Flocking: Flat Earth and Dry Brushing
A method inspired by Mark Case's blog on Basing the Hussars. Mark specialises in the Peninsular War, which rang a bell, so I thought I'd give it a go. I quite like the effect so I have redone my Russian Naval Infantry and I'm over half way through redoing my Spanish Civil War. Others will follow.
Spanish
Civil War: Republican HMG Company
Note: Unit ID for Crossfire =
"P" for Popular Army
Materials
- Super glue
- White glue / PVA
- Games Workshop Modelling Sand
- Kitty litter
- Earth coloured paint, for example:
- Tamiya Flat Earth (XF-52)
- Dark Sand coloured paint, for example any of:
- Ceramcoat Maple Sugar Tan (this is Mark Case's preferred shade)
- Vallejo 70847 Dark Sand (this is what I use because I couldn't find Ceramcoat in the UK)
- Cote D'arms 522 Pale Sand (despite the "Pale" in the title it is quite similar to the Vallejo)
- Americana DA191 Camel
- Pale Sand coloured paint, for example any of:
- Howard Hues Geo-Hex Desert (I use this because Mark Case suggested it and I only found the alternatives later)
- Vallejo 70837 Pale Sand
- Games Workshop Static Grass (strangely I find this a dryer look than the GW Burnt Static Grass which is dark green and red)
Method
- Super-glue the figures to the base.
- Leave to dry.
- Paint exposed surface of the base with diluted white glue.
- Dunk the base in the GW modelling sand.
- Randomly apply spots of diluted white glue to the base.
- Drop bits of Kitty Litter in the glue to form piles of rocks.
- Leave to dry.
- Paint the whole stand with a slightly diluted coat of earth colour.
- Leave to dry.
- Heavy dry brush a dark sand colour
- Leave to dry, not that it will take long.
- Light dry brush a pale sand colour
- Leave to dry, not that it will take long.
- Randomly apply spots of diluted white glue to the base.
- Dunk the base in the static grass.
- Optionally glue on labels such Unit IDs for Crossfire.
3" Town sector - no grass |
3" Town sector - with grass |
3" Town sector - two types of grass Left: GW Static Grass |
Naval Infantry Variation
I had already plastered my Russian Naval Infantry Battalion when I decided to use this approach to flocking. I didn't bother gluing on sand and just painted the plaster. This is quite similar to how Roland Davis bases.
Russian Naval Infantry
Battalion: Assault Platoon
Note: Unit ID for Crossfire =
"N" for Naval