Basing the battalions

Hello again,

After getting many positive comments on our basing we decided to share our ways of basing with you. We hope that you will find it helpful when trying to give your forces a more life-like appearance.

My experience is that details are what makes the bases look good. However, you have to be careful not to stifle the base with all sorts of materials. Choose your materials carefully, colour- and texture-wise and don't use more than three basic materials.

For this guide we've used my Landwehr and Anders the elder Voltigeurs. We begin with the prussians:

First I use Vallejos Sandy paste to get a good texture and to smooth out the base. After drying I paint it with watered down Vallejo Flat earth.

The first thing I add to the base are tufts of grass, patches of flowers (army painter) and other distinguishing elements. I make sure to not use too many tufts (army painter) on the same base as it can easily make it too heavy, so to speak. Remember that the bases are there to complement and not to take over.

The second thing I add is a mix of static grass and flock  from Gale force nine. I carefully distribute it in relatively coherent fields or streaks across the base to make it look more natural. The last thing we want is to have isolated patches of different basing materials.

The third material added is a lovely flock from Gale force nine (summer flock blend), that really gives the base an interesting and colourful touch, without being too garish. Soon the painted sandy paste will disappear but still give a good background colour to the basing materials.

Lastly I cover the remaining spots with a darker material, in this case with a tiny amount of dark green clump foliage and dark grass. This is to give a contrasting colour and a more dynamic base, suggesting a diverse flora. After everything has dried I paint the edge of the base black to frame the base (not shown in the picture).

This is my take on basing. While our bases are similar when it comes to materials and philosophy there are a few differences that should be pointed out.  Here is how Anders the elder does his bases:

In a similar way, Anders starts off with sandy paste but instead using Vallejos Beasty brown as a base colour.

The first part consists of the summer flock blend (Gale force 9) being spread out in patches on the base.

Secondly, Anders adds a light green static grass (GF9 because of shorter straws) that blends in quite nicely with the flock. This is then followed by some medium green fine clump foliage (GF9) to add a bit of texture.

Lastly the tufts of grass, flowers etc are added to finish off the base. While I do the base around the tufts and flowers (Army painter) Anders the elder chooses to place them in the last step. Whatever the order - the results are very pleasing!

In general my prussian bases are less bright to fit my painting style and to complement the colour scheme of my prussian brigade. Anders french forces however are more colourful and bright and because of that they need bases accordingly.

Again, we hope that this guide might inspire you in your basing adventures. Feel free to comment if you have questions or opinions on basing.

Kindest regards,

Anders the younger