Stirland Mud alternative for 10% the price :-O Alternative mud texture basing for miniatures

[@grud8495]

I have used filler before, it is a solid alternative, however there are some problems with it: - the filler in the tube can dry too fast, so, once you open it, make sure you try to use most of it with a couple of days to get the most bang for your buck. - most filler tends to be white, meaning in almost all cases you will need to paint over it, an added benefit to stirland mud is the paint come mixed in. - filler can shrink after drying. and this can lead to unpredictable results, and sometimes cracks, which in most cases is bad. stirland mud shrinks too, kinda, but I haven't seen it leave cracks.(yet) - imo the worst issue. Filler can easily get damaged during play or during transport. It will simply chip off the base, leaving a hole in your pretty finished base that you're going to have to repair, by most likely filling it up again, which means you need to very careful when applying you don't get filler on your pretty painted model, then you need to paint that part over again as well. So it most certainly isn't a bad alternative, it tends to be somewhat cheap. But I personally wouldn't recommend it for basing. I would, however, very much recommend it for terrain! when you have a sturdy wooden base, and most likely, room to safely store the terrain pieces, there's much less chance of damage. Imo a much better alternative, that will also save you in the long run, is the AK terrain series of products. ak-interactive.com/product/terrains-dry-ground-250ml/ I use them for my bases now for a long time, and the pots don't dry out. They come with paint in them, and they have different sorts with different textures. It also will not chip. At €9 you get 250 ml, where as for stirland mudd you get only 24 ml for €6.3 LOL! that's a nobrainer for me then....

[@maxen4444]

It's been already said, but the tubs and tubes will dry out pretty fast once they are opened. You can buy fillers in powdered form which will last forever. You can make them stronger by mixing a bit of white glue into the filler. It will make it less prone to chipping and help it stick to the base.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Good idea. My tube is still going well and it’s been towards two months now! But I can imagine it has a finite life span. But for £3.50 - happy with the coverage I’ve got. Be a bit costly if you got for one base and it dried before you used it again. Like the idea of mixing it stronger you suggested, reducing chip damage seems like a great idea!

[@Schizopantheist]

Probably depends a bit on the packaging. The big tub I've got has lasted for a good few years of periodic use. And I found I can rehydrate It with a tiny dash of water. I overdid it so now I leave the lid off to dry it off again. I've been tending to glue sand on top, by seeing this, I might try more with only paint on top. Looks good!

[@Vanye111]

You could put the rock in after applying the filler, as well, so that it has the look of having been in place for a long time effect as well.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Great point. I actually do exactly that in some other basing videos using this technique!

[@royfromthesimpsons]

Been making my own now since watching Luke APS video on it, Poundland is your friend 750ml Filler (£1) & I usually add cheap black acrylic paint (£1) Again from the pound shop then add cheap sand & you have yourself a fairly decent astrogranite. Haven’t used the filler on its own so after seeing your results will have to give it a shot. 👍 GW texture paints are outrageously over priced 🙃 great video ❤️

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Cheers dude. That’s nice formula too! I like the lazyness of not also having to have sand with the external filler here. But youre right, could save even more with £1 filler :-)

[@gordonenquist36]

Gord Enquist If you don't drink coffee, but like TEA : Keep, save and let dry, loose tea, or T bags or herbal teas. When dry inspect for texture, some teas have almost branches in the mix. Small is good. Depends on scale of your figures. Now mix up some PolyFilla, dark brown or black craft acrylic paint, white glue and car window washer fluid, add the T leaves and adjust the mixture so you have a nice pasty mush. Like peanut butter spread it on your bases, let dry and paint. Cheers

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Mike from WiPi I've done this - used oregano, thyme, cinnamon, etc :D Just playing around to see what gives nice results - but then your base smells spicy afterwards haha. Excellent though, if you wanna save money, and it looks good.

[@grantfoster8833]

Crackle paste is what I use. Available in art stores or online. It's the best alternative I've found so far. You get a lot your money and it's really tough. Good video.

[@OrginalRaxor]

I love it, and instantly started doing it

[@thebrewgeek]

Ever try the Vallejo texture pastes? They are my go to. They have a dark brown, peanut butter brown, and some white/gray colors. They stick to anything and you can push in rocks and other basing items right into it instead of gluing. It’s great.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I haven’t!! Sounds good though. I suspect more expensive than this? But cheaper than Citadel?

[@thebrewgeek]

Watch It Paint It They are about $13 for 200 ml. Stuff lasts forever.

[@SteveForteGMR]

The thing with the Vallejo, AK Interactive, and Mig AMMO pastes is for 200ml they're between £10-£13 in the UK but are also water based acrylic so you can thin them using water.

[@jordanbeard6687]

I use the indoor filler for this because it comes in a tub I can get into to mix things into it. I find that the indoor stuff is a bit too smooth so I add some sand. I also find it's a little too soft when it dries so I add some Mod Podge to make it firm up more. Then to make it more like the professional products I add some paint to it as well, usually dark brown (I just use the cheap craft paints you get for less than $1ea) but sometimes I use black to make a medium gray. This mix ends up with a decent approximation of the ground texture paints from GW or Army Painter for way less cost. I have had great success with it too.

[@yingbird7040]

I have been using pre mixed bathroom grout and painting over it with a dilute Burnt Umber oil paint . Follow this up by dry brushing in either grey or yellow ochre (oil or acrylic) paint and then static grass applied with PVA glue as usual. Use of grout is generally better than standard filler as it will give a much more grainy surface for the paint to sink into. The Burnt Umber oil paint (diluted with white spirit) allows you to vary the opacity of the colour very easily. This allows you to vary the colour from desert sand to mud without having to buy different paints. If you want a cheap easy texturing alternative for rocks etc then you might try budgie grit (unused of course...). I have been using these techniques for about 35 years now for many thousands of figures.The main drawback is that painting with oils/white spirit does smell when drying compared to modern acrylic mixes and it and the oil paints do need to be given a few hours to dry. As mentioned in other comments you need to repair any damage as the white filler stands out if the paint is damaged. However, if you have large armies with a large base area or large dioramas to paint then you will find that the grout and oil paints/white spirit will go a VERY long way and a tiny fraction of the price compared to the proprietary basing textures/paints now available.

[@d-emprahexpects]

Hey I've got a question if you don't mind. I made a set of bases using grout. Painted it and everything. But how do you glue models to it so they won't fall off? I tried small balls of grout as glue, gorilla gel superglue. As soon as I let the model bounce in the desk from 15cm height, they snap off the base clean. Thanks for the help.

[@d1rtyw0rk65]

I use Durham Rock Hard Putty. Dirt cheap, mix it up with some brown paint and a drop of black ink and enough water to make a paste

[@expatliferealspain1175]

You can add some craft paint to the filler and then its about the same as the citadel

[@JimmyMurphythemurphyfella]

Yup. Was about to point it out. I've also used mansionary paint and sand/grit as a mix for basing

[@xaviakoantich1699]

YOU MAKE MY DAY MAAAAAAN SO GLAD WITH YOU

[@WatchItPaintIt]

[@GamingRulesVideos]

Cool. Polyfiller for the win!

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Basically printing money! :-D Cheers Paul

[@AlexBenham27]

what an absolute game changer, such a helpful video!

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Thanks dude! Hope it helps :-)

[@JohnKessler]

I use Vallejo Brown Earth Gel, 200ml which is about $14 usd.

[@shadowofkitsune]

I actually love their desert sand one, it is amazing.

[@blacktemplar8346]

Bird Sand + Filler + Color u want.....done. (maybe some Water) any questions?

[@syd4890]

Q: what type of bird are we talking about? Xp

[@Charron684]

just a sugestion try useing tile grout it comes pre coulored

[@WatchItPaintIt]

:O brown grout. Nice idea. More expensive though?

[@Born_Stellar]

@@WatchItPaintIt I got a liter of sand colored grout for $10 CAD or about 5 pounds. And its way more than I'm ever going to need.

[@Monkeyshaman]

You can really go hard on the highlights as army painter really mutes when allowed to cure fully. It could also be my lack of shaky shakes and conservative layers that generates the very feathered blend as well.

[@rayslover8526]

Iv'e actually used "light joint compound" on bases to make fire and lava effects.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Oooh. Got some pics? Interesting!

[@rayslover8526]

@@WatchItPaintIt i posted one on your FB page on the post for this video. It's on a Magma Giant from Shadows of Brimstone

[@ericeilertsen9369]

This is a great video. Thanks for putting it together.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Thanks Eric. You’re welcome!

[@electronicscavenger2667]

you could also put the figure in.. and pull it out and you have foot prints.. or when you mount a figure in it it will look like he's in the mud if you paint it right.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Yes! This is a great idea too. I actually did that a few days later in my Warcry basing video (which isn’t uploaded yet and is very similar to this just I did a few nice extras to make it suit Warcry). Cheers man!

[@electronicscavenger2667]

@@WatchItPaintIt yeah.. and snow would look really good like this... it would look untouched.. except for the footprints.

[@HistoricLife]

I believe (edit) Dryad Bark is the same brown as Stirland mud, I have used it for touch ups in the past.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Ooooh! Thanks for the info!

[@HistoricLife]

Watch It Paint It I’m going to revise my statement, Dryad Bark is closer in color

[@Born_Stellar]

Even better: Superglue and grout. Then paint. You could use PVA even, I just like the superglue and its super cheap where I get it.

[@wasmic5z]

Super Glue will dry immediately upon contact with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). Since bicarb is cheap and extremely fine grained, it can be used to create sandy bases easily, since it resembles 'mini-scale sand', as its grains are far smaller than actual sand. When using actual sand, I usually use it with PVA glue, since that stuff is far cheaper than superglue where I live (by an order of magnitude). With PVA, you can mix the glue and the sand together before applying it, which gives a more muddy look, or can even look like concrete if you smoothen it out sufficiently. Meanwhile, applying PVA first and then sand on top will give a look of dry sand. It's even possible to make transitions between the two effects by applying a PVA/sand mix first, making sure it's unevenly applied, and then applying dry sand onto the raised areas. This will give the raised areas a dry look and the lower areas will look more muddy/wet.

[@d-emprahexpects]

Hey I've got a question if you don't mind. I made a set of bases using grout. Painted it and everything. But how do you glue models to it so they won't fall off? I tried small balls of grout as glue, gorilla gel superglue. As soon as I let the model bounce in the desk from 15cm height, they snap off the base clean. Thanks for the help.

[@AlaricCantonain]

Cool.tutorial Sir. Very classical way. I initially thought you would prepare some recipe with fila, pigments and inks in a ready to use mixture.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I think that’s a very valid option. Buy a pot version of filler and slap in some brown paint - ready to go :-D but this is more adhoc and can use any colour as and when you please :-) totally depends on how much of one type you might want. Thanks for the comment!

[@BaijoGosum]

The style works for me

[@The_Viking_Grimm]

I'm curious what you used for those sharp flat rocks on the bases?

[@POLKADOTWULF]

Just discovered your channel & subbed, and it looks like being off work this next week is working out quite well as I have a lot of videos to catch up on & now 2 years worth of yours to add to that...lol

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Hahha. Welcome to the club dude! Oooh enjoy your week off and I hope you find some more helpful vids on the channel!

[@shaundaly1134]

I use filler on my bases of plastic soldiers from Victrix etc, it adds some pleasing weight to the model.

[@d-emprahexpects]

Hey I've got a question if you don't mind. I made a set of bases using grout. Painted it and everything. But how do you glue models to it so they won't fall off? I tried small balls of grout as glue, gorilla gel superglue. As soon as I let the model bounce in the desk from 15cm height, they snap off the base clean. Thanks for the help.

[@shaundaly1134]

@@d-emprahexpects I glued the model (inc the base) to a 2p piece with superglue then used the filler to cover the top of the 2p

[@d-emprahexpects]

@@shaundaly1134 cheers thanks.

[@SgtOddballz]

yep been doing this for a long time :) i often mix craft paint into it sp if it chips it doesnt show white. Great video :)

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Yeah I think that’s a great idea. This ways a little more flexible if you want different colours but it’s so cheap probably just get a pot for the colours you use most :D love the tip about it not mattering as much if it chips! That’s a super good point. Thanks dude

[@d-emprahexpects]

Hey I've got a question if you don't mind. I made a set of bases using grout. Painted it and everything. But how do you glue models to it so they won't fall off? I tried small balls of grout as glue, gorilla gel superglue. As soon as I let the model bounce in the desk from 15cm height, they snap off the base clean. Thanks for the help.

[@bitzbox]

Works really well! Enjoying your basing videos :-)

[@JohnKessler]

Another option is to get some pot of drywall plaster and mix in sand and the color of your choosing.

[@deathguarddavegoogley2022]

Just buy a massive tub of ‘basetex’ from colour party if you’re in the U.K. and you can’t be bothered making your own.

[@tacotruckhero2679]

Have you tried dry brushing the white with a blue for a snowy ice base? Just curious how it would work out if you have.

[@LiliaArmoury]

also if you get some cheap plastic gears off ebay you can do skitarii bases this way

[@TheJessejudd]

So what is the actual chemical compound/makeup of this product. I live in the states, trying to find something similar. Thanks!

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Not sure of the EXACT components, but you can make something nearly identical with PVA glue (or Mod Podge), brown craft paint and sand.

[@legendarylordlove2789]

Love this, very informative and shows exactly the processes you took to get to the finished stage. Just one question I was hoping you could answer, when you added the rocks, was that before or after the filler had dried? Thanks :)

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Before. That way they sit in the filler and look like they are embedded in the ground. I’ve done a video for basing WarCry where I show it with rocks, but other than that it’s the same process. Glad you liked the video!

[@legendarylordlove2789]

I liked it so much, I've literally just walked to Wilko in the rain to grab a tube of filler 😂

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Hahahaha :-D that's great! Let me know how you get on, would love to see some results! My main concern with it atm, is how rough my friends are and it could scratch/chip it after its dried. Hoping varnished it will be safe as houses, but it's something I need to test out

[@Bigelsiet]

Pre mix spackle for our US cousins 🤘

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Thanks! Yes. Just looked it up didn’t realise it was different in the states :-D

[@toddzino58]

I do similar, but use craft paint. Works just fine.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Yep! Craft paint is a great call

[@BadgerRobot]

Is this the same as "spackle" in the US?

[@elcasey]

Yes, it is!

[@BadgerRobot]

@@elcasey Thanks!

[@tjdoc143]

You can also use joint compound

[@mikesprague]

Since it's white, I'd use contrast paint...

[@tutubeater1]

Mike Sprague one my favorite use for contrast paints is aggaros dunes over sand basing after priming!

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Funny, I did give that a go a little bit after and it works well too! So depend which paints you have around but I guess with contrast you make it cost a little bit more again! :D

[@zeblic]

Should you prime the base before?

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I wouldn’t bother. Probably sticks similar with or without, so would save the hassle :-)

[@lukasg7464]

Hey dude how did you build the little plateaus on which you fixed the bases if you don't mind me asking? :)

[@WatchItPaintIt]

It’s a Hobby Holder by Game Envy. The link should be in the description with a little discount if it’s of any interest!

[@ErokLobotomist]

Thankfully the one that I bought will probably last me another year or two lol But this is good info to have.

[@ericeilertsen9369]

Did I hear a call out to pitch meeting?

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Haha. You did! I just discovered it and have binge watched every video :-D good spot!!

[@oscartakahashi8230]

What kind of rocks did you use for the one with the army painter tufts?

[@georgehintze2864]

you might want try wood filler

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I’ll add it to my shopping list. Cheers fella

[@maxbrandt6]

There certainly are ways around GW's nonsense when it comes to that basing texture stuff, he just have to know what to look for!

[@TheHeater2121]

remember to rough up the base first

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Good idea!

[@pidgeftw]

Wilko cheap ?! Naaaaaa haha good video though haha

[@peteflynn3923]

That stuff is more expensive than my single-malt and doesn't taste near as good! But really, the cost is obscene and the Citadel pots are a spill waiting to happen.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Haha :-D I enjoyed this comment! What single malt are you drinking at the moment?

[@OlympusHeavyCavalry]

5 Pounds is a lot of money for a small pot of fake mud. I think using alternatives is a far better option than wasting money on model paint that is, quite frankly, a rip off.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I personally wouldn’t go as far to say a rip off, it costs X to produce, then you pay Y for convenience, and Z for the effort of creating/innovating the product. But, yeah, it’s expensive, compared to much cheaper alternatives. Wonder how many other things we could make a lot cheaper in our hobby world? Anything else you’d like to see cheaper alternatives suggested for?

[@OlympusHeavyCavalry]

@@WatchItPaintIt I have noticed that since 3D printing has come along, people are saving themselves a lot of money by printing their own miniatures and scenery/terrain. Whilst casting represents somewhat better quality through detail, 3D printing has come a long way since its inception. I think it's great to see people improvising within Hobbies and using their initiative. Pallets, Brushes also come to mind. People seemed to be fixated on Brands, when there are alternatives out there, Cheers :-)

[@McBurnside6380]

This could have been a five minute video.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Look forward to your theatrical cut!