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PAINTING·WHITE DWARF 307

Hobby Supplies: Basing

July 2005·pp. 138–141

THE SHORT VERSION

Adi Wood treats bases as an important part of an army’s appearance, matching overall colour to likely gaming tables and combining textures for variety. Worked examples cover sand, gravel, flock, static grass, snow, putty craters and small pools, followed by layered mixed-material finishes. The guide explains sealing loose texture and tinting static grass after application. A closing gallery shows different approaches on Farsight, Typhus and a Silver Helm, without adding unprinted recipes for those models.

AT THE PAINTING DESK

Paints in this article

Every named colour below is searchable across the archive.

Graveyard EarthGoblin GreenScorched BrownBestial BrownCodex GreySnakebite LeatherSnot GreenChaos BlackBleached BoneScorched EarthBubonic BrownSkull WhiteDark FleshBrown InkDark Angels GreenCatachan GreenCamo GreenBlack InkFortress GreyArdcoatGloss VarnishDark Green Ink

All named tutorial paints are retained, including image-only boxes. Printed139 calls one brown “Scorched Earth”; that exact source label is preserved as uncertain, alongside separately named Scorched Brown. Ardcoat is normalized without its printed leading apostrophe.

EXPLORE RELATED TOPICS

Basing Painting techniques

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Find this article in White Dwarf 307, pp. 138–141.

This is an original summary. Refer to your magazine for the complete article, rules, images and painting steps.

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PaintingWD 307 · pp. 86–87

Claws and Effects

Graveyard Earth and generous Brown Ink establish the Carnifex’s chitin, followed by pale drybrushing and fine carapace stripes that resemble horn. The underside is warmer and lighter, while black claws and spines provide contrast. Red ink and gloss emphasize the soft vents, the tongue receives Tentacle Pink and Purple Ink, and toxin blisters are tinted green and purple. The guide recommends painting separate parts and removing mould lines before washes expose them.

Warhammer 40,000Tyranids14 paint colours
July 2005Read summary
PaintingWD 307 · p. 139

Painting Modelling Sand

Several sand finishes range from dark brown and ochre to reddish earth, ink-stained natural sand and green ground. Step sequences use controlled overbrushing and progressively lighter drybrushing to reveal grains without obscuring their darker recesses. The accompanying application advice seals loose texture with diluted PVA and recommends adding static grass in patches over other materials, with optional pale or yellow-brown highlights to tone down its artificial brightness.

12 paint colours
July 2005Read summary
PaintingWD 307 · p. 139

Painting Modelling Gravel

A gravel-covered base is painted Scorched Brown, then drybrushed Codex Grey and Bleached Bone to create stony ground with shaded gaps. Sand can be added while the initial glue is still wet to fill spaces between larger fragments. Once everything dries, diluted PVA locks the texture in place before painting. The example separates the coarse structural texture of gravel from the finer surface provided by sand.

3 paint colours
July 2005Read summary