PART 2

Base coloring

What you need

Ink (or Paint) An old brush (#2 or larger) Water

Step 8

Step 9

Now that our base is fully dried, let's move on to coloring it.  In this case we are going to simulate that the miniature is standing outside.  I like to use Games Workshop ink (a special recipe of a few inks really!) to create that dirt look.  For ease, let's just say it's strait brown ink.   Use an old brush (this will destroy new brushes in no time flat) and carefully paint some of the base with the ink.  (steps 8 - 11).   A hint for this portion is to use a ink / water mix (about 50/50) to keep the ink from being too dark.  Also, you can dilute the ink on the fly, by placing some ink on the base, then applying water around the ink.  The ink will flow with the water and cover the entire base nicely.

Step 10

Step 11

We are now done simulating dirt on the base.  You'll notice that the ballast doesn't take to the ink as well as the sand.  We'll use this to our advantage in the next steps, where we will be pick out areas to paint as stone. Of note, you could have also used paint at this time to put down a dark basecoat of color on the base, then drybrush lighter colors on top to make a single color base (like the stone bases I have done in the past).  If this is the route you take, skip to part 4. Give the mini enough time for the ink to dry, then we will move on to painting the stones.

Next step - painting the stone