Basic basing

Basic Basing
What is basing?
Well, it's just a matter of applying some material to the base of the miniature,
to make it look like it is standing on some type of surface. This is going
to have to be up to you as to what you want it to look like. You might
like to have them standing on grass, sand, rocks or even grid mesh. But
what ever you choose, it is a good idea to continue the same base throughout
you whole army. That way they will look more unified.
As most
gaming tables that I play on are 'grass' based, I prefer to use a grass
look on my models also, as it helps to blend them in. Sometimes I think
the model is just standing there on it's own two feet, without a base at
all. But then again, that could be the coffee doing strange things to my
eyesight.
There is
only one thing that you are definitely going to need and that is PVA (Poly
Vinyl Acetate) Glue, in other words, wood glue. Other than that, the material
that you decide to stick to the base is up to you. There are many different
ways that you can go about it. Such materials as sand, painted over when
it is dry, or even flock (finely mulched wood shavings that are dyed with
a particular colour) are just a couple of them.
Anyway,
I prefer one particular method that is quick and simple and my preference
of basing material is green flock. Firstly, I apply a coat of Goblin Green
to the whole of the base, being very careful not to get any on the miniatures
feet and that it is solid in colour. This way, when I have finished the
base entirely, the black base will not show through the flock in any way
at all, just to be safe. Even though the base does end up totally covered
in flock, the green paint will eliminate any chance of this problem. Below
is a picture of a base which has been painted.







When painting
the base make sure that the glue you used to fix the model to the base
is completely dry, otherwise there is a chance that you will get glue on
your brush and ruin it. The next step I use is to apply the PVA. I put
a small amount of glue on my mixing palette, away from where I mix my paints,
and use a very old brush to apply it to the base. The trick is not to get
it on the feet of the miniature, otherwise when I go to put on the flock
it will stick. To avoid this I make sure that when I put the brush to the
base that it is flat against the surface. Sometimes the models feet don't
actually come to rest on the base, for some type of moulding reason, but
this helps me anyway. I can then slide the brush under the feet to apply
the glue. I then wash out the brush very thoroughly, so that it wont go
hard and I will be able to use it again next time. Just make sure that
you use different water to that of your cleaning water. You don't want
glue to end up on your paint brushes. Here is what my glue ends up looking
like.







As you can see,
I don't use much glue. Just enough to cover the base in a thin layer. Then
while the glue is wet I transfer it over to my flock pot. I like to keep
my flock in a sealable container which makes it easy to get my miniatures
in and out of quite easily. By immersing the base into the flock, I make
sure that it is covered completely, then take it out and give the side
of the base a tap with my finger to remove any excess. Voila. One based
miniature. Here is what it looks like finished.







So as you can
see, it is quick and simple for me. Other people like to use sand as a
basing material and then paint it with a basecoat, shade and highlight.
Sometimes
it can be good to add little bits of detail to the base to make it stand
out that little bit more. Such things might include rocks, tall grasses,
or even victim parts, like heads. But I only use these on character models
as they deserve the attention to detail. I'll be covering this more intricate
area at a later date.