Basing advice

[TheMarquis]

Seeking some advice on paint for basing. I'm looking for a nice neutral earth shade, a fairly general European earth tone.

I've tried Vallejo Burnt Umber (too dark), Beige Brown (too useful for other stuff on the model! and a bit too light), and Brown Earth (too orange).

If anyone has any suggestions or can point me to some good tutorials on paints for basing I'd be very grateful.

[Norm]

My first basing material is white artists texture (in principle does the same job as grout or filler paste) and to this I add a couple of drops of Vallejo Chocolate Brown before applying. Mixed, this means that if the base chips, white will not show through, plus the mix goes to quite a pale brown, which looks fine on the base (which I then add flock to) and  might allow your Burnt Umber to work in a like manner.

This way you combine the texturing and painting of the base into one process.

[SotF]

Seeking some advice on paint for basing. I'm looking for a nice neutral earth shade, a fairly general European earth tone.

I've tried Vallejo Burnt Umber (too dark), Beige Brown (too useful for other stuff on the model! and a bit too light), and Brown Earth (too orange).

If anyone has any suggestions or can point me to some good tutorials on paints for basing I'd be very grateful.

Not entirely with paints, but there's what I've been using.

I tend to use superglue and a mix of fine sand and construction sand in about a 50/50 mix that's my normal basing thing with a few rocks worked in on several of them.

Base the area with grey, then you use acryllic artists inks thinned with water. First Burnt Umber at about 3 parts water to 1 part ink. Pretty much cover the ground with it and let it dry. Then a black ink with about 5 parts water to 1 part ink, put it over the entire thing and let dry. Then I go back with a white (normally just the apple barrel white) and go over the added rocks and use some of the inks after it dries to, basically, leopard spot it since that paint seems to work very much like a plaster. I finish the normal basing with a drybrush of an ivory or parchment...then I add the foliage I want on top.

[Codsticker]

Have you considered using tinted wood filler? Both.Lepages and Elmers make it. If not I believe Vallejo make an Earth color and Tamiya make a Dark Earth (XF is their designation for flat colours). Tamiya also make a textured Dark Earth paint but it looks expensive to me; I would just as soon use the tinted wood filler.

[mmcv]

My approach has been to mix PVA with either Vallejo Israeli Sand (which gives a more arid greyish tone) or for more fertile bases I use a few drops of Vallejo Wood Grain which gives a much richer brown tone. Then any sand or grit added will absorb some of those colours. Usually add the paint and glue mix thick, affix the figures into it, sprinkle with sand, grit or flock and let it all dry then touch up any gaps. Just make sure to keep the PVA thick or the grit will absorb it all and the figures won't stick. Made that mistake recently thinning the mix too much with water!

[Lowtardog]

I tend to use US field drap vallejo, think that's what it's called. Over sand fiwed with pva. I then dry brush with dark sand

[SteveBurt]

Artist acrylic raw umber is much cheaper than Vallejo, and can be diluted to give wash-like effects if required

[Major_Gilbear]

After basing with PVA and sand, I thin down a light beige-ochre, and flood the bases with it (this also helps to keep the sand bonded to the base). Whilst they're wet, I add a little Tank Brown (also called Armour Brown) to the tan, and blob a few spots here and there on the bases to mottle them a bit.

After they're dry, I blob on some Army Painter Strong Tone wash, and also some Army Painter Soft Tone wash, and let them mix a bit on the base.

Finally, a light drybrush with your initial beige, followed by another (super light) drybrush of ivory. Add tufts and/or snow to suit.

[Captain Blood]

Vallejo ‘Flat Earth’. Perfect.

[cahrn]

95% of my miniatures that get generic bases are done as follows. After cleaning and gluing the miniature to the base I apply a layer of AK Terrains Ground Texture Dark Earth. Using this particular product is merely a convenience thing, you could just as easily make it yourself mixing some fine sand, paint, and acrylic paste. Then, while this is still wet I press a couple of small rocks into the base and sprinkle on a pinch of coarser gravel. Once this is dry, typically overnight, I prime the miniature. To paint the base I start with thinned VMC Chocolate Brown or AK Brown Olive Drab for the dirt and VMC German Grey for the rock before drybrushing some tan or beige for the dirt and various light greys for the stones. Finally I usually paint on an irregular coat of Mod Podge over 50-75% of the base and cover with flock and add grass tufts as desired for variety.

[Charlie_]

I actually just use sand, unpainted!

They key being to have most of it covered by grass and tufts, so the pure sand / earth only shows in a few patches.

[TheMarquis]

Many thanks for all the replies, these are all really very helpful. I'm going to experiment with Vallejo Flat Earth and also Earth 062 and see how I get on.

[Melnibonean]

I use Vallejo Game Colour Khaki. It's a medium dusty earth colour. I go through a couple of bottles every year. I also use a coffee coloured caulk and sand mix for basing and it blends very well with this khaki.

[zemjw]

Over coarse sand, I've been using Vallejo Flat earth, shaded with Vallejo Sepia Shade wash, drybrushed with Vallejo Tan Earth

It actually ends up quite dark, more mud coloured, but it blends in with most of my terrain

[Silent Invader]

Nowadays I prefer my minis on a lighter coloured base that matches my common terrain system.

My method is to:
-Sprinkle sifted Sharp Sand onto superglue
-Paint VMC Chocolate Brown
-Invariably have some run off from the mini of Citadel Agrax Earthshade
-Drybrush VMC Cork Brown
-Lightly Drybrush VMC Iraqui Sand
-Matte varnish
-Grass tufts
-Blend of static grasses, flock and foam tamped onto PVA

Seems like a lot of stages but each only takes a few seconds and I tend to work on about 10-20 figures at a time.

Here be some recently-based LOTR and HF dwarves: