I want to say this is my first cross post article between my blog (
l33tlike.us) and the
Beltway Gamers site. They are expanding their content and asked me to contribute some articles. I am happy to oblige.
I want to talk bases with you and how to get a nice looking base by putting out almost no effort. I will be honest. I am lazy. I like to take shortcuts. I also try to make my models look the best I can make them. They aren't Golden Daemon quality but they are much better than they were two years ago. Bases are one way to improve your models by adding a little extra flash. The problem is a lot of the base tutorials are a lot of work.
I typically buy pre-made bases. There are a lot of great companies and hobbyists that make bases and sell them. The bases I am currently using is Secret Weapon Miniatures bases. I am using the Bone Field bases for this one but I also have a few models using the Corpse Fields bases and the same effect. These bases are for use with my Chaos Space Marine army but could be used for anything else. I also use them for my Cryx bases.
As you can see from the picture above, the bases have a lot of detail. Because I am lazy, I went with the simplest method. I primed the bases white with Vallejo Surface Primer and used GW Griffon Sepia wash. Wash the skulls once and then put them down and come back to them later. The reason to do this is you probably missed a lot of the skulls in your rush. I missed most of the edges and some eye sockets. You should seal the bases and model at this point. Sealing after will cause a frosting effect and not look as good.
The effect I am going for here is blood. These are murders and vile evil creatures that feast on the flesh of the weak and slain. I use to make my blood with just P3 red ink. The issue with this is the blood was too light and almost had a pink hue. Looking on the interwebs, I found lots of people using Tamiya "clear red" and GW's Nuln Oil. I like the effect because it deepens the red and provide areas where the blood has congealed.
I mixed the paint and wash until I was happy with the color. I then added Woodland Scenics "Realistic Water".
NOTE: If you plan on using this immediately, do not shake the "Realistic Water". It causes lots of little bubbles. Just add it and stir. Once you have the proper mix, your ready to pour.
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| Nothing says Chaos like purple flowers |
I added it to all on my bases. The container above was able to make more than enough to complete these bases. I recommend using an eye dropper. It makes it easy to transfer the mixture. Bigger bases allow you to pour it in but occasionally you can use the eye dropper to get those hard to reach spots. I poured it over their feet to make it look like. Occasionally, the mixture will shrink. This is normal in cold weather and you can pour more over top without any ill effect.
Here we have the finished models. All I need to do is remove the excess and paint the sides black.
It's an easy effect that can be achieved with little effort and just a few hours from start to finish. Mix whatever color you want. The pics below are from my Cryx army.
