Texturing a complex base

[Kellyn]

Okay, I'm finishing up Victoria, Queen of the Fairies. Her broccoli base is really cool with fern leaves and little mushrooms that I've painted up (since they do stick up a *little* bit...) and part of a butterfly is on the ground too. It's like she's standing on a pile of matted leaves. I really love the concept, and it's really beautiful with the figure. But I therefore don't know how or if I should do the flocking step of basing. I'm given to understand that it's not precisely good taste to just leave the base as painted metal, but I don't want to lose those fern leaves and mushrooms!

 

Help!!

 

(If you've completed Ms. Victoria and can show me pix of how you did it, that'd be really cool!)

 

Incidentally, I only started flocking my own bases yesterday. *grin* The last one was really badly done, but oh, well. So I'm also more concerned about that with a complex base. Sigh. But that's just like me, to skip all the easy learning steps and dive into the Cool Stuff.

 

Anyway, thanks.

 

Jess

[Crusoe the Painter]

Well, you could just strategicaly apply some clumps of static grass, so it breaks up the appearance of the broccoli base. A few dots of superglue using a toothpick, and then cover it with static grass, and blow to fluff it.

 

Broccoli bases don't look that bad when painted. :)

 

The other thing would be to use sand, and paint that as grass when applied. It won't be high enough to cover much detail.

[Cerridwyn1st]

I'd go with Crusoe on that. Strategically applied stat grass instead of basing the mini. Painting the base details would look better than a bad application of stat grass, no doubt.

 

 

QUOTE: "I'm given to understand that it's not precisely good taste to just leave the base as painted metal, but I don't want to lose those fern leaves and mushrooms!"

 

That, my friend, is a matter of opinion. And you know what they say about opinions, don't you?

 

I guess you kind of hit a hot button of mine. It annoys me to see otherwise beautiful pieces of miniature art degraded because they don't have an eleborate display base.

 

Just use your own best judgement, and don't worry too much about other's opinions.

[Durak]

I guess you kind of hit a hot button of mine. It annoys me to see otherwise beautiful pieces of miniature art degraded because they don't have an eleborate display base.

Then again there is a lot to be said about simplicity. Someone (I forgot who) mention that rackham mini's plain black bases are their because of one reason, to have all the focus on the mini.

 

 

Another advantage of a simple basing is that if it doesn't look right you can come back to it later and make adjustments.

 

 

But really it is up to the individuals tastes.

[Errex]

It has to do more with your aesthetic preferences. It takes some practice to learn to make a balanced base, one that shows off the mini, but doesn't overpower it. It is, IMO, pretty much as with normal painting. You do your sketch, balance the elements that form the painting within the canvass, and then apply color.

[Death Angel]

OK, in the case of this one I didn't add any extra baseing materials, simply because I thought the base was complex enough for this model(See attached Pic). HOwever, haveing said that I will be painting another one of these very soon and I will be adding snow to her base.

So all I will say is, "Each to their own!".

 

Cheers,

Julie

[Errex]

Hey, it looks nice as is. It doesn't really need flock added to it.