20081226

Friday Quick Tip: Snow Basing


In keeping with the season, I thought it only proper to have a winter inspired tip this week. So we're going with a quick and dirty method for snow basing! A lot of folks avoid this as they really don't understand how simple it can really be. So I'll break it down to the basics!

What you'll need:

You can substitute with a myriad of things here and there. You don't NEED a GW sculpting tool for example, I just happen to find it to be the best tool I have on hand for this particular job! You will however NEED PVA glue, some sort of snow medium, and something to mix and place all that snow! And of course the miniature is a given...


The first thing you'll want to do is squeeze out an appropriate amount of glue onto your paper towel. Then shake out about the same amount of snow medium right next to it. A little more or a little less snow isn't going to hurt your end results, so just get it roughly equal.

Once you've figured out how much you'll need, it's time to mix it up. Continue to mix the snow into the glue until you start getting little clumps.


Applying the mixture to your bases is rather straight forward. Take up some of the mixture and press it down onto the base with your sculpting tool. You can add as much or as little as you want, it's your base afterall!


Below is the finished application. Be sure you clean up the rim of the base with a finger and wipe away any overhanging excess snow. Though really that's just personal preference!


I normally use snow as an accent to the basing, not completely covering it, so additional drybrushing and some static grass would have gone down before this to get the effects I've achieved with my Skaven in the begining of the post.

It's a very very simple thing to use, and it just takes a few tries to get familiar with. This method is MUCH faster than gluing successive layers of the stuff until it really looks like snow. Trust me, I've done it!

What do other folks use for snow basing?

3 comments:

  1. I've had some limited success with white puffy type paint you can pick up real cheap at the craft store.

    I just squeeze out the amount I want onto my base and move it around a little while it's still wet to get it where I want.

    I suppose you could sprinkle baking soda or some other texture on top otherwise the snow looks glassed over somewhat but perfectly fine from a distance.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well it would seem I'm not the only one with this on my mind today ^_^.

    Bell of Lost Souls has a nice tutorial using Baking Soda posted by Bushido Red Panda! Be sure to check it out as well!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Have you ever tried to use microballons?
    It is used as a glass balloon resin filler, but I have seen people like Jennifer Haley use them to a very good effect. Especially good if you want realistic blood to spread through the snow.
    A lot of places sell it in tiny packs for an outrageous amount of money, but you can find it for much cheaper at local hobby stores.

    ReplyDelete

Comments