I painted this little guy nearly a couple of years ago for a small competition organised for the release of GW's new paint range. I really enjoyed the new range, even though I still believe some of the older shades should never have disappeared (Where are you oh sweet Goblin Green, Snakebite Leather and Scab Red??? WHERE???????????????).
Ok, grieving over. A few explanations and some pictures!
The base
I built the base upon a small leftover piece of oval wood. A precooked Fimo strip marked the edge of the pavement; the protective cap of a paintbrush made a draine-pipe; some wire mesh was cut to size and laid down.
The wall was cut out of a precooked Fimo plaque and GreenStuff was used to make the riveted metal strip. The corrugated iron door remains were made out of a sheet of Yellow-Green Milliput. I will post a tutorial on corrugated iron making as it is oh so simple and really adds character to a base.
A bit of flocking and dirt was randomly added and hey presto!: one ugly base!
The Marine
I love these old school models! All except their backpacks which are absolutely appalling! So I made a pack for this guy out of a more recent loyalist Space Marine pack and the canister from an imperial guard flame thrower. Finally I used lead paper to cut out little detailed plates to create a battered and repaired look to the whole pack.
A few more pictures so you see what I am on about...
Without a proper step-by-step it would be pointless to explain the paintjob. However a few comments might be of use as these are things that I generally apply regardless of the piece I am working on.
1) I always use the colours of the miniature somewhere on the base. Maybe not always in the same shade as on the model itself, but you will always find the dominant colours of my miniatures somewhere on the base. In this piece the wall is painted with a different shade of the same colour as the armour of the Plague Marine.
2) A base is a support and/or a framework to enhance the presentation of the central piece. Here this was achieved by cutting out the door frame: this creates a frame around the shape of the Marine and also allows you to see some of him from the back as if you were in the building.
3) Any little details added must be added to enhance the feel of the whole project but must not swamp or detract attention from the centre piece. In this project I simply added a poster to the otherwise bare wall. The colour of the poster is fairly neutral so it does not attract the eye at first glance, the small bloodstain adds a bit of colour and helps the observer create a story in his head: "What happened here? Who died? Was it a survivor fleeing this monstrous stinking warrior?..."
That's it for today folks!
Remember: enjoy your projects before any other concern and you will get the results you want sooner or later :)
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