You will need:

• paints – read further to find out what colors we used for this base. All colors mentioned are from Vallejo
• an airbrush to speed up the process
• a regular brush for fine details
• a sponge
• a bit of masking tape

Step 1 – prime the base with Black Vallejo Surface Primer and add one coat of German Grey.

Step 2 – add a gradient with Cold Grey using an airbrush.

Step 3 – mask off the sanding paper area and the area with Cold Grey gradient with masking tape.

Step 4 – apply a coat of Cold Flesh in a similar manner as in step 2. Take off the masking tape – we are getting somewhere!

Step 5 – fix the base on something to hold – we used a coffee bin cap, this way it will be more convenient. Take the sponge and apply some German Grey using the stippling technique – try to focus your stippling closer to the center of the base and apply paint in moderation. It’s easier to add more paint if needed than remove it!

A couple of words about stippling technique: it is fast and easy way to add battle damage and/or gritty and weathered texture to any surface. Just take a sponge – sponges from Infinity blisters and boxes will do – and put some paint on it. Don’t water down the paint, just press it against a piece of paper to remove excessive paint. Dab it on to the surface to see the effect!

Step 6 – take the sponge again and apply some Cold Grey to the outer part of the base. By applying Step 5 and 6 in this way you will draw the attention to the center – exactly where your model will stand!

Step 7 – we combined several steps here as they are quite simple. Paint the sanding paper area with Black, then drybrush with Cold Grey. Edge highlight the plates with Cold Flesh and add some Black into recessed area between the plates.

Step 8 – it’s time to glue a model to the base as this way we will be able to tie it to the base visually. Take an airbrush with fine nozzle (we used 0.15mm needle here) and spray Turquoise over the dot we made earlier. Make sure that some paint hit the model for OSL (object source lighting) effect.

Step 9 – highlightwith Deep Sky Blue using the same airbrush.

Step 10 – Finial step! Highlight the edges of the dot (which is basically a hole that we made earlier using round scriber tool) with Dead White and highlight the edge of the plate with Deep Sky Blue.