Process / guide of creating the duel base - Stormcast vs. Chaos warrior

Hey guys - in this post i want to walk you through the process of creating the duel base for my Golden Demon duel. Lets go ! 

step 1 : I  started by ripping of the sizes of cork sheet, that was going to form the 2 plateaus the models were going to stand on. I glued two levels of cork on to each other with super glue, so i had the foundation/ or skeleton for the whole base. 

step 2 : i now used blue tack, to place the two levels of cork sheet on the plinth i wanted to use, just to get an idea of where to place them, before using glue. I also added blue tack on top of the cork sheets & placed the models on there, to get the same idea. Dry fitting, as it is called, is always a good method to use, as you dont risking making a huge mess with the base materials & the models - here is blue tack your friend!

Step 3: I now added miliput all around the cork sheets, & created the shape i wanted the two plateaus to have.  I simply just faded the miliput out on the flat surface on the plinth in the middle, as there will be added a lava effect on this area later. The miliput is roughly added to the corksheets, as its going to be covered with texture paints etc. in the next step too - so no need for next level sculping skills here! Finally i placed the models on the miliput, while it was still fresh, & pushed them a bit down in it in order to create a fitting for theyre feet - by doing this, i know where to place them, when it is dried. 

Step 4: We now add texture paint, small rocks & skulls to the base. I really like the Demon Earth  terrain from AK interactive, as it has a great variation in small rocks & dirt. For the rocks, i just use some slate i have broken into small pieces. I then primed the whole thing with chaos black. 

Step 5: Firstly, i basecoatet the earth texture with a 1:1 mix of abaddon black & corvus black - i then drybrushed it with Dark blue grey.  I then painted the lava on the mid section area of the base, very roughly, as i will add crackle paint to it afterwards.  I also glazed with some darker reds around the rocks, where the lava & earth texture meet. You want certain areas to be very glowy & other areas to be more subtle. For the lava i used mephiston red, evil suns scarlet, volcano yellow & ice yellow.  I have added a video tutorial below for how i have created & painted another lava base, for inspiration. 

Step 6: I now added the crackle paint on top of the previous painted area & let it dry in 24 hours. I used the crackle paint from Green stuff world, but i would recommend you to find a black crackle paint, as this will save you time in the next step. 

Step 7: We now layer the crackled top areas with a 2:1 mix of  abaddon black & mephiston red. We want the top crackled areas to be very dark, to create a strong contrast to the bright reds & yelllow underneath them. I then just painted the skulls & it was done! 

This base took me around 2 work days to complete. Its very simple, but i like how it creates a dramatic scene to the duel. I hope you will try something out yourself :) ! I hope you like these guides - please let me know in the comments if it is something you want to see more of! 

Have a great thursday everyone ! 

Lava base video tutorial : https://www.patreon.com/posts/lava-base-video-47577862

Best regards Nikolas