Snowy Base Tutorial (Part 2)

The next and final part of the base will be painting and the snow application. 

You will need:

• Paintbrush
• Model paints
• Baking soda
• PVA glue
• White paint

First, I give the base an undercoat of Chaos Black spraypaint. Once this has I dried I applied a basecoat of brown - the shade is entirely up to you, here I have used Citadel's Mournfang Brown. 

Once the basecoat has dried I gave the whole base a heavy drybrushing of a lighter brown, in this case XV88.  The bird grit should then be painted a dark grey to represent small stones. The grit could be left brown depending on your preference, but the brand I have used are too round to look realistic enough as representations of wood/bark. The extra grey colour also adds variation to the base and avoids a monotonous look.

Next I gave the cork pieces a wash of Nuln Oil and highlighted the stones with Administratum Grey. I also added pieces of coloured foam to represent small clumps of foliage.  This step is not entirely necessary but I think it gives the base an even more realistic look and provides added texture as well as something for the snow to cling onto. 

The final stage is the application of the snow. To make the snow you must mix together two equal parts of PVA glue to white acrylic paint. Next, take your baking soda and add to this mix in small amounts one part at a time, mixing the three substances together after each new addition. Continue this process until the snow reaches a texture that you are happy with. Here I have used about twice as much baking soda compred to the PVA/paint mix. Once this mixture is ready use your paintbrush to apply the snow to the base as you see fit, trying not to cover up too much of the detail you've spent time painting!

Paint the rim of your base to match the rest of your army and there you have it! A great looking snowy base that's quick and easy to make.