How To Make California Desert Bases For Your Miniatures

Complete tutorial on how to make these California Desert themed bases.
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[@Miniac]

What a treasure trove of information. That looked like such a fun process! I've been meaning to create more scenic bases for my miniatures. The whole process just seems like so much fun. The bases looked great, btw! Although, I don't find too many human skeletons when I'm roaming the deserts.. ;)

[@Paepercuts]

Hey man and thanks so much! I envy your desert roaming though, where i live you can't leave the house without an umbrella. Because i used GW bases i had to use some skulls otherwise i'd get sued by them probably :-p Thanks for your comment, all the best!

[@needfoolthings]

I like your sense of humor. In the quiet from all the other miniature painting channels and the bullshit that come from the more fanboyish parts of "The Hobby", your channel seems to be the only source of real inspiration right now. Keep it up, please. The music you choose is also pretty damn perfect. Don't burn out too soon.

[@Paepercuts]

Thank you for the kind words, very motivating to me! I hope to be back with more vids very soon. All the best to you!

[@needfoolthings]

"...this Hi-Tech modelling tool..." Priceless.

[@t-rexchewbaccasolo7773]

"And then I had thought of a terrible idea to add spikes to them" ^^^^^ Commitment right there and that's why I love your channel.

[@jacobhope6164]

I'm from California, and have seen a lot of that terrain in person. You absolutely nailed it! Great job!

[@yulbrenner]

Great work! I think you're missing some key items, though: grossly-stained lazy boys, wind-blown grocery bags, old-school porno mags, and discarded car parts just to name a few. ;)

[@Paepercuts]

Hahaha great idea i should have known earlier! ;)

[@DukensteinA1]

Paepercuts As a person who grew up in the deserts of California, those items are all over outside of the national parks.

[@Paepercuts]

Ahh good to know :) Cheers!

[@Sanorace]

Damn boy, you're crazy. At some point you thought to yourself "I'm not going to mold ridges into these cacti and call it a day. That's too easy. I'm going to meticulously glue in place hundreds for individual spikes!" I love how you really did your research. Most people who haven't lived in the desert don't realize how full of life it can be. Those little yellow poppies are my favorite part. Next time you do a desert scene maybe include palo verde trees. In the spring you can easily recognize it by it's little yellow flowers that fall and get everywhere like yellow snow... no not like yellow snow. It's pretty. I swear.

[@Paepercuts]

Thanks! that is a great tip i'll look into that for sure. I hope to revisit some desert scenery in the coming time, lot's of opportunity to make something nice. Thanks and all the best ;)

[@ThaetusZain]

I have an idea regarding the cacti what if you used some thick strings to make cactus ridges and stuck little bits of brush wire (from a an old school hairbrush for instance) into the putty along the ridges? It would take a long time but it could look nice.

[@kristinebaker5477]

Watched the rest of the video, I’m impressed with the Saguaro Cactus 🌵 and the needles. Great work 😉

[@DMRaptorJesus]

Amazing tutorial, worth a subscribe if you ask me!

[@deathwingterminator3413]

It's Radome Tan not Random Tan. It's stems from Radar and Dome. And it's a ball shaped radar cover you have on ships or planes. Just to be clear :)

[@Paepercuts]

You are absolutely right, i quickly checked my paint rack and i am amazed i never noticed that since it's on the front row. Thanks for pointing that out i'll remember for future vids, cheers ;)

[@dibackdraft]

Papercuts, Great Video i know it is about a year old now. I showed up in my feed as a recommendation and I am on my second time through which is a good sign that is a good video. I am actually working on a desert them for my IronJawz army. This video gave me a lot of great ideas on other features to add.

[@Paepercuts]

Thank you! That is a great idea for a theme i actually made these for the GW Orc Brutes when they just came out, with the bigger one for the Megaboss. Good luck on your army and thanks for your comment, cheers ;)

[@dibackdraft]

Any suggestions on where to get those dried plants you used? The dried sea foams, lavendar, and flowers?

[@Paepercuts]

The dried lavender i got from a garden centre, they often have a home decorative section with many nice items to use and you'll probably find it there. The tiny flowers i ordered from Reality In Scale www.realityinscale.com/epages/61537336.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61537336/Categories/ALLSCALES/NatureinaPot/Flowers , they sometimes have them on Ebay aswell but they are hard to find. The seafoam you can find at most model railway stores, if you have a lot of patience you could buy the seeds aswell and grow them yourself i know some people who do it,. I tried it myself but it turns out i'm not a great gardener, every now and then they pop up in my garden where i planted them though haha. Good luck! ;)

[@terrain-hardy]

I am again speechless, I can hardly breathe ... ;-) Your attention to detail is fantastic and your choice of colors are brilliant ... your terrain are genuine marvelous. excellent work, many thanks for showing and please make many more "how to" tutorial's

[@Paepercuts]

Thanks a lot man, glad you enjoyed it!

[@eurodisneylandresort]

Hey man, t is gewoonweg genieten hoe je aan t knutselen bent... Doorgaan

[@Paepercuts]

Thanks man!

[@johnchavez3753]

excellent video, i would like see you making an agave

[@Paepercuts]

Thanks! Nice idea i'll see if i can add some in future desert vids ;)

[@jahnkekong]

This video is the perfect mix of funny and inspiring and you edit it in a way so there's always something interesting going on during your voice overs. New sub for sure!

[@Paepercuts]

Thank you very much and welcome ;)

[@DaisZX]

Inspirational in the truest sense. amazing work

[@Paepercuts]

Hi there and thanks so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope it is of use to you! Cheers

[@salmanbaloch2858]

Spectacular

[@anttu4976]

The dry humor made my 15:05-15:30 today, very nice.

[@Sanorace]

I posted your video on reddit, you may see a small spike in views. This is my favorite video of yours and I really hope you make more.

[@Paepercuts]

Thank you my friend. I actually planned on using the palm trees i made to be on these bases aswell at the time but there was no space for them. I made a separate video for those and turned out that one got way more views haha. I appreciate your support many thanks ;)

[@JoshForeman]

I love how close you got to your reference!

[@CometTheMicroraptor]

I just found your channel, and you make absolutely gorgeous work! I love how researched and detailed this is, it really makes it stand out from other standard desert bases. Amazing what some references can do! Hoping I'll have time to tackle some terrain as lovely as this soon.

[@Paepercuts]

Thank you very much, i'm glad you like my work ;) Have fun on making some nice terrain of your own! Cheers

[@Ash__Adler]

Incredible job! Thanks for the in-depth tutorial! One burning question that I must ask: how come you didn't show which brand of hi-tech modeling tool you used to make the lines in the plaster? ;)

[@Paepercuts]

Ahh yes i sincerely apologize, i wanted to keep it a secret. I buy them at a big Swedish furniture company that sells these tiny meatballs and starts with an I, but don't tell anyone!

[@sickofsnow1506]

OMG!! Yea leaves made such realistic leaves. Thank you so much for the idea. I’m gonna check my spice rack for more ideas.

[@thebuff1611]

Love your sense of humor..High tech modeling tool..🤓

[@oliverpettersson998]

I love your videos man, it would be nice if you made more model/miniature painting tutorials aswell

[@Paepercuts]

Hey man thank you very much! I'll do my best to put up some more mini painting vids very soon! :)

[@taraking9514]

You are Extraordinarily talented and hilarious! A force to be reckoned with

[@rileyernst9086]

Great work as always. Just on the tall cacti after the first coat of putty cured maybe rolling some milliput into long thin sausages, then running a bead of super glue up the cactus and glueing the putty sausage down like the vertical segments the cacti have, then carving a shallow V in that and glueing in strips of spikes may have been easier. Its just a thought. Cheers for the video i really enjoyed it. Keep up the great work!

[@PhilAch]

A lot of work but looks awesome!!!

[@Paepercuts]

Thank you very much!

[@conradmueller3458]

great job can you do some khador stuff

[@Paepercuts]

Hi and thanks! Well i haven't got any Warmachine mini's at the moment but i can see if i can get my hands on some with my next order. Any preferances on specific Khador models?

[@conradmueller3458]

+Paepercuts I think it'd be cool if you could do a widow maker, no one's really done them. thank you

[@Paepercuts]

Nice, good choice. Can't promise ofc but i'll keep my eyes open for those!

[@aspect2399]

Meanwhile me who live in California: “I can get the materials I need outside”

[@ChiefLiveGamingWI]

Fantastic tutorial I was mesmerized by these bases! I am going to try some of these techniques for rock facing some terrain. Thanks!

[@Paepercuts]

Thanks man! That'll be cool, i expect to see some Nurgle'ish rocks then! :)

[@janus2059]

You have to have Joshua trees. They're an indicator species of the Mojave desert

[@salaltschul3604]

Love how intricate your bases are!

[@Paepercuts]

Thank you! Glad you liked them :)

[@ForgottenHeathen]

Beautiful!

[@Paepercuts]

Thank you!

[@TwiceTurn]

Great video man! again!

[@Paepercuts]

Thanks man, glad you've enjoyed it! All the best to you

[@nicolegagnon2160]

i live in the Mojave & i think these are great!

[@Paepercuts]

Nice one! and thank you ;)

[@laughinggriffincrafting392]

Wow, I mean just wow. Awesome work. Ah now to try and find some invisible sand of my own.

[@tikiwiki7428]

i've been doing these becuase i love the nature of my home but without help this video has been helpful thank you

[@AlternativeArtist]

wonderful work! I like how you used the plaster over the cork, very effective!

[@Paepercuts]

Thanks, glad you've enjoyed it :) Thanks for your nice comment(s) !

[@potatoefacedfox]

Just the thing I was looking for.

[@JewelKnightJess]

Incredible stuff. I love all the different techniques you used. I can't imagine giving this much love to a whole army but for a centrepiece or competition mini this stuff would be fantastic!

[@Paepercuts]

Hey man and thanks! Yea i agree you'd probably go nuts if you had to make 50 of them haha :) thanks for your comment!

[@TwiceTurn]

But i bet you, you would make the 50 of them :) That makes your work so cool man!

[@Paepercuts]

Haha yea you're probably right, thanks man!

[@MustangCollectibles]

Hi, do you sell your work by any chances? Looking for a couple of Joshua Trees for a 1/18 diorama

[@Paepercuts]

Hi, not taking on commission work lately but thanks for your interest. Cheers.

[@357Elias]

Nice very very good man!!

[@mr54mems22]

The game was rigged from the start

[@mr54mems22]

The game was rigged from the start

[@SPITTFIRE2010]

Very, very good; my friend.-

[@Paepercuts]

Thank you i'm glad you liked it! All the best to you

[@SPITTFIRE2010]

Thank you.- Likewise.- Happy Holidays

[@user-wp9vf8kx1h]

Just tooooooooo much🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

[@aliciah4186]

Waw !! Man is amazing!!!🤔

[@DarkDioStudio]

You have given me some great ideas on materials for my dioramas. The cork and plaster make fantastic rock. Beautiful work my friend.

[@Paepercuts]

Hey there and thank you very much :) Diorama making is so much fun! I've taken a sneak peek at your channel and notice you dedicate to making those. It is impossible for me not to like that and you've gained a fan! All the best

[@DarkDioStudio]

+Paepercuts Yay!!! Thank you so very much!! and welcome!

[@jessewalkereffects]

Love the videos, I have a note on plaster use. This vid is three years old, ignore me if you've heard this already. I'm assuming that's a gypsum cement (such as hydrocal or plaster of Paris.) It's usually better to use a shallow dish and add powder to water, sifting plaster in slowly and not stirring until the surface looks like a dry lakebed or the surface of the moon. This helps get the proper ratio every time, not too thick and fast setting, not too thin and flakey. Shallow dishes keep the plaster from kicking itself, as it heats as it sets and the heat causes it to set faster. Water temperature also affects how quickly the plaster sets.

[@Paepercuts]

Good comment, makes a lot of sense to me. I'm going to give this a try i have some plaster casting to do on my next builds. Thank you!

[@bdev6948]

23:38 lol

[@Paepercuts]

:)

[@willyagustian4827]

excuse me, could u tell me what kind of brand that the black base u use? where can i buy it?

[@Paepercuts]

The bases are Citadel round bases, 40mm and 60mm in this case. You can find them at Games Workshop website or Ebay

[@willyagustian4827]

Thx for your information :)

[@kristinebaker5477]

It’s Cactus not Cacti... btw I live in Arizona desert, born and raised. Saguaro Cactus 🌵 has needles, and your making Joshua Trees. 😉

[@PhilSNight]

Where do you get your dried branches?

[@Paepercuts]

I get them locally from a garden centre usually. Cheers.

[@PhilSNight]

@@Paepercuts -- Thank you! Love your vids!

[@farts4weightloss74]

You are so god damn bloody awesome dude!!! Spiked cucumber 😂 I think I love you

[@Paepercuts]

Thanks man! glad you've enjoyed it. And +1 for your account name that is awesome :)

[@aaronutreras4836]

sube mas vídeos colega eres el mejor, como mola tu canal, puedes hacer algún vídeo haciendo peanas de pantanos?? gracias

[@Paepercuts]

Hi there and thank you very much! That sounds like a great idea i will think about making some of those someday :) Muchos gracias!