Ground materials and bases

I’m curious to see what other folks are using for ground materials for figure and model displays. In the past, I have used celluclay, plaster with dirt mixed in, and sculpey. But it all seems to be missing something. To clean or out of scale.

Any help or advice?

Mike

I’ve had good luck with Fando and various grades of sand and pebbles.

I use a mixture of plaster, wood glue and water, to which I add a dollop of acrylic paint (usually a brown color). The colored plaster does not require to be painted (which is good particularly when you have to place the model into the fresh plaster and can’t reach under it to paint the plaster!). I only use washes and a bit of drybrushing to bring out ‘details’.

Because I normaly work with smaller scales, I use the tea found in tea bags to replicate short grass and weeds (added to the base when the plaster is still very fresh). Light drybrushing in green and yellowish colors is all I require to paint that grass without having to worry about my earth tones…

Check out Woodland Scenics product line. I used their products for some of my bases and the results were pretty good (for me, at least). If you want to see one of my bases, I posted a pic in the testing forum (“test pic”).

Thanks guys, you’re sparking my cynapsis into rethinking this base issue. I’ve used frayed hemp to make grass, and have dry brushed colors onto it to make different seasons or colors of grass.

What got me thinking about this was I went to an IPMS show in Orlando, FL and I saw a couple of bases that just looked great. The ground effect was almost like looking at “scale” ground. With the dry brushing that the builder did, it really made it pop.

Its time to hit the “experimental” work bench I suppose and try some new techniques and recipies.

Mike

Hey guys,

Tried out a recipe of celuclay, plaster and ground materials (pebbles, small twigs etc. ) Got the effect I was looking for. THrow some washes and some dry brushing on that bad boy and it looks great.

thanks for the suggestions.

Mike

Show us a pic renarts!

I’ll second Woodland Scenics products. check out their site.
www.woodlandscenics.com

I generally don’t do much of a “build-up” of groundwork, but when I do I use celluclay.

Usually I’m doing flat groundwork for aircraft bases and just use plain 'ole dirt (sifted) and static grass. The trick is in the finishing and painting. Unpainted static grass looks like crap, and real dirt can sometimes benefit from some washes and such.

Fade to Black…

how could u drybrush static grass??? wouldnt it stick to the brush???[:p][:p][:p][:p]how u do it?

I’ll shoot some pics this weekend and post for you guys to see.
Kitty litter makes some interesting detail in the ground surface.
I played with a section of celluclay with a heavier mixture of plaster. I layed it out on some card stock and just as it sets to where there is a “skin” on the surface if you flex the card a little the ground material wrinkles. This creates a ground effect of layered dirt with wind erosion or the ripples like a beach at the tide line. Trim it and sand it flat so that it will sit on the base properly and then form and feather the surrounding area so that it “fits the base” and you have an interesting effect.

Mike

blimey didn’t any of you guys make papier mache at school??
mix up a batch…add a bit of white glue and a spot of wahsing up liquid mix to the consistency you require. lumpy ploughed earth …or as smooth as concrete…
any old paper will do newspapers are best not glossy mag stuff… add a waterbased colour of your choice …and bob is your mothers brother…any extra will keep for days if its kept wet …and you can throw it away if you prefer …i have never bought any scenic materiels of any kind in all my years of modelling,i mean why buy celluclay or somesuch when you can make a perfectly good substitute yourself for pennies rather than pounds…

Actually my mother’s brother is named Bill. [:p][:D]

BTW, that’s good information for the frugal modeler!

for a tarmac effect i use large sheets of very fine gray sandpaper…

Went to my folks house the other day and went digging for some of my old dioramas and models, oddly they still had some. I learned a very valuble lesson.

Silverfish, love celuclay. If you use celuclay only, or paper mache, you will have created an all you can eat buffet for the little buggars.

I am hoping that with my new recipe for ground material - 30% plaster, 70% celuclay, white glue, and painted with a flat poly, that they will find this less appetizing.

Mike

I used Artex for a snow scene, When it drys it leaves little cracks which I made to look like ice with a little thinned blue paint .

Whaz up,
Blackwolf showed me his method a long time ago and BOY does it look great…!!!
It brings the model to life.
Just use good ol mother natures dirt(sift it and let the dirt dry out) and static grass

juniormodeler
As for the painting of static grass, you have to let it dry of course. Once you start to actually apply the paint a little of it my come up but nothing major.
As you go over the grass go over it lightly and build up the tone. Sure if you were to paint it w/ a hard hand yes then it will come off.
Try it you’d be amazed to how good it looks.
Flaps up, Mike

This is a follow up of the ground work. My recipe is 30% plaster, 70% celuclay. Mixed in white glue and debris. i.e. kitty litter, fine sand, little bits of flotsam and jetsum. While wet the vehicle is impressed into the suface to make tacks and rut. Any footpprints are added and then adittional stuff like logs, grass etc. (although not in this one).
Once dry it was given a base coat of desert yellow and some custom mixed acrylics I have that we use when we paint murals or trompe l’oile. A wash of dark umber is then added to give it depth. A highlight color is then drybrushed on to make it pop.

Mike


Mike - As per your previous post re: silverfish & celluclay

If one or two silverfish move into this dio, they’ll probably dislodge your cute little Panzer.

Looks really good Mike. I love the shading. Mike I have to grab you on MSN tonight, so you can give me a little more of an in depth clinic on how you did it.

Looks like a few lemurs walked through that rocky ground[;)]

Rob