Simple basing materials question - flat rocks

[tppytel]

I'm looking for some flat, jagged rocks for basing accents. Something like the ones seen here...

http://www.coolminiornot.com/233614

http://www.coolminiornot.com/329314

They look too flat and thin to be kitty litter or gravel. Cork or broken up clay maybe? Or just scouring the yard and walks for appropriate-sized bits?

[Thulis]

Actually I've seen this used on larger terrain to add that "rocks jutting out of the ground" effect. Find some Pine bark, and split it. It's like 10-20 layers depending on how large the piece of pine bark is. Cut it/sand it to whatever you want. Once primed it can resemble metamorphic type rock.

This is for what looks like a Diarama, but you should get the gist on how it would look once painted:

http://miniaturesoftomorrow.wordpress.com/2013/03/22/arachnarok-base-tutorial-part-1/

Edit:

Here's a more model-centric version:

http://b3rtil.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/dark-angles-space-marine-captain/

Edited April 24, 2013 by Thulis

[Omenbringer]

Here is a youtube link that might help

I also seem to recall that you can recreate "shale outcrops" like that with plaster or polymer clay but can't find it right now.

[i_was_like_you]

Could ask ScottRadom what he used...

To me they look like plaster castings of rocks. I have a few of them I've made from casting other rock bases and using less than a full mold.

[Omenbringer]

The one I recall had the material (swear it was plaster but...) mixed thick, then rolled out thin (like 1/16- 1/8" thick). I seem to recall that it was also then layered and lightly squished together. Once dried (or hardend) it was then broken into a million pieces by dropping it on the ground. The result looked a lot like cracked concrete or shale.

This is going to bug me all night, I'll keep looking for the tutorial.

[pixelante]

Its just chips of flint or shale. You could probably get a cheap bag of the stuff from a landscaping company. For the price of few pieces from a hobby store you could probably get 20 kilos or more.

[tppytel]

OK, thanks all. I didn't message anyone at CMON yet, since I assumed it was an obvious technique with an obvious answer (my basing knowledge is really bad). But it looks like there are a number of possibilities. I recall reading something like what Omenbringer described (breaking a pancake of some kind of clay) but thought that was for more general-purpose rocks than flat jaggies. But I suppose if you have a zillion pieces, then you'll find at least one that works.

[Meat Puppet]

There are a few ways I make rocks.

First is using real rocks.

Second is using Sculpey (polymer clay). I prefer plain, white, original Sculpey to any other variety of polymer clay for making bases.

Anyways, using Sculpey, I take a blob about the size I want my rock, and press actual rocks into it to get a rock texture. You can do this with shale (my neighbor has it in his landscaping and a few pieces made their way into my house), or any type of rock. I have a box of rocks with different textures that I use depending on what I want the rocks to look like.

Then you bake the Sculpey as directed on the package.

The second way I like to use Sculpey is to roll it out in a sheet (using the clay extruder/pasta maker is awesome for this) on a ceramic tile, stick it in the oven and bake as directed, and then break the sheet apart. I'll paint it as rock or I'll carve into it with a scribing tool or wood carving tool and make it look like tiles.

It sounds more complicated than it actually is, once you do it.

Third way I do rock is to use cork. I've found, in my scrounging, that there are different textures of cork and I've used as many as I can find.

All these techniques for making rocks go hand in hand with using sand and gravel to fill in the cracks, gaps, holes or whatever, and the different textures make the bases more interesting.

Also, combining the cork and Sculpey produces some very fun results. And then sand and gravel. Then prime and paint. Done!

Edited April 26, 2013 by Meat Puppet

[THE_Dwarf]

Hey,

I have some small flat rocks ... somewhere. But they were bought from GW a couple of years back. It is pricey, as it is GW, but useful - unless you mislay it somewhere like me :-/

Citadel Warhammer 40,000 Basing Kit

The above link is for the UK site - just so you know

You get two tubs if slate and some bases and brass etchings - but they latter two are very 40k'y. But if you do 40k, or another sci-if tabletop game you should make use of them. Or split cost with fellow hobby'ist who does play 40k maybe. But the slate is nice and small, so should fit nicely with Malifaux miniatures with out looking oversized. As the majority of Malifaux models are smaller than 40k models.

If you want to know what is in it, I shall try and find it out and post up some photos - but the emphasis is on try in that sentence lol

Edited April 26, 2013 by THE_Dwarf
Typo - lag when typing on iPad :-(