Kev’s basing Technique

You will need;

Craft knife
Artists mounting board (2.5mm thick)
Cheap superglue (I use a brand called SX Siroflex available in bulk off e-bay)
Budgie sand (available from pet shops, often has oyster shell bits in it. I might also add some bird grit to it for more texture)
Stiff brush
Cocktail stick
Watered down black paint
GW Steel Legion Drab
GW Ushabti Bone
GW Static Grass
Vallejo English Uniform
Gloss varnish.

1. Stick the figures to the base. I use artists mounting board.

2. Once they are stuck properly hold the figure and coat the entire base in superglue. This takes a bit of practice. Try not to
go too close to the feet of the figure with the nozzle, but instead tilt the base to allow the glue to run there of its own
accord. Don’t worry if it doesn’t cover the actual metal base of the figure, this can always be hidden with static grass.
You can actually create puddles by leaving portions of the base without glue on them.

3. Immerse the base into the sand. Leave for five seconds then turn the base upside down are shake off excess.

4. Now is the time to use a craft knife to scrape away any detail that got glue and sand on it, assuming that the figure is not
painted that is. If the figure is already painted then use an old stiff brush/cocktail stick.

5. Allow to set properly. This takes varying amounts of time depending upon how good/cheap the glue is. Generally 30
mins will be the absolute maximum.

6. Paint over the base with either very watered down black paint (typically 50:50), or a ‘Magic Wash’. This will seal the
base further and provide depth when it comes to dry brushing.

7. Once totally dry give the base a heavy dry brush with GW Steel Legion Drab.

8. Once dry, highlight the base with a light dry brush of GW Ushabti Bone.

9. If you left any areas of the base without glue on them to create puddles paint these Vallejo English Uniform.

10. Allow to dry thoroughly.

11. Now time for the static grass. If you’re going for the static-grass-only-look then drop glue onto the base, avoiding the
figures. Again, you can actually ‘run’ the glue towards the figure’s feet rather than using the nozzle. This avoids getting
glue on the figures. Immerse in static grass then immediately shake off excess. Do not leave standing in the grass
otherwise the grass will lay flat. By inverting the base you allow the grass to hang vertically and dry standing up. Using
an old stiff brush clean any grass off the figures avoiding making contact with the base. If you wish to use Silflor grass
tufts as well I suggest leaving some areas static grass free.

12. Once this is fully dry you can use Silflor glass tufts (recommended but expensive). Don’t be tempted to use too many
initially. I have found that less looks better, unless you are actually aiming for a jungle. Silflor flowers also are a nice
addition to give some bases a burst of colour.

13. Once dry you can then apply gloss varnish to the puddles to give a ‘wet’ look.

This may take a bit of practice but the end result can look really good. A good tip for static grass is to shake the container for a
minute before using. This allows a positive charge to pass through it helping it to stand up using static electricity. Note this
method is very tough on brushes as dry brushing sand rapidly wears out the brush. I keep a selection of old knackered brushes for
this.