Create realistic looking forest bases for your Miniatures

With these tips, Learn how to create fun and realistic forest/woodland bases & dioramas for your tabletop miniatures.
There will be easy to follow visual steps as well as commentary as we make our bases.
I hope that you will find this video useful!
*PLEASE NOTE
𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰𝘴 - 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 100% 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 :):)
𝘌𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺!
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**USEFUL PRODUCTS FOR HOBBYISTS**
I use and recommend the following; (*affiliate links)
*𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘐 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶! :)
Ground Cover
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Glue
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Rocks
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Foliage
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𝙅𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙨 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨 - 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧
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Plants
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Miscellaneous
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[@NateFinch]

Really awesome video. I like that you used a lot of natural materials that anyone can get outside for free rather than buying everything.

[@AwkwardBirb]

“You get a wonderful array of colorful leaves just waiting to be used” 😭 *cries in desert dweller*

[@SwordsandBrushes]

haha oh yes - apart from living in a desert!

[@falsehero2001]

Blasphemy! This is miniature hobbying! We have a long, proud tradition of painting rocks to look like rocks to uphold!

[@SwordsandBrushes]

haha cant beat a good old traditional rock! :)

[@makaero1504]

Base 1 is exactly the look I'm after for my goblins. Thanks!

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Awesome glad that the video could help :) What Gobbos have you got on the go? :)

[@craigcameron3378]

Excellent timing, as I'm recreating the woods of Amon Hen for my Uruk scouts, and picked up some slate just this morning!

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Oh sweet! That's a project that i would love to do myself! Is it going to be a diorama? Or scenery to go on a board :)

[@DZLier]

The ground up leaves look really good, definitely going to try that.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Thanks very much! it would be good to see how they look on a much larger scale like a diorama or a piece of scenery :)

[@tayb4812]

Awesome! Exactly what I was looking for when planning next steps for my Endor bases for SW legion. Thanks for showing all the different varieties of methods rather than just the one.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Nice! I'm doing the exactly the same thing, i recently opened and started my Legion Starter set and Endor will be my way to base them - this is the way.

[@456doler]

Great tips! After I'm done with my dwarves I will start with some Wood Elves

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Thanks very much, Hope you enjoy the Wood Elf project! :)

[@rjtwo5434]

Okay these are seriously awesome! Subscribed!

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Thank you kindly! I do love doing these style bases :)

[@selina.c]

Thank you for the help and ideas ❤

[@SwordsandBrushes]

You are welcome :) Hope you enjoy doing to woodland basing! :)

[@TylerHalcomb]

“Ain’t no one got time to highlight 97 rocks.”😂

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Well it's true! haha

[@JuusoHuttunenOfficial]

Love it!

[@martingross6748]

Oh my God! This looks awesome ❤

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Thank you! I do enjoy making these, just adding some bits and pieces here really does give it more of an impact :)

[@arcanewarsong]

Very nice video! Thanks for sharing.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Thanks for watching! :):)

[@galan8115]

Man, this is a good tutorial I was looking for some jungle, but stumbled upon this and I must say the format is *mwah* (cheff kiss)

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Glad you enjoyed it! What are you going to be basing up with some jungle schemes? It was this comment that made me put a chefs kiss in my latest short video haha

[@galan8115]

@@SwordsandBrushes Some tyranids, in theory, I have been playing with some greens and textures in order to achieve something. And also I have used tinfoil to make roots to add to the bases.

[@deusvult333]

Amazing guide, but I am curious (since i am new to the hobby) how to make such a base if the mini is glued already. I don't know how you could glue the mini over such a base, so I would assume this is for demonstration purposes only.

[@thepiratepenguin4465]

This could be very nice for Wood Elves or Forest Goblins.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Ah yes totally! Got to love a Forest Goblin :)

[@DanielKendallCoach]

I've recently got some Sylvaneth and I love these base tutorials. QUESTION: Adding the models to these bases, do you add them before you've finished the base or do you add them after the base is finished? If you add them after, how do you get a good fixing on the base?

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Ah brilliant, they have a cool range of minis! Thank you for the question, Sometimes I just glue the mini straight onto the base and then put the casing materials on afterwards.

 For the videos on the channel I just use the bases without miniatures on them so its clearer to see what I’m doing :)

 For my personal projects I tend to create a batch of bases first and add all my materials that I need, for the most part I just superglue my plastic and resin minis afterwards and that is more than enough for my needs. Yes they may come off when I drop them on the floor (which I try not to do) but as long as there is enough surface areas on the feet to the base - they are pretty good.

 For more fiddly miniatures I would pin them in place with a bit of paperclip for extra stability - or just glue them to the base directly. 
 As Sylvanth are more on the fragile side of things, looking minis in the range I would probably go with the gluing direct to the base option. Hope that helps! :)

[@DanielKendallCoach]

@@SwordsandBrushes perfect, thank you for the great response.

[@stickmansam66]

Been thinking about making some jungle/forest bases and came across this, great video! One question I have though is, how do you attach the minitures to these awesome (but now very textured) bases?

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Ah awesome what miniatures are they going to be for? For me, i tend to superglue them into position where possible after the sand and paint stage (metal miniatures i glue into the slotta base before the sand for extra support. But for whatever basing tutorial i will do on the channel i will just use empty bases so it's easier to see what i'm doing with out a miniature getting in the way :)

[@metalgear1010]

Nice Videos ! However, I have a question that has nothing to do with painting: what kind of graphic effect is that on 2:26 and which program?

[@loiccoffier6197]

Super vidéo, very good work

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Thank you very much! :):)

[@shakall-9811]

Hello SAW Thx for your various tutorials. Your english is good enough to be understood by a foreigner :D Would it be possible to plan a video on bases rollers and clays used for textured bases plz?

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Hello! Thank you very much, i try to be as clear as possible and hope that i don't talk too quickly at times! :) Yes that would be a wonderful idea, i do like a few that i have seen online and it's something that i always wanted to try! :)

[@shakall-9811]

@@SwordsandBrushes C U on the next video :)

[@matthewbrookeart]

With the real leaves do you cook them or disinfect them or is it fine just to let them go dry ? Really wanna make autumn bases for my fellowship, and elves. Awesome vid as always!

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Thank you for the question, ive done them in a couple ways to see what method worked for me, firstly i gathered up a bunch of dead leaves in Autumn and kept them in the garage for a week so they wouldn't get wet with any rain. Then i tried 2 batches - 1) I kept leaves to dry inside on the counter in the utility room for a week until they were dry. 2) I also did a batch in the oven at 100 degrees and that was for about 30 minutes. Both ended up dry and crispy. I think the second method is better as it takes less time, but then you potentially kill any pests that may be on the leaves. Kind of like drying herbs that you grow in the garden (if that's something you do of course! ) I hope that helps and good luck and have fun doing some awesome basing! :):)

[@Aldormian]

@@SwordsandBrushes Hello, thannk you for your tips ! Don't the leaves deteriorate over time ?

[@jonpeacock5580]

Was that sand you used at the start birdseed?

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Its bird sand from the pet store, it's got crushed shells in there so it gives it a bit more texture than just a single type of sand :)

[@weemanling]

Be careful using organic matter like leaves. They will decompose with time if you don't properly seal them.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Good shout out, anything further that you would like to add? Perhaps a certain varnish etc? :)

[@gorkamorka999]

@@SwordsandBrushes you can get "stabilized" plants for decoration. Afaik they've been treated with glycerine. I suppose that would do the trick. Varnish should be enough to keep most other stuff from falling apart, especially if you keep your minis in a dry place. Great video, btw. 👍

[@calvanoni5443]

Discord link?

[@SwordsandBrushes]

All the info is on the Patreon page, here is a link for it if it's something for you :) www.patreon.com/swordandbrushes