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Hey all,
I'm just getting started with my minis and I am confused about what exactly primer is and what I can use for it?

I know you prime a model first...I've been using a couple of types of spray paint. The testors black laquer looked neat but was very glossy...and ran out FAST! Way too expensive. So I went to Wal-Mart and got large cans of Krylon spray for plastic that I saw a pretty capable Youtuber using. SO that's fine. But now I'm starting to plan how I will base my minis and I don't know what sort of paint I'm supposed to use to brush on to prime the base (again? It's already sprayed! and also after whatever basing textures I use. Will any black/grey/brown work?

Also, can anyone give some tips on basing in generalm especially for the budget conscious painter?

Wal-Mart apple barrel browns, grays, white, etc seem to work fine for basing, and terrain work. Fairly cheap.

You can texture using watered down elmer's glue, and sand. Sand is free at the beach. lol.

Bits of rock can be added to the sand via fish tank rocks, kitty litter (preferably unused), etc.

Basing is definitely one of those things that can look really good without spending much money at all.

If the base is already sprayed, the priming is done. "Priming," when used as a generalized verb, is just applying the initial coat of paint onto which all others will be applied. More specifically, primer is a particular type of paint formulated for increased adhesion and resilience, as well as providing good tooth (texture, which helps successive layers adhere - it's why matte paints are better than gloss, for the task). Once primed, the next layer you apply is going to be the basecoat (the layer that establishes the eventual final color, from which you shade down and highlight up) or the undercoat (a layer which will not be seen, but is applied to change the quality of successive layers, thanks to acrylic paints' translucent quality), depending on your methods and use of terminology, which does tend to vary.

As far as your budget is concernedt, you're in luck! Basing is one area where found materials really shine - folks have made mind-blowing scenic bases with zero expenditure, aside from glue and paint. It's also an area where, depending on what exactly you're doing, lower quality (i.e. cheaper) paints will frequently be less of an issue than they might on the model, itself. Terrain and basing are pretty much the only times my craft acrylics (Folk Art, Apple Barrel, and the like) see any use, as they're more than up to the task of drybrushing over coarse texture (it's thinning where most craft paints fall short, thanks to low pigment density and cheap binders/mediums). So yes, nearly any old black/gray/brown will work.

If you have access to a bit of sand, some grass flock and some cork (from a wine bottle or whatever) you can easily make a sort of dry scrub/over grown rock look.

Paint base in a dirt colour, glue sand, ink with black or as close to the base colour as possible and then drybrush lightly with the same colour you painted the base. Then, get your cork and cut it up into little bits, prime black and drybrush grey. Glue to base, glue some grass flock around the place and viola. Easy to make and looks okay, nothing fancy.

Thank you for the replies, all. I am assembling my hobby store shopping list now.

just as easy for doing your basing, if you have a coffee drinker in the house, is to swipe the spent coffee grains. Throw those in the oven to dry them out, and you have a great basing medium. Many puritans here will crucify you for using craft-grade paints, but i've seen WONDERFUL things done with "craft" paint. True, it's not the best paint out there, but it is still paint, and the right hand can do awesome things with it.

as for grasses and moss, and other basing doohickeys.. Army-painter is decently priced, and they have the same vibrant colors as citadel does. I haven't seen the same vibrancy of color from woodland scenics, but the difference there is the sheer quantity you get for what you pay. Woodland Scenics has the best bang for buck, though it may require you to go back in with a brush and enhance the details, but that's fine..

Also, if you ever feel like doing snow, I believe most people use baking soda.

Krylon gets my vote. I've been using it for years and years. The other, cheaper, walmart brand I dont as much like, but krylon is awesome. i just use the standard flat black and white, and there's a really nice red-brown they have too.

Really good suggestions all around with the sand, cork, baking soda. Don't forget sprues. Never throw your sprues away unless storage is a big issue. You can make frames out of them for terrain projects, and you can chop them into little niblets to use as large rubble for city-ish boards and bases.

Walmart (and large department stores like it) have a lot to offer a hobbyist. I put it forward that anyone looking for plain, thin plasticard/sheet styrene look no further than the hardware section, check out the 9x10 or 10x15 "for sale" "garage sale" etc signs. Way cheaper than getting it most other ways.

is that styrene the same quality though? will it receive plastic cement or will you need to superglue that stuff?

That's a good question. I mostly use superglue (haven't fully jumped into total scratchbuilds yet), so I haven't tried yet. It feels very similar to the thinner evergreen stuff I got from the train store. Next time I do a project with more than a little of it I'll pick up some cement and give it a go.

I use craft paints for just about everything. Especially base coats and whatnot. Today I just figured out how to get them to flow properly through my airbrush.

In all honesty, I haven't noticed any difference in quality between the cheaper craft acrylics and the expensive hobby paints, in general. I find them easier to deal with than more solvent based ones like Tamiya. GW, and Vallejo make great paints, they're just expensive. I still use some hobby paints that I like better on an individual basis( my Hobby Lobby sells GW paints for about $1 cheaper than GW), and the premade washes. I think the craft paints work just as well, budget or no.

Priming certainly makes a difference, and I will admit that craft acrylics don't always adhere well without it. My favorite thus far is Vallejo Acrylic Urethane Surface Primer. Amazingly tough stuff.

As for basing, I agree whole heartily with what the others say. My favorite basing staples, as others have stated, are bark which is free or cheap (I'm using a bag of orchid bark left over from another project, which will last a very long time) play sand from same project which was under $10 for a 60lb bag from Lowe's. and also baking soda since I do primarily snow bases.

I can also get sand of various grain sizes for $.50/lb from my local pet store. 1lb goes a long way.

For gluing polystyrene, I stick with white glue, or hot glue which I also use to adhere the larger pieces like bark and cork to my bases.