Monday 5 November 2012

Forest Base

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted. I just haven't been or felt like hobbying recently, the hobby room has been barely used due to work and a general lack of free time. I have still been loitering on Blogger and have enjoyed seeing others new work, now I have got a second wind and have restarted a number of projects. Painting of standard Praetorians is ongoing and I'm hoping to have the first squad finished and photographed soon. Last bit of my jigsaw with them was finishing the base scheme, rather than a woodland scheme I realised it was more a pine forest I was after and the picture below shows roughly what I'm aiming at.

Painting the base is pretty easy now and I'm really happy with what the base looks like before any foliage or extras are added. The one thing I haven't got quite right on this test is the log which I should have put more grey on, I was too light with the first dry brush and too much brown is still showing through. With the resin tree stumps I have though I shouldn't see this as a problem as they have much more defined recesses to dry brush.


So I think it looks pretty good before any foliage is added or flocks. I literally have a draw full of different static grasses, flocks, leaves, moss etc. You name it, I have probably bought it in the pursuit of the perfect base scheme. With a break away from it all though, I have sat down tonight and pulled out a few bits and bobs which I think added to this base really give off the theme I'm trying to achieve, while importantly to me, allowing the base colour scheme I like so much to still be prevalent.



And here it is. Simple but I think effective at portraying a sort of pine forest base so the army has that woodland feel without the need for masses of grass. I stuck a guy on to see how the colour scheme fits and its made me pretty happy that this will look good on a large scale. 


So now back to painting, it wont be quick I'm afraid, Commissar Dave's most recent posts got me determined to get back in to hobbying and to do the conversions I had been planning. Converting is my favourite bit by far, painting I find a chore so I'm breaking up layers by finishing off my five Ratlings as well. Thanks for still following, new stuff should be much quicker coming now as I have a lot of love for hobbying again (and a weekend with the Mrs away!).

5 comments:

  1. Hurrahs all round! Glad to see some more of those smashing bases - very realistic as well, and from the reference photos you can see there's a very clear theme to them in mind. Can't wait to see the finished troopers.

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  2. NICE! Now that is one good looking base! Super realistic and suites your men perfectly.

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  3. I love your base and I can't wait to see your army on them. Plus there is no need to applogise for having a break. It's good to have a break and re-charge your batterys.

    I have not forgotten about your comment you left on my last post and I will answer it. I have just come back from holiday so I will get back to you shortly.

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  4. Thats really really nice work. It looks very realistic. Basing is something I have always struggled with, especially making it look natural like yours.

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  5. Thanks for your comments guys, first of many inbound posts I hope.

    Col Young I have to admit I struggle with painting in general, I've never had an artistic bone in my body and the one thing I do like about miniatures is the almost paint by numbers way in which you can do them and get a good effect. I'm not very good at realising what colours or shades would go well together and everything I paint is by trial and error and usually I don't like it! You would not believe how many base trials I went through and I have eventually ended up with this colour scheme on the base by finding a really good tutorial! It was then a very expensive process of buying flocks and grasses to find ones that work! There are some great tutorials out there, google what your looking for and I bet some kind soul has put it on a blog! And when you know the colours that work, the actual painting is so easy.

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