How to Base Your Miniatures: Texture, Tufts, and Realistic Ground

Apply with an old brush or palette knife, let dry 24 hours, drybrush grey and white — instant rubble and stone. The texture paste range is the easiest route to excellent bases. Astrogranite reads as urban rubble; Stirland Mud for dirt; Agrellan Earth for cracked desert.

The single easiest basing upgrade. Self-adhesive tufts in mixed sizes — push into wet PVA, let dry, done. Buy a variety of sizes and heights for natural-looking grass clusters. Army Painter and Gamers Grass are both excellent.

Natural cork texture reads as rocky terrain perfectly. Tear or cut with scissors for organic shapes, layer and PVA for cliff faces and rubble. Buy a pack — you'll use it on every base. Cheaper and more versatile than resin rock texture.

Fine ballast or coarse sand glued with PVA and painted creates convincing dirt and stone. The most fundamental basing material — cheap, effective, and works for every scale. Paint it dark brown, drybrush mid-brown, then tan highlight.

Diluted PVA (1:1 with water) is the universal basing medium. Brush it on, dip in sand or ballast, shake off excess, let dry — then seal with another coat of diluted PVA. Also seals and stiffens tufts. Buy a large bottle.

Pre-mixed basing kits include fine sand, coarse grit, and small stones in matched earth tones. Good for beginners who want varied texture without buying materials separately. The Army Painter Basing Set covers most needs.