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Since the township's doing waterworks in the area and I live next to an open lot they use to store the soil, limestone, and sand I've got a pretty much unlimited supply until they wrap up sometime next year. The sand is great stuff - free of organic debris, clean Florida beach sand complete with tiny pebbles and bits of shell.

I've had my banshees and reapers painted for a while now, but never got to basing them. Today I slapped on the PVA glue and sanded the bases and the more I did the more I though how cool it would be to have beach-style bases. No, not umbrellas and lounge chairs, no inflatable beach balls or boogie boards.

What I need help with is how to duplicate the surf coming up to the feet of my running banshees and firmly-stanced reapers. I thought maybe water effects, but how would you duplicate the foamy scruff of the water's edge and the darkening effect of the water on the sand? I haven't painted the sand since the natural color was so perfect...

What do you think?

I remember seeing somewhere a High elf army with a sea coast theme, knights on giant seahorses and the like. they had great water effect bases if you can find them. Cant remember what site i saw that at blast it

http://warhammer.org.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=56882&hilit=seahorse

thats where I saw it hope it gives you a few ideas

Couldn't you just use water effects but mix the top layer on the edges with white paint?

I haven't tried it, but it's a thought.

So the foamy bits would be a layer of water effects with white instead of blue.

I once used "Plaster of Paris" to make a beach, I just kind of layered the thick plaster in waves, but I only made them very small (as if to say they picked the perfect day to make a beach landing..).. if you get my meaning...

When it came time to paint the ocean itself was painted dark blue in the 'deep' part of the water and gradually brought the highlights inward to the sand.. with the waves I brought my highlights all the way up to white to give a foamy effect.

I emulated the darker wet sand by simply using a much finer type than what I used on the 'Dry' sand. I glued the sand down in a fashion so that it looked like the tide. I then painted it with a darker colour than what I used to the upper part of the beach.

With the upper dryer part of the beach I used a rougher type of sand. I very roughly went above the area that is the 'wet' part of the beach and brought it up the board towards where I had the fortified areas. I painted this with a very light colour opposed to the 'wet' section.

I'm fairly sure.. if memory serves me right.. my main colour I used for the sand was Citadel Bubonic Brown.. and mixed it with many various yellows and whites to make the sand colour.. the water was with some generic dark blue that I added white to.

Hope that helps in some way =)