Wandering around in the kitchen section of a department store, I came across some cheap cork table-mats. Somewhat impulsively, I bought a few with the idea that they'd make a good basing material for my miniatures.
Pictured are two bases - one painted for a bloodletter of Khorne, and one un-painted for a daemonette of Slaanesh. Having been designed as a table mat, the cork has the virtue of having two flat surfaces. This means that not only can you glue it effectively to the base, but also have a relatively flat surface on the other side for balancing the miniature on. By dividing the cork up in to smaller chunks, it is easy to create some "rubble"-like bits and pieces as well (as demonstrated on the daemonette's base), which don't have to be flat in the slightest.
When painting, the cork provides some wonderful textures to explore. On the bloodletter, I've simply drybrushed the cork with skull white. Later on, I'll add some other tones to it as well as adding flock and green bits. The cork can readily represent general rubble and detritus, as well as rock, outcroppings, cooled magma, and so forth.
Pictured are two bases - one painted for a bloodletter of Khorne, and one un-painted for a daemonette of Slaanesh. Having been designed as a table mat, the cork has the virtue of having two flat surfaces. This means that not only can you glue it effectively to the base, but also have a relatively flat surface on the other side for balancing the miniature on. By dividing the cork up in to smaller chunks, it is easy to create some "rubble"-like bits and pieces as well (as demonstrated on the daemonette's base), which don't have to be flat in the slightest. When painting, the cork provides some wonderful textures to explore. On the bloodletter, I've simply drybrushed the cork with skull white. Later on, I'll add some other tones to it as well as adding flock and green bits. The cork can readily represent general rubble and detritus, as well as rock, outcroppings, cooled magma, and so forth.
That's brilliant! Gonna go get some wine now :)
ReplyDelete-come over to www.the25mmwarrior.blogspot.com and vote for what you want me to do next!-
Great idea!
ReplyDeleteAnd cheap too.
Thanks
A lot of hobby stores sell cork bedding for model train tracks. It's an inexpensive way to get multiple thicknesses of cork. I like to put some superglue around the edges and throw sand in these to soften the edges a little and make the individual chunks less obvious.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, will definitely use this one.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I definitely have to pick up some cork. I've always thought it would look good and be effective and you proved it!
ReplyDeleteCork is totally great as a basing material…and it comes with Wine! I've found that if you cut Corks for wine bottles, they fit perfectly onto a normal base. I've based my Vanguard using cork to give them additional height. I love the stuff.
ReplyDeleteYour demon bases look great and simple too!
Hi Folks - thanks for all the comments! :)
ReplyDeleteI've also used the occasional wine bottle cork - they can be very cool (and hold the smell of the wine for a while!). I now prefer the table mats, simply because they're already flat on two sides.