Painting rather than flocking

[KeithS]

I am getting back into painting wargaming figures after a long absence and I notice that putting flock onto bases now seems to be ubiquitous, at least if you look at modelling and painting videos.  When I was a lad this was practically unheard of, and the standard was to pretty much to just put a coat of grass green paint on a base and leave it at that.  Admittedly in those days it was also more common to just use single figures and not stick multiple figures to the base.  Now when getting into 10mm figures having multiple figures on a base makes a lot of sense, but I am inclined to add a bit of texture filler to conceal the individual figures bases then to just paint the filler and earth and or grass colour.  I am a bit reluctant though to flock the bases, this is partly to save a bit of work and money but mostly to avoid mess from flock shedding over time.  This is not to say that there is anything wrong with flocking, it does give a nice realistic effect and is ideal for high quality representation particularly at larger scales, but for me wargaming figures are primarily a means to an end of playing the game, although I do like a certain level of aesthetic appeal which is why I prefer painted figures to counters or blocks.   Anyway I was wondering if there are are others like me out there who prefer just to paint their bases.

[Orcs]

I prefer mine textured and flocked these days , although I used oo only texture to loose the base and paint it green.

I am not sure what i am going to do when I revisit my old 15mm Mikes models as most of those are based in Milliput omd just painted green. so rebasing may be a nightmare if I do anything but texture and paint.


I fully understand about the flock shedding, although the flocking is fairly quick when get into a flow.

[FierceKitty]

I did it that way for decades, but bought a printed games mat last year and realised I had to upgrade. If you are serious about it when you apply your second coat of sealant, the flock doesn't shed (which was a relief; I too feared it would).

[FierceKitty]

Reposting from last year, in the hope it may be of use to you.

Since I have recently flocked the bases on about 40 armies, let me share my experience. What I'm writing here is stuff I'd have profited from knowing a few months ago. There are doubtless many to whom this will be of no interest, so take advance warning not to waste your time; this isn't a masterclass.

1)  Making the flock Visit a sawmill or carpenter's workshop. Have a big bag and get much more sawdust than you think you'll want. My original shopping list would have got me about 20% of what I've used if my wife hadn't persuaded me to get a lot extra.

Once you're home, sift it until only powder remains. Mix this with cheap acryllic paint. Make several colours; I've found a sandy yellow and a mid olive green the most useful types. Dry it well on a sheet of wax paper or similar. Grind it in a cheap blender, since it will be far too coarse, and then sieve it once more. A mix of about three or four parts green to one sandy yellow makes a good meadow grass effect.

I've also found that raw, undyed sawdust can be similarly treated to yield a useful earth effect. Mixed with some dried grounds from our espresso for dark flecks, it gives a useful flock; a little sandy yellow can be added.

2) Basing I cut out standard-sized pieces of postcard and run a coloured felt tip around the rims to match the playing surface. With longer bases than usual, I sometimes stiffen them by glueing on a section of paper clip to resist warping (plastic covered is best - rust is seldom your friend). I now cover them in small numbers at a time with quick set epoxy glue, doing four or five in a batch. A drop of base colour mixed in the glue is helpful - burnt umber or yellow ochre (even burnt Sienna for Zululand, perhaps?). I've used a dull green too; it's a matter of how much detail you want. Something matching the paint on the metal figures' bases is desireable. Figures, filed flat under the bases, are set into the glue and left to dry thoroughly. It might be feasible to sprinkle flock on at this stage, but my instincts warn me not to complicate things; epoxy is messy to work with and time is tight.

3)  First covering  For decades I used unflocked bases to match the plain cloths I played on; having now bought a pretty mousepad games mat with printed surfaces, I have had to upgrade (whence this tutorial), but I think I was right to wait. In the old days, I just painted the epoxy to match the cloth, and it's this finish that I've been flocking over. If you've gone straight to flocking and have coloured your epoxy with a spot of pigment, you probably don't need to paint the surface with colours. I've found the most cost-effective approach is to begin with boulders, aka bits of kitty litter (you don't need a lot, so don't be stingy and unhygenic - use clean stuff). Glue them directly to the bases; I find Elmer's all-purpose is excellent here, though Europeans may use something else. Think a bit about where the army is operating; an English meadow has few rocks in it, since they've all long been turned into building material, camels will avoid rocky going since it hurts their feet (I haven't used any boulders on my Midianite army), and so on. You may also prefer to add boulders later, but I think this way they're a bit more firmly attached.

If you're fronding (see below), this is definitely the time to do it.

Get two brushes that you don't intend to paint with any more, and keep them in water. Mix up 30% wood glue (Elmer's again here, but there are plenty of others), a dash of washing-up liquid (for flow quality), and 70% alcohol. Avoid methyl alcohol, which is more poisonous than most and has fumes, and Cointreau, which is expensive. The mixture stores well in a sealed container. Put what you're using in a narrow vessel to reduce evaporation while you work. Paint it onto the bases, then dip them in a tray with your flock. It's best to use a shallow scooping motion, then angle them and shake the powder over the rest; excess is a real nuisance later. I have been pleased with the effect of using a brown and sandy mix here, then applying more glue in a few spots and sprinkling on my green mix. You needn't cover the whole base if you've painted an earth brown undercoat; grass doesn't always grow everywhere in a uniform carpet.

After applying this layer I often put a dab of Elmer's all purpose glue onto a small tuft of green pot scourer, and apply this to a base for a bit of vegetation. Again, this doesn't belong everywhere. For my 1943 Western Desert forces I put it on about 25% of the bases; I haven't used it at all for my Incas, though they have green bases.

Don't be alarmed if the glue mixture is a bit milky and opaque; it dries very clear, and won't even show if you splash a bit on your figures (honestly!). If you glue flock on them, however, you want to clear it off, which is why you've got that second brush in a water pot. Clean up your boulders too.

4)  Finishing  After all this has dried - and I mean dried! Be patient - paint on a second layer. This is important; the first won't hold the stuff securely, but the second will. Use a brush with soft, supple bristles, and paint in smooth, gentle strokes. It is imperative to remember that while the second coat is a liquid, it's a solvent, so it will try to undo the adhesive work of the first coat. Get it applied before it disolves the first layer, or you will find your brush is lifting off much of the flock.

Dry this on a sheet of plastic or foil. If you're like me, you'll have sloshed glue all over everything, and the base will end up glued to the surface it's resting on; if this is waterproof, however, removing it isn't hard.

5) And if you prefer, you could attach your boulders, scourer tufts, and other bits at this stage. That Elmer's all purpose is strong stuff, but I like the extra security of the glue washes. You can expect a little flock shedding, particularly if you put it on with a heavy hand initially, but the main layer, soaked with a sort of laquer, is tough. I haven't gone for hairspray; I've read too many warnings that it doesn't last beyond few years.

6) Other cover  I have used a lot of little plastic fronds from florists, cut into sections of about 6mm and attached before flocking, using blobs of wall putty coloured to match the bases. When this has dried, it can be glued over and flocked like the rest. This is a bit more laborious than the scourer vegetation, however, and I haven't used it everywhere.

A few army-specific bits are sometimes possible. My berserkir have bases littered with discarded shields, as do my Viking archers, though I'm troubled by the thought that these would be face-down for easy grabbing...maybe you want to make sure you don't accidentally steal the shield of Thorvald, son of Gutrune the Strong, that killed Bjorn...shut up!...and my 21st Lancers, whom I have in mounted and dismounted states, have their lances lying at their feet. It's tempting to put on casualties, but think about practicalities - a mutilated Greek in full hoplite gear in the wake of a scythed chariot will look very atmospheric, until you want to use your Persians against Scythians or Indians. Better to have a mangled corpse in a nondescript tunic, and Peckinpah gore effects.

Thank you for your patience, if you've read this far!

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

I use sand with flock (if appropriate) - the spray varnish seems to hold it well. If you are doing terrain no need to varnish - chaep hair spary works to hold it in place.

[steve_holmes_11]

I've been a "paint only" baser.
It doesn't look good compared to a bit of flock.

The best bases I've seen are painted an earthshade, and then partially flocked leaving bare patches visible.

[Big Insect]

I've been a "paint only" baser.
It doesn't look good compared to a bit of flock.

The best bases I've seen are painted an earthshade, and then partially flocked leaving bare patches visible.

I came to this technique myself after much experimentation Steve. I went through a 'sand period' - where I stuck the figures to the base, then used a course sand, that  I washed with a dark ink and then dry-brushed with a slightly brown-white and then added flock - it looked fab but was very laborious.

I now use a cheap household DIY filler - which can be sculpted whilst wet/tacky to create some great effects. I let this dry thoroughly and then wash with Games Workshop Steel Legion Drab - more dilute washes for dryer ground and darker washes for damp ground or around rocks etc. I paint around the base edge (I base on 2mm  MDF) a dark brown.
When that is dry I use a 1mm or 2mm static grass (appropriately coloured) stuck on with washes of PVA. I invested in a static grass applicator and it has been a god-send.    
If the PVA is thick enough - not too thick or it goes shiny - you can get a good fix for the static grass.
At this stage I use a household vacuum cleaner - and I hold the base about 6 inches away from the turned-on nozzle - it tends to remove any loose static grass for good.
I will then add assorted clumps and tufts - although for close order infantry I usually don't bother with this.

I use a similar technique on 6mm, 10mm, 15mm and 28mm. It works well, for me. It also means I can mix & match units across armies - so a unit of 28mm Mercenary Hellenistic Peltasts can be used in pretty much any of my Hellenistic armies, even some of my Punic Wars armies as well.

The advantage of the filler is also that it is pretty easy to rebase figures as I just stand the bases in water overnight (up to the figures feet/ankles) and the filler will loosen very easily after that.

Cheers
Mark
PS: I particularly like the basing of the Falklands Wars Argentinian Infantry force in this years painting competition - you really get the impression of damp and boggy ground with a covering of scrub and bog plants/bushes.

[mmcv]

If you douse a flocked base in watered down PVA and let it dry it'll usually become very solid and not shed, especially after a varnish. The flock absorbs the watery PVA then solidifies as it evaluates.

For 2mm I'd usually just texture and paint, but a little flock or grass on 10mm looks good. It depends on the base density and terrain type too. Bigger bases or lower figure density works well flocked but a dense base of figures may just need texture, paint and a little flock or grass.

But I can completely see why you'd be happy with painted bases, once in the flow of the game you'll not overly notice. Looks nice though and isn't too time consuming to do if you add while the base is drying so all one step.

[petercooman]

i stick to vallejo dark earth texture pastefor my bases, drybrushed and then patches of static grass.

[John Cook]

The first thing to say is you can do whatever you like.  Nowhere 'is it written' that stands have to be decorated, and the fact of the matter is that figures are no more than counters and you can use pieces of coloured card to represent units just as effectively but, as you suggest, they don't look so good.
The reason, I think, why decorating stands has become more common is the fact that wargames terrain has also become more sophisticated, particularly with the advent of games mats, so plain stands just don't cut it anymore.
I've been mounting figures on stands since the early 1970s when Minifigs bought out the first 15mm figures but the green paint finish was as far as it went, decorating stands was, as you say, unheard of in those days.  I've been decorating bases since I switched to 10mm in the mid-1980s, when 10 High ACW figures appeared and this is my method.
I have a number of plastic containers for the various materials that I use but the first thing I do is paint the base in dark earth.  Then I apply the unit label, on the top trailing edge of the stand and a more comprehensive description underneath.  This is produced using adhesive label software.
The top and sides of the stand are then sealed with PVA glue solution, about a 50/50 water/glue mix. 
When dry I apply PVA glue and dip the base in the first container which has a mortar mix, the kind used for brickwork, left over from when I had an extension built.  This dries to a hard light earth colour with a rough finish.  Cost nil. 
It would make rebasing hard work but I haven't rebased any stands of figures in 35 years so it isn't an issue for me and, as and aside, I have never understood the need to rebase figures.  I find adapting rules much simpler.
Next, I apply a couple of touches of PVA and dip the stand into the next container which contains some grit, the kind that model railway buffs use for ballast.  Go for grit advertised for N-Gauge.   If the figures are set in a North African setting the process stops here, except for the addition of a self adhesive tuft or two to represent a bit of scrub.
When that has dried I apply a random coat of PVA to the stand and dip it into a container of 2mm static grass.  This leaves some of the 'earth' showing through.  I have used static grass applicators in the past, the kind powered by a couple of AA batteries but, to be frank, I found them a waste of time and effort.  That is not to say they don't work but they offer no advantage over dipping a stand into a container of static grass and take much longer to achieve the same effect.   I have not found that static grass shedding is a particular issue.
Finally, some self adhesive tufts finish off. Cost overall can be counted in pence. 
It does take time but the effort is worth it.

[Chad]

I much prefer painting to flocking. My method is simple. I use the model railway 'grass' sheets. I stick the bases to the backing, prime the base edges and then paint them the same colour as the figures bases. I tend to practical not pretty. 😉

[Westmarcher]

Anyway I was wondering if there are are others like me out there who prefer just to paint their bases.

Not being doing that for around 20 years now. Like you, I add a bit of texture filler to conceal the individual figures bases. I started with flock after some encouragement from a fellow gamer. I simply painted Humbrol Grass Green enamel on the base and sprinkled green flock over it before it dried. Through time there was some shedding but this was remedied by painting a coat of matt varnish over it to seal it (I used an old half empty tin - the flock sticks to the brush and ends up in the tin).   

I then progressed to static grass. If you are worried about how to do it, buy the Baccus6mm basing system and you won't look back. This provides the material and instructions. After that, you'll buy your own stuff from elsewhere and develop your own technique(s). I've even applied static grass to my previously flocked bases (see my pre-20th century foot painting comp entry). There is a shedding issue with static grass but this is very slight. Oh, and one other point, I use the vacuum cleaner after the PVA has dried (obviously using the nozzle tool attachment) to vacuum up any loose grass - I like to think this also helps to straighten the grass.

@Orcs: I've used Milliput from Day-1 and re-based countless times so you should have absolutely no problem.

[mmcv]

@Orcs: I've used Milliput from Day-1 and re-based countless times so you should have absolutely no problem.

Oof, what's your secret? I used Milliput and paint on some of my early bases and was a pain to rebase. Some of them are still stuck...

[Orcs]

Oof, what's your secret? I used Milliput and paint on some of my early bases and was a pain to rebase. Some of them are still stuck...

Yes I would love to know too

[Westmarcher]

Oof, what's your secret? I used Milliput and paint on some of my early bases and was a pain to rebase. Some of them are still stuck...

Yes I would love to know too

Yikes! Getting me worried, now. I wonder, do you both use mdf bases? Any re-basing I've done is for miniatures on bases cut from mounting board/card (whatever you call it - you know, the card you use in picture framing). I carefully* use a sharp craft knife to slice the base off, often successfully getting the miniatures and existing landscaping off in one piece. That stuff also bends with a little bit of pressure plus the Milliput around the base of the figures is quite brittle and easy to chop off with your knife if you can't remove it with your thumb. I've only been using mdf in recent years and, to be fair, I've not tried re-basing mdf bases .... yet. 

* otherwise you may do a Techno.