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All About That Base by Nathan Croy

Home » Meeple Content » All About That Base by Nathan Croy

All About That Base by Nathan Croy

May 23, 2023 Miniature Art
All About that Base: How to Base Miniatures Like a Pro. By Nathan Croy. Photos Credit: Lindsey Carter
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General Guidelines
Know. Your. Theme.

  1. Prime base black. This can be done with or without the model attached. It depends on the complexity and size of the base and model.
  1. PVA or CA glue to adhere the ground coverage. While trying to keep the glue off the sides of the base, make the glue as close to the edge as possible. If you do get glue on the sides, wipe it off before moving to the next step.

3. Add ground cover (rocks, terrain, etc.) and allow to FULLY dry. Some pieces may fall off at this point. That’s ok and will not impact the overall look of the base.

  1. Prime base, with or without mini attached. This helps the terrain to adhere and adds an extra sealant.
  1. Paint the terrain from darkest to lightest. You can use a sponge or a dry brush.
  1. Add wash

7. Dry brush again with a brighter color. Then add extra effects like water, grass, or tufts.

8. Paint edge black – This is optional, but helps the base stay crisp.

9. Seal! Seal your mini & base to protect it. Use 1 coat of gloss and 1 coat of matte. This way, if the sealant begins to rub off, you’ll see shiny spots and know it’s time to reapply.

Water Effects

  1. Decide on desired effect: Rough, smooth, ripples, etc
  2. Put down first coat of paint.
    a. This is usually a lighter version of the final color. This will be muted by other
    layers of water, but black is generally not a good initial color for water.
  3. Seal edge of base with tape
    a. Go all the way around. Use a hydrophobic (painters) tape
  4. Put down first layer of water, with or without color mixed in with medium.
  5. Allow to dry fully
  6. Add effect on top of dried surface
  7. Add additional layers until complete
    Helpful Tips:
    – If using water effects designed for minis, just like painting, many thin layers are usually better than a few thick layers.
    – Adding painted skulls, leaves, or debris inside water can create extra depth
    – Grasses or cattails can be added later by dipping a clump of cut bristles or tall grass into CA glue, dipping that clump into baking soda, drilling a small hole, adding super glue to the base of the clump, then inserting the clump into the water effect.

GreenStuff Bases

  1. Clean and prime your base
  2. Mix and roll out enough Green Stuff (GS) to cover the top of the base
    a. Using water or small amounts of Vaseline can prevent GS from sticking to the roller, fingers, or sculpting tools
  3. Using a textured roller, or by freehand, carve a relief into the GS ensuring the pattern is deep enough to be clearly visible.
  4. Allow 12-24 hours to fully cure
  5. Prime with dark primer
  6. Paint in the same manner as previous steps.

There are a LOT of different rollers out there; you can even use fondant rollers (for cake
decorations). Fondant rollers are not as detailed, but they’re very inexpensive.

MATERIAL LISTUSES
GROUND COVERAGE
Used coffee
grounds
Works well as uneven terrain/gravel and can be colored to use as flock/mold
FlockingFlocking can be purchased at various retailers/online and can even be made from
fine sawdust. This makes excellent ground cover.
2-part puttyVarious kinds can be used as adhesive, modeling, or ground coverage
TuftsSmall tufts of landscape flocking. Usually grass or florals. Can be made at home or purchased in store.
Static GrassCoverage of bases or made into tufts; resembles grass
RollersYou can buy these from several different providers, even online as cake/fondant
rollers. These create texture in modeling epoxy
SandVarying degrees of coarseness provide different effects/texture
WATER EFFECTS
Two Part EpoxyIf using 2-part epoxy, purchase the type that is non-yellowing
Water EffectsSeveral companies make different types of water effects
UV ResinWhen activated by a UV light, this resin instantly hardens
Clear CaulkYou can add colors to clear caulk to get varying effects. This dries much more
stiffly than other effects
ROCKS
Foam ShavingsIf you’ve been carving foam, those shavings make great rocks
Cork4mm cork board, cut in half, imitate stone/asphalt surfaces
Cedar BarkLarge rocks
Little rocksAquarium rocks, playground rocks, etc
Adhesives
AccelerantSpray on liquid to shorten dry time on CA glue
Baking SodaInstantly hardens CA glue and leaves a rough texture
Super GlueCyanoacrylate (CA) is the chemical name of Krazy Glue. It comes in several
consistencies like gel, liquid, and thin. It tends to dry faster and hold tighter than
PVA
PVA GlueAKA Elmer’s Glue, polyvinyl acrylate can have varying degrees of water
content. It’s doesn’t dry as fast as super glue, but it’s less expensive, less caustic,
and can be applied with a brush for more even coverage. Mod Podge is a form of
PVA with less water (faster dry time)
UV ResinWhen activated by a UV light, this resin instantly hardens
ADDITIVES & MEDIUMS
MediumsA medium is any component where paint pigment is suspended. You can add
mediums to any paint, ink, or pigment, but the lower quality the paint (craft
paints), the less fine the pigment. When thinning paints, remember they may
have a saturation point where the color/pigments are too diffuse
VarnishThere are multiple varnishes. Each one has different properties and, when dry,
will leave different textures (matte, satin, gloss)
CrackleAdditive that, when dried, leaves a crackled appearance
PumiceThis is a medium with added texture
GlazingA medium designed to thin your paints while maintaining color
TOOLS
X-acto bladesPro tip: Dispose of these in a soda can or embedded in foam
TuftsSmall tufts of landscape flocking. Usually grass or florals. Can be made at home or purchased in store
Static GrassNylon slivers that make grass or tufts. If you do not have a static grass applicator
for making tufts, stick with 2mm length tufts
WashAn extremely thin paint solution. Homemade or store-bought washes help create shadows.
PaintGeneric craft paint is great for basing. No reason to use the good stuff on bases
BrushesWide, flat, or “smoosh” brushes are the best for dry-brushing
Blue TacHolds the bases to a good gripper for steady handling
TapeMasking and/or Painters tape is very useful to keep in runny liquids, mark off
places where you don’t want paint, or just to hold things down
Plastic plateUsed to catch spill over and/or as a palette
Mixing CupsUsed for mixing liquid epoxy, washes, or paints.
Parchment PaperNon-stick surface for making tufts, rolling out 2-part epoxy putty, or as a palette
ScissorsYou know…to cut stuff
PaperHaving a surface to catch all the runoff and return it to containers saves extra
materials and prevents a messy workspace (which can contaminate other basing
materials)
Static Grass
Applicator
Used to turn static grass into tufts. You can make these at home or buy one
online
CuriosityTry different stuff! You never know what is going to look cool!
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