a pint or quart or whatever the smallest size you can get at the hardware store. you want to add enough paint so that the whole mix gets good colour coverage. at this point you may find the mixture to be getting a bit thick if so just add a little more water. but, only a little.
now a spare piece of foam or other material is helpful. as you can test the consistency of the mixture. what you want is the mixture to do a total coverage of the foam. nothing should show through but, also it should not be too thick as to build up similar to what yellow gw paint does to me if i attempt to paint yellow.
the sand in the mixture when applied to the test piece should cover nearly as well as the paint colour. too little sand and the mix looks too sparse on the test piece. you want to add more sand if it seems too sparse.
now i know you all are asking where the ballast and plastic bottles come in. well that's where our idea works the best. i have on my work shelf 6 32oz snapple bottles filled with basing mixtures. everything from a fine sand desert coloured mix to a heavy sand/ ballast/ bits mix for ruined city style. what ever mix i feel i need i take off the shelf, give a good shake, do a quick test to make sure the consistency is right and off i go to finish my next project.
we had mixed a large quantity a day or so in advance and finished the 4 different bloodbowl boards in less than 2 days with only a few hours each day to do the work. including painted on lines and extras like static grass.
what i have found out is that the mix will usually be dry in a couple of minutes on things like miniature bases. and up to about 2 hours on larger pieces such as display boards and the like.
one last little bit in this already too long post. adding bits such as skeleton body part, space marine bolters and any other sort of bit you can think of can add that extra bit of fun. and with the randomness of where it may be added when you apply the mix it adds more realism to the bits. helping "bury" the bits just right.
if i can get my hands on a camera i'll post pics of each step. but i dont' know where i'm going to get a camera. feel free to ask any questions and please comment on this. if it's not very useful to anyone than please mods delete the post.
what you will need:
sand (craft stores carry a very fine sand which comes in several colours)
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=gc0028
ballasts of different sizes (small type rocks used in model railroading)
house paint (about a pint or quart should be enough for lots of usage use basecolours such as black or dark brown they can be easily mixed by your local hardware store to match any gw paint you want)
elmer's glue (i have been using the same gallon bottle for over 2 years and i've just maybe reached the half way mark)
water
large mixing bowl (preferably one with a pour spout)
large brushes (tank brushes to 1" wide brushes are perfect)
plastic bottle(s) and caps (any size is good as long as you have storage for it)
this idea could be used to do one model or a whole gaming board.
first, make sure your house paint is well mixed
next using the mixing bowl mix about 1/2 a cup or so of elmer's glue and equal parts of water. now it's not exact so what i usually do is pour the glue in and add water a little at a time to get the consistency i feel works well for me.
second, add sand to the glue mix. about a 1/2 cup again it's not exact. the consistency i like and found works is very wet sand.
third, time to add the paint. now a little goes a long way. it's the reason why you only bought a pint or quart or whatever the smallest size you can get at the hardware store. you want to add enough paint so that the whole mix gets good colour coverage. at this point you may find the mixture to be getting a bit thick if so just add a little more water. but, only a little.
now a spare piece of foam or other material is helpful. as you can test the consistency of the mixture. what you want is the mixture to do a total coverage of the foam. nothing should show through but, also it should not be too thick as to build up similar to what yellow gw paint does to me if i attempt to paint yellow.
the sand in the mixture when applied to the test piece should cover nearly as well as the paint colour. too little sand and the mix looks too sparse on the test piece. you want to add more sand if it seems too sparse.
now i know you all are asking where the ballast and plastic bottles come in. well that's where our idea works the best. i have on my work shelf 6 32oz snapple bottles filled with basing mixtures. everything from a fine sand desert coloured mix to a heavy sand/ ballast/ bits mix for ruined city style. what ever mix i feel i need i take off the shelf, give a good shake, do a quick test to make sure the consistency is right and off i go to finish my next project.
we had mixed a large quantity a day or so in advance and finished the 4 different bloodbowl boards in less than 2 days with only a few hours each day to do the work. including painted on lines and extras like static grass.
what i have found out is that the mix will usually be dry in a couple of minutes on things like miniature bases. and up to about 2 hours on larger pieces such as display boards and the like.
one last little bit in this already too long post. adding bits such as skeleton body part, space marine bolters and any other sort of bit you can think of can add that extra bit of fun. and with the randomness of where it may be added when you apply the mix it adds more realism to the bits. helping "bury" the bits just right.
if i can get my hands on a camera i'll post pics of each step. but i dont' know where i'm going to get a camera. feel free to ask any questions and please comment on this. if it's not very useful to anyone than please mods delete the post.
