Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Arcane Basing: Patreon series


My new Patreon tutorial video Army Painter series all begin the same way... with basing!  Each series is usually 5 episodes, with the first one demonstrating how to go about basing multiple figures for units and armies.

I try to discuss the "costs" involved with basing an army, and not just the monetary variety!

There is another currency, and that is your time.  One of the main reasons I see folks shy away from more involved basing is that they don't want to spend that extra time to create the bases.  Purchasing them can be very expensive, and they are always very recognizable or repetitive.

It is been the one thing that my armies are known for, and to me it is one of the most enjoyable aspects of army building.  There is no better way to tell a story about your army than through your bases, so making that extra effort is critical.


Even I have had to develop ways of making these more elaborate bases in a timely fashion, and that is something that I demonstrate in each series.  I also try to keep the materials and tools as generic as possible, so that they can be used from project to project.

Most of what you see in this scene is used for nearly all of my bases.


Painting the bases is also part of the project, and I try to not only demonstrate how to do so, but to show how much additional time it might take for the painting choices that are made.  I am pretty sure that there are not many tutorials out there which take on this kind of theory.


I also dive into how to make your bases work withing the constraints of the game system, such as true LOS and base to base contact, etc.  Showing how the "footrprint" of the miniature influences your choices on size, designs, and even the painting of the figures themselves.


By doing these glowing runes, I had to spend additional time painting OSL on the figures.  This is another version of the "cost" in time.  Again, I try to take you through the entire process... not just painting a few happy figures!

I purposely try to show you the adjustments that are needed, and even changes in concept based on practical concerns about time or game play.


I am now on Series 3!  The second series took you through painting historical figures in oils, and winter basing.  Series three will tackle a unit of Lord of the Rings Easterling Kataphracts.  I will emphasize NMM and Freehand a great deal in this set.

This Medusae Series One set is available to those pledging $15 (see the pledge levels on the right of the patreon page).  It over 11 hours of video content, so I think there is a lot that you can glean from it!

Check that out here: