bases

[fsn]

Gentlemen and Ruffians (you know who you are),

I am, as I may have pointed out, a somewhat long in the tooth gamer who basically didn't change his figure painting style from 1977. (All my figure still have flares.) I tricked flocking some cases in 1975, but found it unsatisfactory and sold the remainder to a trainee chef as exotic spice.

Since I have found Pendraken and the greatness of the Dark Lord and the Perfect One, I have decided that my bases need a little more oomph. I don't want anything fancy that detracts from the figures (though that may in fact be a good idea) and it has to be quick and simple as I have a low boredom threshold. I have got as far as mixing two colours of flock, but feel there may be more.

Any advice? I don't want my jaegers stalking throw town with grass growing up around their knees, but I would like my figures to look their best.

I tend to go for European or other temperate theatres and assume June to September. Keeps everything easy.

[barbarian]

I use the Static Grass that seems yellow, combined with little bushes or green flock.
I'll do a photo for you.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Mix fifty % water and pva. Apply to base. Scatter fine sand. Wash with ink. Leave to dry.
Highlight with your chosen colours (I use yellow ochre) optional highlight here (mix of white and your chosen colour) over raised areas.
Once it's dried, apply pva/water mix and this will seal it down.
Once dried, apply patched of pva/water mix and add scatter/flock here.
Spray Varnish on top to seal it down.

[Zippee]

I keep my basing pretty simple, coat of white glue and a liberal covering of sand mix (no idea what the mix actually consists of now as it's developed over a long time like a good curry - I know there is a heap of play sand, some building sand, a bit of sharp, some GW grit and probably other stuff. I  do recall I baked some of it as well) I leave that to set overnight and then paint on strips, swathes or patches (depends on regional geography and size of base) of glue and heap on static grass - mostly GW but some Timecast and other stuff has got mixed in over the years, again leave overnight.

That's it, no painting, no washes or drybrushing just natural sand and flock - it works for all scales, I have everything from 6mm to 28mm based the same way. You can see various examples on my Flikr pages.

The leaving overnight is important though, don't rush it

[Ace of Spades]

I start with a layer of fine sand (the stuff they use in birdcages) with some small rocks mixed in (depending on the landscape supposed to portray). I fix this with diluted PVA glue with an adapted seringe to keep it all clean and tidy, and when thoroughly dry I paint and highlight it in the appropriate colours.
To finish the bases I usually use Woodland Scenics 'fine turf' in a mix of shades with some of their 'coarse turf' mixed in for small brushwood and bushes (roughly up to ankle/knee height). Also easily applied with diluted pva glue that I first paint in at random order and then strew the turf onto it. Here and there, depending on the landscape again, I put in some tuffts of grass or even flowers (though they're pretty big for 10mm figures!) from Noch, available in different shades for spring, summer and fall.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Rob
(Gentleman as far as I know... )

[NTM]

Instead of sand I use Woodland Scenics brown ballast and a bit of talus then patches of static grass (base is painted brown first). Simple and effective

[fsn]

Umm ... not wanting to show my ignorance, but when I looked up "talus" it's anklebones?

Also, do the assembled gentlemen, ruffians and Mr Spades (who now has his own classification) use a single flock, or do you blend?

[OldenBUA]

"None of that blended rubbish" is a famous quote around here, but maybe it will not apply in this case? 

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Single colour.
Depends when and where in the world you are. I default to spring green for Western Europe, light green for the tropics (and Falklands, with tufts), and winter grass for desert.
TA
A ruffian and vagabond

[NTM]

Talus = rock debris

http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/category/talus

Static grass I use is Spring Meadow no blending

[Zippee]

"talus" is also rock scree - not just an ankle bone, it's anglo-latin of course it means umpteen things! Mostly it's a term used in RR modelling where it's also called ballast of various forms - small grain gravel to you and me.?  

I don't intentionally blend my static grass or flock but over the years it has acquired much that is, err 'non-original', particularly sand particulates and small rocks (talus  ) more than the odd cat hair (irritating rather than useful in this case  )

The only time I use multiple colours of flock or ground cover is on scenic bases - I have a large collection of 6" squares complete with fields, hedges, crops, fences, cabbages, farm yards and suchlike for my 6mm games, on them I've used everything from dyed sawdust to cork, flock and grass mat. But for figure basing, nope just the evolving same standard stuff (it does have the nice aesthetic that essentially ALL my basing for the last 25 years or so is interchangeable and matches   (mostly because I rebased a gazillion DBM armies to Impetus - that was fun  

[fsn]

"talus" is also rock scree - not just an ankle bone,

There you go. This forum is a place of learning. I never go near railway people. They're a bit ... odd.

[Ace of Spades]

Mr Spades is a convinced (not yet convicted, not yet!) blender... just two tones; bit of light green and a bit of yellowish (dry grass) turf usually suits me best...

Cheers,
Rob
Gentleman
Ruffian
Other

[petercooman]

I just ue some static grass.