Mark's Favourite Basing Technique

A step by step guide to ‘not so easy but it looks good’ basing

By Mark Baker


Step 1
Cut out your bases to desired dimensions. Popular materials include heavy cardboard, plasticard, balsa but I have recently converted to 3mm MDF (craftwood) which I cut out with a fret saw. With heavy 28mm figures and the weight of the basing technique detailed below, I wanted a material which wouldn't’t warp or buckle. After their cut out, seal both sides and edges with a 50/50 PVA and water mix and allow to dry.
Step 2
If you like, glue down small ‘roundish’ cardboard pieces to build up the bases (particularly on Psiloi and Light Horse bases where the figures don’t dominate the base, an absolutely flat surface doesn't’t look right).
Step 3
Position an occasional large ‘rock’ (say 2 or 3 per base – don’t over do it !!). Different grades of ballast type material are available from model railway shops. Surround this large rock with finer grade ballast. When dry, seal with watered down PVA – this will both ensure your paint doesn't’t soak in and give some extra bond.
Step 4
Paint these rocky out crops dark grey (I use ‘Jo Sonja’ folk art acrylics – black and ‘nimbus grey’). After this base coat is dry, lightly dry-brush successive layers of lighter grey – just keep adding more nimbus grey as you go along.
Step 5
Either glue down the figures in desired positions or temporarily stick them down with something like blu-tac and pencil around the figures bases. This last technique is the one I favour (sad, isn't’t it) – as you’ll see there is a lot of dry-brushing in the next few steps and I found having all the figures on the base got in the way. However, it is much more time consuming and many people would sensibly decide just to glue them down.
Step 6
Apply a thin layer (say 1 – 2mm) of ready made plaster (available in small tubs from hardware shops) mixed with some paint to colour it. I use 30% ‘raw umber’ and 70% ‘raw sienna’. Texture with the blunt end of a toothpick. Carefully push plaster around rocky out crops and figures / horses’ feet. The idea is to blend the figures metal bases into the ‘ground’ and create a realistic ‘earthy’ surface. Don’t be concerned if small cracks or irregularities appear during drying – these will be covered by your first thick base coat when you start painting. Large cracks can be quickly filled by a little more plaster. Allow plaster to completely ‘cure’ (24 hours). Apply a thick coat of base colour – in my case the 30/70 blend described above. After allowing it to completely dry, lightly dry-brush additional colours in the following order :

  • 30% ‘yellow oxide’ 70% raw sienna
  • Straight yellow oxide
  • 40% white 60% yellow oxide


    • Step 7
    If you hadn't’t glued the figures down it’s time to do so a couple at a time, spot filling the gaps and ‘patching’ the paint work.
    Step 8 The basing is finished by brushing a 50/50 PVA and water mix on irregular areas of the base and then sprinkling on flock to represent grass patches. I use a fine shredded foam blend available from model railway stores but other people might prefer static grass etc. If you do follow my lead, don’t be tempted to ‘wash’ the flock with a PVA mix to really fix it in place. Although this technique works for some types of flocking, it makes foam based material go hard and brittle.

    This approach to basing works best while half watching a good movie and with unhealthy food / drink combination within easy reach. It takes a while but it’s worth it.

    The finished product!


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    Maintained by Greg Kelleher. Last revised 24 January, 2000.