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I've been asked how I make my snow/ice bases, so here's the reply!

First things first - find some reference pictures, they really help give an idea of the effect you're trying to replicate. Reference isn't meant to be copied exactly, just used to give you a more solid idea of what you want to make and how to paint it. Anyway, once you have reference, make your base - assuming you don't have a pre-made one anyway. If you do make your own, I find it helps to press the feet of the model you're making the base for into the modelling material before it dries, to give you a slight imprint of where the feet will go once the base is finished.



Once you have your base, basecoat it, either white or black. In this case I've just used white. Also, when painting bases, it helps to blu-tac it onto a paint pot or similar sized object, so you have something to hold onto while you're painting that isn't the base itself.



Paint on a dark blue, such as Necron Abyss, as the first layer. This will show through in the deepest crevices of the ice.



Next layer is turquoise, like Hawk Turquoise. Drybrush this on heavily, leaving some of the dark blue showing in the crevices and areas where the ice is deepest.



Then, drybrush on light blue, such as Ice Blue, over the top. Again, leaving some of the dark blue and turquoise showing through.



After that, drybrush on white. You'll probably need a few drybrush layers of white to build up a properly snowy/icy look.



Once you're satisfied with the result, use a thin layer of Water Effects on the areas that are ice, to give them a properly slick, shiny look. Put the base in a dust-free place to dry for 24 hours.



Here's a couple of other bases painted with the same method.



And some more bases with actual models on them.



I hope this has been helpful!

Nice Tutorial! if i had some decent supplies, id actually do this myself all of the time, thanks!

These look awesome, howling does each base take? And how much green stuff do you get through doing all of these?

@wolfmerc: Thanks! And all it really needs are paints you probably already have, and greenstuff or milliput or some other sculpting putty, which is something any converter should also have! The only thing that might be an issue getting is the water effects stuff, but that's not even particularly necessary. I just like it 'cause it's shiny. XD GW sells bottles of Water Effects, though they're a bit pricey, or you could use the Realistic Water Effects stuff from Secret Weapon Scenics.

@Eldercaveman: Thank you! As for time, uhh. Painting-wise, not very long, maybe half an hour to an hour tops, depending how pedantic I'm being? As for sculpting it, maybe about half an hour or less? I don't really remember, it's been a while since I last made any. The main time involved is waiting for the greenstuff to dry. As for how much I use, ehh. I usually just use any greenstuff I've got left over from doing other conversion work. It's a good way to use up any leftover greenstuff that's going a little too hard for finer detail work.

I've tried something similar to this before, a quick way if you don't want to use a lot GS for it is to find really flat slate, stick it on the base, then GS-blend the edges in. It gives a nice rough texture too, though not particularly icey-looking...

The slate thing would work, yeah. And I think it'd actually work pretty well for a chunk of glacier ice or something! Hm, if I can find some suitable slate I may have to try that too.

Anyone know where to get more greenstuff than the small amount GW sends out? or any other suitable brands of putty?

@Exalbaru: Look for Kneadatite Blue/Yellow Greenstuff (it's basically the same thing as GW greenstuff). Try online hobby stores - I'd suggest some, but all the ones I know/use are Australian based, so probably not much help to you. Also have a look at E-Bay, there's places there that sell greenstuff at better prices.

You could also try Milliput, which is a similar thing to greenstuff but comes in different grades - basically, how fine the grain is, I believe. For miniatures you'll probably want either yellow/grey, silver/grey, or superfine white.

Hopefully that helps!

Exalbaru wrote:
Anyone know where to get more greenstuff than the small amount GW sends out? or any other suitable brands of putty?

You can try a putty like milliput if you don't have/want to use GS. That tends to be cheaper and comes in larger quantities than the stuff GW has and I personally feel is more suited for larger pieces of work.

I'll look into this, thank you. Theres really not too much that comes in the package from GW

Hehe yeah, no kidding. And it's stupidly highly priced too, especially down here. :| Good luck!

very simple and very nice! Will try it as soon as I get home

Thank you for your work and you time!

 Skits wrote:
Hehe yeah, no kidding. And it's stupidly highly priced too, especially down here. :| Good luck!

I feel you. Our prices here are marginally higher than yours. :/

@Bobakos: Thank you! I'm always happy to help, hehe. Feel free to post pics of what you make, I'd love to see the results!

@Enigwolf: Urgh, yeah. The whole price thing is why I refuse to buy from GW itself unless I have absolutely no other choice. :\