Creating Snow Bases

This is what I do for snow bases. The effect I'm aiming for is late winter/early spring, such that the mud and grass partially shows through the patches of melting snow. I find that it adds a nice touch of color to the base without making it all white, since it's rare to find a fully snow covered/simulated gaming table.

Woodland Scenics makes a nice snow product (Snow, Soft Flake, SN140), which comes in a nice 32 oz shaker for $10.00. It's enough to add snow to just about everything you want. I like to add it to my bases as the third layer after I've already added the dirt, static grass, and selected rocks. Instead of covering the entire ground with snow, I like the melted/spring thaw look, where you can see grass, dirt, and patches of snow.

Step-by-Step

1. Lay down playground sand on your base as usual with a little bit of thinned white glue.
2. Wash with a thick blend of Liquitex Raw Umber.
3. Add patches of static grass. So far, this is the same process as outlined in the Basing article.
4. Mix a little bit of the Woodland Scenics Snow with some white glue and water. You'll get a little snow like slurry. The glue will help it stick and stay in place. The water makes it a little easier to work with. The goal is to get a paste-like consistancy.
5. Use a flat 1/8" brush to trowel some of the snow mixture onto selected spots on the base.
6. Dip the same brush into a little bit of water and then start pushing the snow onto the base. You want to make sure it's actually making contact with the underlying sand. The wet brush dilutes the mix a little bit and allows it to flow into the grass and sand and creates the appearance of slushy snow on the edges where the mud and grass is showing through.
7. Once you're happy with your snow, seal and you should be ready to go.

Here's the finished product with the rest of the miniature. You can use the same technique to put snow on the actual miniature.

Notes

Last updated	6/9/08
Author	Michael Kan
Pre-requisites	Basing Your Miniatures
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