A Quick Basing Method

[AlphaKennyThing]

For some people, basing miniatures is one of the biggest grinds of the hobby. You lovingly paint an entire unit of miniatures, set them out and admire your handywork, then realise you've now got to base an entire horde of skeletons. You want it to look as good as the rest of the mini, so you're not prepared to go half-arsed, but you also don't want to spend your life painting shrubbery.

As someone regularly faced with such a conundrum, I devised a pretty rapid basing method, that still comes across looking really good, yet takes me roughly 2-3 minutes per miniature. Here's an example of the finished article, before people think I've just covered the base in red paint:

All you need is:

A pot of brown paint (Steel Legion drab, or any other brown - even black!)

PVA Glue

Modelling Sand

A pack of grass (Mordheim turf from GW in this instance)

Agrax Earthshade

Paint brush

Guide:

1. Paint the rim and the edge of the top of the base desired brown/black. Repeat for each model production line style.

2. PVA glue the top of the base, and dunk in modelling sand. Leaving miniature in sand whilst putting glue on the next one. Take first mini out, tap off excess sand, put to one side. Repeat for all models.

3. Ensure PVA is dry on first mini, and then dab Agrax Earthshade all over the sand liberally. Sand will turn a deep muddy colour, leaving larger stones a washed sandy colour. Cover entire top of base. Repeat for each model. This is the most time consuming part, taking a good half the time.

4. Once dry, stick a tuft or two of Mordheim Turf on the base.

5. Admire.

This is the method I use, and it is absolutely rapid. If anyone wants to share methods they use, go ahead!

[swiftmus]

I've always disliked basing and it was a massive turn off for returning to the hobby (when I did return I tried bare bases for a while). The new texture paints are exactly what I need, just paint it on then  wash and/or drybrush to taste for bases that look great with minimal effort.

[Cordova]

They look good

If I remember correctly, one of the old GW tutorials was Brown Ink (Agrax Earthshade?) -> Snakebite Leather (Balor Brown?) -> Bubonic Brown (Zamesi Desert?) or Bleached Bone (Tyrant Skull?), if one wanted some extra highlights ...

[Redking]

A good tried and true method.  They look nice.  Basing the model is always one of my favorite parts because it pulls together your story.  The only downside is that it doesn't always match your table:)