For a while now, I have wanted to design a base that contained decorative tile patterns resembling Spanish kiln-fired floors. A couple weeks ago I did just that, and the sculpted outcome was fabulous! These base texture patterns are easy to paint, and provide a high quality appearance to finish off a figure. They are designed to sit on top of a standard 25mm gaming base, or to be a 25mm base in itself. The nominal size is 1″, even though the actual size varies with the unique edges. This refers to the base size, but figure heights of 25mm-32mm may work great on these. I made 4 different patterns:
The first is a dual sized, straight tile pattern with a piece of scrap wood debris on it. I impressed myself with how well the detail came out on the wood. Second, I wanted an arc pattern that merged with each other to mimic large circular tile designs on the ground. This base uses squares that are all the same size. Third, is another arc pattern that contains dual sized tiles. The smaller tiles are rotated in a diamond shape to contrast the larger square units that surround them. Fourth, is the most complex of the units. It contains a damaged stone post section that is surrounded by dual sized tiles. The smaller tiles surround where the post is located on the ground and extend from the post in a cross fashion. In one direction, the cross pattern is 3 tiles wide, and in the other it is 2 tiles wide. (For those who like seeing natural elements in their molded figures, the broken stone post on this piece is actually a piece of crystal I picked up while walking in the mountains. I love to incorporate items from my hiking adventures.)
Painting these was as easy as cake. A couple examples I have pictured here. I simply spray painted a flat, dark red base on the raw plastic castings to start. Next, I washed the base with a watery dark brown. Once dried, I drybrushed the tiles with their primary colors, in this case orange and blue. To finish I mixed white with both of those colors to create a brighter version of them, and lightly drybrushed the tiles a second time. Super easy! Super quick! Super simple! The texture on the bases did all the work for me. Each tile protrudes from the base at a slightly different height. This was intentional to make some of them stand out more than others, and give a more natural appearance after the units are painted.
If you would like some of these bases for yourself, drop myself or Ettrick a note. We would be happy to make some for you. Right now, I am selling the set of 4 for $1. You can not beat that for a base texture!
I remember the day I first opened the package from my friend, Ettrick. I held in my hand the tan master of a shelled-like humanoid, and immediately loved what I saw: a cross between a human and a rhino, with turtle-like similarities, subliminal ocean creature overtones, and stubby arms. My mind began racing with inspiration and vivid color images of how cool this would appear on the game table. The master even included options for the two left hands.
The Tulloch Intimidator comes with a random left arm when purchased. My personal favorite pose is when the two hands are both holding the pistol. This is accomplished using the opened left hand and tweaking the surfaces of the right arm (a moderately difficult task).
