10mm basing - colours for bases

[Theo]

Hello all and a Happy New Year!

I haven't posted in a while but I now got to basing my 10mm AWI collection and I am decidedly underwhelmed by my first efforts. I have worked out a basing method that is to my satisfaction for 15s and 28s but I don't seem to be getting the result I want with these.

In the linked pic you can see two battalions the 4th and the 63rd. One has been based with mournfang brown as the basecoat, drybrushed with desert yellow from army painter and then again with iraqui sand from vallejo and the other sports a basecoat of vallejo flat earth with the same drybrushing steps as above.



I also dislike what I used for bushes and those will be removed but beyond those, I would greatly appreciate your kind aid in what colours/method to use for the bases as I am genuinely flummoxed.

I understand the general principle that the smaller the figures the brighter the basing should be but how bright can I go without making my poor AWI lads look as if they are fighting in a desert landscape?

Thank you for your time and kind aid lads.
Theo

[paulr]

I take a quite different approach and use a mid green ground colour covered with a mix of green and brown flock




You can see more examples here http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,16785.msg260447.html#msg260447

[fred.]

Hi Theo

I think what you have done with the brown, is a good starting point, now if you add some green flock or static grass it will finish the bases off. I tend to cover about 50% of the base with green and leave about 50% brown earth. But for AWI I might go for more green.

I agree with not using the small bushes on most bases, but they can be good to show skirmishes or woodsmen etc

Once you get a decent amount of green on the bases the figures will lift in how they look.

[fsn]

Oooh! Basing! There's a subject.

I am with PaulR in that I like a nice basic base. I use a mix of Jarvis 2mm static grasses (available usually from your friendly neighbourhood 10mm provider (other less worthy retailers are available)) and use a mix on 2 parts spring, 2 parts summer and 1 part autumn. I prepaint the bases a medium (grass) green. I like the look of the troops wandering through long-ish grass. I like a plain base as anything more detracts bfrom the figures (in my humble opinion).




I don't add bushes or logs or trees or walls as I think it looks silly that a unit has to drag aforesaid bush/log/tree/wall with them. However, this is all to personal taste. I flirted with green flock when i started and now shudder when I look at those figures.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Sand and pva. Let it dry. Brown wash.
Then beige brown with flat earth highlights and protruding rocks in stone grey for arable areas.
Or yellow ochre with 50/50 white yellow ochre highlights for chalky areas.
Or Desert yellow and pale sand for desert areas.
Then flock (usually summer green) and clumps/tufts to taste.
Many and various examples https://madlemmey.blogspot.com/?m=1

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Normally paint green or sand for deserty types then sand finally green flock, on all scales 28 down to 6. Very little green on the deserty type troops (8th Army and DAK for instance). But it is a matter of personal preferance,

[mmcv]

You mentioned about brighter basing for smaller figures, I think brighter is good for the figures themselves to stand out but the basing can be darker as you want to match it closer to the table colours. As others have mentioned, a darker brown and some grass might work. I sometimes use a mix of green and brown flocks to give a more varied base for lusher terrain, which is presumably what you want for AWI, then add static grass and maybe some small clumps or stones on top. If I want very grassy I use more green, if I want it a bit more muddy then increase the amount of brown in the mix. For really simple I use PVA + brown/sand coloured paint, sprinkle sand into it once applied then top with a few patches of static grass.

[Battleback]

I tend to go darker on the bases. These are from my 10mm Ardennes project, I did 8 bases, 2 with walls when in the city, 2 with stone walls to use when appropriate and the others were just in the open.

I like leaving the ground showing in areas and use patches of green and snow in this case. Also adding a few boulders (cat litter) and rocks adds a nice look to the base.

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[Theo]

Thank you one and all for your kind input.

I will first try adding some static grass to the base and see where that gets me. I very much like the little stones etc. idea to add texture/interest and 3d dimensionality.

Thanks again chaps.

[Battleback]

Haha I meant cat litter not little cats to use as rocks. But yeah I think rocks add a lot to any base and is easy to do.

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