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Hey guys, I was just wondering whether there was a consensus on how lazy one can be with basing before it looks like they didn't even try.

Typically, I'll glue sand or rock onto my bases before base coating the mini then give it a wash alongside base coating. Then I'll give it at least a layer of paint and one highlight layer and then grass or flock on top.

Now, for my Orks I was thinking of doing a desert base. I was initially thinking of using sand, but now I'm thinking of maybe just going Steel Legion Drab and highlighting with Zandri Dust then putting some scattered grasses and the like. Thoughts?

Sounds fine. Desert should be sparse.

I use Basius which are stamps where you just press the green stuff on:



Also textured rolls:



And sometimes I buy big scenic bases (chariot at least) and use instant mold to cast a mold so then I can use green stuff to have parts of that base on smaller bases.

It is pretty fast (not cheap initially but if you are going to base a lot of minis can be good) but looks better (in my opinion) than the standard basing.

Most of mine are just flock and a couple of tufts. I've still got bases that are just a coat of Snot Green, though. I don't think you can get any lazier than that.

After the mini is fully painted on the base, I use GWs baseing texture paints. currently for all my AoS, its the grey one with little bits of sand. I spread it all around, let it dry then wash it with nuln oil. After thats dry I drybruth the plad flesh color ontop, then glue on a piece of the static grass. Forget the company but they are little patches in various sized on clear paper. finally I paint the rim of the base eshes grey twice to match the top. Seems like a lot but its really fast, easy, and they look great after.

If I had the limitless supply of skulls GW has id put them on the base to, but finding little skulls is a pain.

 Lord Corellia wrote:
Hey guys, I was just wondering whether there was a consensus on how lazy one can be with basing before it looks like they didn't even try.

Typically, I'll glue sand or rock onto my bases before base coating the mini then give it a wash alongside base coating. Then I'll give it at least a layer of paint and one highlight layer and then grass or flock on top.

That's extremely non-lazy. The "lazy" but totally acceptable way to do something like that is to buy colored rocks of various sizes and color, mix them up and then glue them to the base. And then you're done.

I put on rough sand and a few tufts and objects on larger bases. I paint the rims sand colour

I also ballast and seal the underneath but that is not for the same of appearance of course.

This forum makes me feel bad for my basing skills X,D

Mix some paint with drywall Spackle for quick texture

My current basing technique (assuming I'm not going with green stuff and a texture stamp) is apply green stuff to the base, quickly smoosh it around to give it some variation (and to remove my thumb prints), add a small rock, and (if I'm feeling it needs more visual coverage) rolling the edge of a plastic soda bottle cap through the GS for a SM-Bike-wheel look. Paint in shades of brown for a muddy look.

Basing is my favorite part of the paint job, mostly because you get nice results super fast

Vallejo (and other brand) have terrain paste that looks really nice. One jug lasts a life time.

That + base color + drybrush already looks quite decent and is uber easy to achieve.

When I want more presentable I do a layer or two of cork and add a slurry mix of sand, broken egg shell + gravel and a random bit in a 50/50 mix of pva and black paint...but I've also done just a plain Goblin Green (or whatever it's called these days) and green flock on some old school models, just because I'm feeling early 90s White Dwarf. "Lazy" is what you make of it (well unless it's just bare glue on plastic, I guess that's where the line should be haha). Your models however you want them displayed....

Some of my armies are based and really I just use ballast and flock. It looks fine, you don't have to paint it at all either because ballast and flock exist in any colors you want. The focus should be the model anyway, not some super busy base that you painted with 12 different colors.

Shew, I really feel lazy. Best I go for anymore is glue and flock, touch up the edge in black. I used to glue ballast and sand prior to painting, and then paint it along with the mini, but got tired of that after the first couple of squads.

Seriously, if you're lazy, nothing beats agrellan earth.

 HudsonD wrote:
Seriously, if you're lazy, nothing beats agrellan earth.

I'm going lazier than that. Mostly because I can't be bothered with the extra step for 150-200 Orks. Spending $7 a pot on that GW gak for lord knows how few minis factors into the decision.

How about getting a cup of builders grit - the stuff they mix into cement that supplies the gravel, small stones, grit and dirt.
It's quite a light colour and when dried out and the larger stones taken out can make for good looking bases for the cost of some PVA glue (white glue) and nothing else.

Finish painting your chosen model, then paint some of the PVA onto the bits of base you want covered.
Take your dried builders grit and put some in a bowl that you want to use (take out stones which you recon are too large), place the model with the PVA-ed base and push it down through the grit till the base is resting on the bottom of the bowl.

Now gently shake the bowl from side to side so you can hear the grit moving around your base.


Now take the model out and lightly shake off the excess. Finished!

Thats how i do all my models bases now - i used to have the bases featureless and painted black to make your eye focus on the model, but they do look much better based.

Check my gallery for examples of this technuique - it's super easy and reasonably effective!

My scale:

Too lazy: not even painted.

CBF: individually highlighted stony gravel with hipster tufts implanted strand by strand.

I just use the Armageddon dust texture paint and maybe a small piece of slate on the base with zandri dust on the rim I paint the slate grey and just dry brush it and they look great sometimes I put one of the little tufts of brown grass, real dusty barren apocalyptic look goes really well with cultists.

GW staff will accept basecoated in a single colour and black rimmed, so long as there's no visible slot on the base.
That's how lazy you can go.
And to answer the GW texture paint: less than thirty infantry if you're frugal per pot.

However there is nothing to stop you moving your own using fine sand and craft paint.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Wallack wrote:
I use Basius which are stamps where you just press the green stuff on:

Only buy these if you can get them from a third party supplier. That company has serious issues, and is currently pissing off a lot of their preorder customers.

Did someone say lazy?

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
GW staff will accept basecoated in a single colour and black rimmed, so long as there's no visible slot on the base.
That's how lazy you can go.
And to answer the GW texture paint: less than thirty infantry if you're frugal per pot.

However there is nothing to stop you moving your own using fine sand and craft paint.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Wallack wrote:
I use Basius which are stamps where you just press the green stuff on:

Only buy these if you can get them from a third party supplier. That company has serious issues, and is currently pissing off a lot of their preorder customers.

I got 2 from the Basius 2 kickstarter and orderer 3 from the Basius 2.5. Basius 2 was shipped with mantic and that might be the origin of the issue as Basius 2.5 will be shipped via EMS.

Sounds good. I usually just do some PVA glue with sand, then wash it up to whatever color world I want them to be on.

Wallack wrote:
I got 2 from the Basius 2 kickstarter and orderer 3 from the Basius 2.5. Basius 2 was shipped with mantic and that might be the origin of the issue as Basius 2.5 will be shipped via EMS.

The reason people are angry is that there are people who have not received their 2.0 KS Basius yet. My friend is one of them.

 Lord Corellia wrote:
Hey guys, I was just wondering whether there was a consensus on how lazy one can be with basing before it looks like they didn't even try.

Put something on the base besides your model. Paint the entire base and everything on it, including the sides of the base.

That's about the minimum.

 Breotan wrote:

 Lord Corellia wrote:
Hey guys, I was just wondering whether there was a consensus on how lazy one can be with basing before it looks like they didn't even try.

Put something on the base besides your model. Paint the entire base and everything on it, including the sides of the base.

That's about the minimum.

Ehh, painted rims always bugged me. I rather like the definitive black border on the sides of the model. I feel it gives it more definition. The painted sides (to match the base) just look sloppy to me.

 Breotan wrote:

Put something on the base besides your model. Paint the entire base and everything on it, including the sides of the base.

That's about the minimum.

100, no, make that 1000% incorrect. Under no circumstances do you need to paint your base. A mix of flock and gravel or whatever looks fine with no painting required.

Unpainted gravel or sand always looks kinda naff and unfinished to me, unless the base beneath it is painted earthen or something.
Also paint helps stop it crumbling off over time and getting on things.

Living in SoCal my laziest base scheme would be to just take dirt out of my backyard and pva glue it to the base. But I usually do that prime the entire model then paint the sand up by over brushing and applying static grass. I keep my rim black because i think it makes the models pop off the board.

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
Unpainted gravel or sand always looks kinda naff and unfinished to me, unless the base beneath it is painted earthen or something.
Also paint helps stop it crumbling off over time and getting on things.

Model train ballast comes in a lot of different colors and sizes. And so does flock.