Basing Middle Earth Again...

I know I always repeat myself in my hobby ramblings, so I will show my technique for basing again while I do it.

I start off with sticking small stones and pebbles to the base. I always look for for interesting textures and shapes, knowing they will be washed and dry brushed later.

This time I went for a cheaper option and dug out two hobby craft paints. Most of these were bought for £1 in a Hobbycraft clearance sale... bargain.

 

The guy was fun to do although he was very detailed. I just had to start somewhere and started blocking in colours. After this I added washes to the various objects. 

I was really pleased to finally get the chance to do a bottle of Red wine using the Tamiya transparent paints.

This was done by painting the bottle a light colour with highlights added. Then painting it with the green transparent paint. When this was dry, I used the red version to paint half a bottle of wine. Over the top of this I added another layer of the green and the results are very effective. Being really glossy, no varnish was needed,

 It was very rewarding to do as I think it's the first time I've done it.

Next on the basing ladder is adding some moss to the rocks once the two layers of gray are dry. These are just tiny dots of yellow applied with a brush in random patches.

After this to tie everything together and complete the fantasy look, I added a wash of Woodland scenics green. This stuff is great when watered down and acts like an ink.

Once the green is dry I added a brown wash again made from Woodland scenics range.

Next up is the actual basing material. I used to glue and then paint sand. This was a real hassle because the the paint would get all over the figures. These days I use Luke's APS Arid mix to cover the bases. This is so much easier and quicker than painting grit.

In the old days I used to swear by using wood glue to stick down the basing. It was white so you could see any gaps easily and it dried rock hard. The latter ended up being the problem, it was almost impossible to get the lid off after a few basing sessions. I tried everything, even pliers to crank the top off. In the end I gave up and went back to PVA. I had forgotten just how nice and easy it was to use. No more tools to get the lid off etc. The results are nice and strong too so I'm not quite sure why I switched in the first place. Lesson learnt.

There are a nice range of stone sizes in the mix so the results is very realistic looking.

The larger stones blend into the basing mix nicely.

Wood Elves

Its time to start gearing up for the second big display game of Midgard at Colours 2025 6th Sept. The last game was great but I had noticed I was a few bases short in the Elven army. Having a second crack of the WIP should allow me to fix this.

I idea is to paint up around six more including the Elven king. Below can be seen his royal standard to help make him stand out on the field. I tried a few designs, none of which were any good. In the end I just copied his shield design onto the standard. It looks better than the rubbish I was coming up with.

I've found a great new technique for these Elves, it's a camo wash from GW. I bought it for the current Dessert project but decided to try it in these Elves too. The results were good with the wash tying all the greens and browns together. The bronze armour also looked good.

 I'm quite enjoying painting these guys again after spending so long kit bashing them over a year ago. I like the gray Elf amongst all of the woodland shades. He will really pop in the ranks. I am thinking about making a company of gray Elves just for variety.

 His blue tunic gives him the look of a Noldor Elf, so popular in Middle Earth gaming Managed to get a morning painting session in today.

UPDATE:

The fine point pens worked well on this tunic in adding some flowery detail.

The newly discovered camo shade is rolled out again to speed through these figures. Good for shading greens and browns, it really comes into its own on these woodland folk.

These are still work in progress and will need a Matt varnish when done.

This is a new find and one I forgot I had. I got it cheap in a clearance and it was lost in the paint racks. It's a wash which adds a hue to metallics. Perfect for woodland Elves and their high crafted armour. This magical effect will be really useful when I get around to doing more mythical Ireland.

These still need their shields.

UPDATE: Another day and a little bit closer to finishing.

This is a base I wanted to do for the last battle, but ran out of time. Well, today I prioritised him and he's done. It's the Master of Lake town together with his retainers and a big chest of gold. These are all from Reaper miniatures.

The two hench men, there's another couple of characters to do before the base is finished. I thought it would be nice to have him trying to snake his way across the board...will he make it?

He should look better with a Matt varnish to take the shine off all the ink washes.

The new leader for the next company of Wood elves.

This is the idea with the new standard, it's going to fly behind the king on his base.

UPDATE : Right all done, the Elves are in their shield wall with spears braced.

This Elven captain shouts orders above the din of battle.

The Master of Lake town hurries his retainers on. All will leave him shortly and he will starve to death in the waste. Dragon sickness having taken hold of his greedy mind.