Jungle basing ideas needed

[Waylandrk]

Currently plotting a heart of darkness style campaign and working on my models. First up is going to be a Tatzlwyrm equivalent, lurking in the mango swamps. I've never done jungle/swamp bases before and wondered if anyone has any tips or suggestions.  

 

This is my beast so far with just a blank base

[MediocrePainter]

How about a nurgle style base. With brown earth and some green representing slime, grime and other wet stuff? I use that for my wet pox maggots.

This is abetter shot of what i hat in mind. Maybe add some static grass...

Edited June 7, 2021 by MediocrePainter

[BLZeebub]

Do you mean mangrove swamp?  Those are pretty awesome.

 

Do a search for "jungle floor" and "swamp ground," for starters.  First image I get from swamp is actually a terrain piece. 

 

For the jungle, think shadows, moss, decay, extensive roots, maybe vines.  Little light typically hits the understory. 

 

For the swamp, consider learning to use resin or even just a gloss finish in parts to create puddles.  Again, decay--very dark on the basecoat.  But also add in some rangy grasses/sedges, cattails, rotten stumps, vines clinging to anything tall enough.

 

You can use dried herbs (oregano, parsley, basil), coarse ground black pepper, normal dried leaves, crumbled and glued on and painted.  Vines can be almost anything string-like.  Roots can be made from string or thin wire.  Bulk it out with greenstuff or air-dry clay or paper towel soaked in glue.  Same with dead trees and stumps.

[Great Khan Artist]

I used herbs for mine. I based it initially in sand and painted it a dark brown so as not to distract from the bright mini. Then I took a mixture of herbs and loose tea and mixed it together. I think I used basil and oregano with a bit of green foam flock mixed in. Super cheap and it smells nice, too. 

[Inarah]

I'd first paint the base a dark brown color. You don't want any bare metal or primer showing through at the end.  Put down a thin layer of sand if you have it, and paint that.  Old tea (dried out and crumbled up) or used coffee grounds make for great "dirt" or mulch-like base, sometimes you even get little sticks in the herbal tea.  Look around at your local craft stores for "floral picks", they're small and inexpensive.  You can sometimes find them with tiny leaves or flowers that can be cut off.   Check your back yard or local park for dried grasses and twigs, a little clump of dried grass stalks can be glued down to make standing reeds.  There are web sites that will show you how to create your own "tufts" and grass clumps. 

 

[lowlylowlycook]

Mel the Terrain Tutor did a whole series on his jungle board on Youtube.  He definitely used mixed herbs.

[Glitterwolf]

I paint the base in Vallejo Earth, then add all sorts of vegetation/flock/rocks etc.

You can find a lot in a Garden centre.

On Large bases add a little Vallejo Still Water.

I also use resin bases that can be painted wonderfully.

Some stuff I made.

The Photobackdrop also used a lot of plastic plants.

 

Check out the Lost World for more

WIP Here:

https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/69308-lost-world-project-glitterwolf-paints-coldblooded-creatures-and-conquistadores/

 

 

[RogaDanar]

For water affect, you can use a two part clear epoxy. I tinted my with testors oil paints (a tiny drop with do) to create a slime on a game piece. If you use the kind that comes in the twin syringe tubes, you can squirt out just the amount you need. It is usually dry pretty quick. 

[SotF]

For a swamp base, grab some of the high gloss polyeurethane from the acryllic paint stuff at the larger hobby stores (I've normally grabbed it at hobby lobby, but it's occasionally at Wal-Mart). While it's more difficult to tint, you can do a lot with it. If you aren't moving the bases around for a bit after putting it on, the stuff tends to not need a dam either if you don't go overboard.

 

I tend to hit where I want it with superglue and fine sand, then use a watered down dark brown ink and a more watered down black ink after the brown dries. Then let it dry overnight before going with a thick layer of the polyeurethane and sprinkle some darker green fine flock (A blended turf mix) into the gloss and let it sink into the gloss and soak some of it into itself. The end result works for algae and stands out against what looks like muddy water. For larger areas, I also add lillypads and reeds.

 

For lillypads, I take a sheet of standard printer paper, use a few green paints that I work together and let it dry. Then I use a basic hole punch of the kind normally used for 3-Ring binders and go to town on the painted area and stockpile the massive amount a single sheet makes for use. When I need them, I just use a knife to cut a wedge out of the round and float it on the gloss and dab a tiny bit more gloss on top.

 

For reeds, I grab one of the really cheap brushes from the hardware store (A 4" tends to be about 65 cents at the home depot and lowes) that has the right brown look to it, and use scissors to remove chunks and attach to the base before adding gloss with gel superglue...just wait overnight for the superglue to completely cure before putting the gloss around them, otherwise you get some frosting (which goes away with a bit more gloss ontop, but waiting overnight before the gloss tends to work better).

[MoonglowMinis]

I try to keep my bases mostly paint with the exception of some grass tufts (flocking is just too messy for me).

I really enjoyed basing these swamp skeletons.  The dark swamp water is all painted directly on the base or over a thin layer of bakingsoda/superglue.  Just work from light to dark as the water gets deeper.  It doesn't look like much until you gloss coat it after sealing.

 

The bases use the integrated base, with a superglue/ baking soda mix to blend them into the rest of the piece.  Some small aquarium rocks were used to add some extra detail.

The real key is to use colors that match the environment.  Like a cold green-grey instead of a warm sunny grey.
There's some better shot of my simple swamp bases HERE, but I didn't want to clutter this thread.

Edited June 9, 2021 by MoonglowMinis

[Inarah]

I did some like Moonglowminis several years ago.  Placed the plastic integral base inside a lipped base, and filled the area around it with 2-part clear epoxy.  A little ground cover and a tuft of grass make it look like a marsh:  https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/47692-3616-tiik-warriors/