Painting rather than flocking

[jimduncanuk]

Jim, you might try this.  http://totalsystemscenic.com/product-category/uncategorised/flock/

Thanks for that John.

Jim

[DHautpol]

I'm not a great fan of flocking bases, I much prefer to use products like Colour Party's "Basetex" or Coat d'Armes "Brushscape".  They are basically suitably coloured acrylic paints with some type of grit in them; I use Basetex for 28mm, 15mm and 10mm, but I find it too coarse for 6mm where the Brushscape gives a much better finish.  The BT19 Green Basetex matches Colour Party's own MA19 Scenic Green paint and is also a very good match with GW's Elysian Green.  Brushscape's 406 Muddy Green gives a very similar match-up.

Push the Basetex between the based figures using a cheapish Size 1 or 2 brush, I find that the flex in the bristles allows you to manoeuvre the Basetex more easily than with a cocktail stick and it's easier to clean any excess off as you go along.  Set aside to dry, I usually leave them overnight but they are usually ready for the next stage much sooner than that.

Once dry, run a modelling knife around the edges to tidy them up, paint the edges to match and then dry brush with a thinned deep yellow.  Once they are dry you can add "grass tufts" if you feel so inclined.  I wasn't a fan of tufts initially, but I have come to appreciate that 2 or 3 tufts on a base gives a very nice effect; you just need to avoid the impulse to keep adding just one more little tuft.

[DecemDave]

While I have tried various methods, I'm not happy with any of them but tend to the speedy mud paint/PVA/flock and scatter/spray varnish approach.  Its bad enough the time needed for painting figures without needing a many stage basing process. I think the world still awaits the perfect solution which is quick, cheap, realistic looking and improves the look of the units. Although even "realistic" needs multiple solutions for different geographies, soils and time of year.  And would an entire army be marching through identical terrain anyway?  So you could get away with anything that looks nice really - just invent a story to match  afterwards  - "I have based my army to reflect the soil conditions on 3rd June in the area near Midsomer Mallow following a light shower with the left flank units near the destroyed drainage ditches".

Anyway, the most realistic base I have ever seen (I think on a thread here somewhere) was some wagons going along a muddy (and part textured) track with some black/silvery puddles and the grass at the sides of the base. This looked very real world to me.  Whereas many gamers (me included) seem to end up with the figures standing on the grassy (or flocked) bits and avoiding the mud - presumably to avoid getting their shoes dirty? And then there is a choice to show grass upright or "trampled".   

My head hurts.    I shall now return to contemplating how to paint fingernails on 10mm figures.

[Terry37]

I know I'm late to the party, but I have never been a fan of flocking. For me, it just doesn't go with a painted figure, looking artificial, and is like putting a real twig on the base and then not painting the twig. The twig looks real to life and the figure doesn't, but if you paint them both then they go together.

For my bases I use a wood putty by Elmer's and mix it to a pudding consistency and apply with a brush. When it's dry I use different grades of model railroad ballast for grass and rocks. When all is dry I paint it resulting in the entire base looking consistent. Here are a few examples and Sasquatch will show real twigs that has been painted.















Thi is my way of doing it and I have always been pleased.

Terry

[Leman]

Going to be honest here. Everybody has their own way of doing things so in presentation of your figures there is no right or wrong way. If you want to just use paint, then texturing the base and using a base paint followed by dry brushing the dried surface with one or more greens, yellows and buffs can look just as effective as flock. Another way to go is to finish off the base by attaching small grass tufts, I suggest 2mm with 10mm figures. The chap on Miniature Realms has produced a You Tube video which is a painting tutorial of Warlord Epic Confederate infantry. His completion of the base using texture, paint and small sections of grass tuft shows how this can be done. A nice effect without having to resort to individual strands of flock.

[Ithoriel]

I know I'm late to the party, but I have never been a fan of flocking. For me, it just doesn't go with a painted figure, looking artificial, and is like putting a real twig on the base and then not painting the twig. The twig looks real to life and the figure doesn't, but if you paint them both then they go together.

<SNIP>

Thi is my way of doing it and I have always been pleased.

Terry

I thought I was the one and only who felt like that!!

I think your bases look fantastic Terry so you are quite right to be pleased with them!

[Orcs]

Is it just me ? I keep reading the title to this thread as "Painting or Flogging", make of that what you will   

P.S I did not attend a boarding school or one run my members of a religious order.

[FierceKitty]

?

Who "runs your members"?

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Just you Mark, I'd see a doctor 

[flamingpig0]

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.

You might be aware of this anyway but soaking the bases in about 2mm of boiling water  should get them off the base without damaging the figure

Mike's Models are the coolest 15mm wargaem figures ever!

[Orcs]

Is it just me ? I keep reading the title to this thread as "Painting or Flogging", make of that what you will    

P.S I did not attend a boarding school or one run by members of a religious order.

Corrected

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

You might be aware of this anyway but soaking the bases in about 2mm of boiling water  should get them off the base without damaging the figure

Mike's Models are the coolest 15mm wargaem figures ever!

The ones I've got are 13mm, and poor casatings 

[KeithS]

I thought I was the one and only who felt like that!!

I think your bases look fantastic Terry so you are quite right to be pleased with them!

I'm there too, I must admit that when I first posted this thread I got the impression that pretty much everyone was into flocking.  Following an earlier suggestion I have used the Cote d'Arms Brushscape texture paints, which gives (IMHO) quite a nice effect.  There are a few things to watch out for though; you need to be quite careful when applying it as the troops need to be based first and there is  risk of covering your troops if they are close together; it also pretty much trashes brushes so don't use your best ones to apply it.

[Heedless Horseman]

Flocking is quick but I tend to prefer Fine Sand on white glue, painted. If you have painted to match a 'game mat'... then find that you like a different mat more... you can simply retouch paint. 'Textured Media' look 'a bit too smooth' for me... unless 'Sand' / 'Snow'.
Not a fan of Static Grass, unless for a specific theatre...eg Vietnam.
In general, I  am not keen on heavily vegetated 'diorama' bases. They may make lovely 'pieces'... but can look rater 'odd' on roads, in towns, etc.
Grass 'tufts' may be costly... but, used sparingly, do the biz for me.

When / If... I get round to doing the 25mm ACW / Naps that I have amassed for the future... I may well just go for the 'Old School' look... without 'texturing' just some smoothing with white glue.... and a reasonably appropriate colour of paint. I like that 'look'... and a stand of FOUR figures is just going to be a representational 'piece', anyway!

[fsn]

I am not a big fan of the basing process. I remember Westie telling me of his regime and I felt quite exhausted.

I'm also infamously not a huge fan of bases that have sculpted pieces - logs, trees, fences, statues of the Virgin Mary - for the simple, and oft stated, reason that I feel for the poor troopers who have to lug the aforesaid statue of the Virgin Mary around with them.

I have experimented with texturing bases for some SF figures with absolutely no success.

For me, a nice mixture of 2mm Jarvis static grass - 2 parts summer, 2 parts spring, 1 part autumn - gives a satisfactory effect without being distracting. Marching through long(ish) grass.

If you care to spend time and energy on basing, go for it. If everyone did the same we'd be a very boring hobby.