How to paint lava bases for miniatures : New and Updated Tutorial!

[@4hedgesfamily]

"I'm risking my life!" Hands it off to the kid. That was great!

[@WatchItPaintIt]

She’ll love hearing that :D thanks!

[@gro3302]

You should also be able to get some measure of control over the size of the cracks by using a gloss varnish before adding the crackle paint, more gloss = bigger cracks

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Ooooh that’s good to know, I’ve never tried that, I will give that some experimentation. Could make it more economic with the expensive technical paint

[@edwardboon2204]

I've been using the red crackle paint until now and painting it black. No idea Mordant Earth existed. Awesome video, as always.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Can’t blame you, we used the brown crackle paste in our old video because black didn’t exist! I was updating the technique because we can’t be the only people doing it the hard way :D

[@lutsurugi]

lol i did that too but luckily only once. then i found out there is a black crackle paint.

[@ComandaKronikk]

Sick this will be perfect for my CHORFS!

[@3alanking38]

Best lava base I've ever seen! I'll have to try that for one of my future Kill Teams from Warhammer!

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Thanks man, and best of look to you and your kill teams!

[@TheMariusDarkwolf]

Amazing as always. I do really like this style of base, though currently I'm doing a frozen version. I've been using Thunderbird blue, plasmatic bolt, and voidshield blue to give a cryogenic feel for the underlayer, and then dry brushing with a very light grey followed by a lighter dry brush of white. Doing that for my Votann and Space wolves.

[@Shaeuwu]

the mold lines break my heart

[@TheSpectralFX]

Add some Red/Orange/Yellow dry brush around the stones. It really adds to it

[@nopeacejustwar1664]

Lol those video cuts are hilarious. And PSA: always risk your children’s lives before you risk your own.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

:-D

[@madprophetus]

You can always make new kids, but kids can't make new parents.

[@sootehdave6558]

lol. Great video! Lava looks great but love the rim job! Nothing better than a good rim job. 😂

[@WatchItPaintIt]

:-D

[@HeadCannonPrime]

Did you know that cameras work even while you are asleep? Looks great btw! I've never done a lava army because I don't have a lava playmat, but this almost makes me want to get one.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I was waiting for someone to call me out on that :-D I was filming it with my phone and I needed my alarm for work the next day :-D

[@GregDravenActor]

Thank you for this personal video. I recommend trying a varnish (gloss) over the lava paint before applying the crackle paint.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Thanks for the tip! Now I’ve gotta go test it out!

[@curtcleancut]

Another great basing video. Keep up the great work!

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Shout if you think of anything that’s missing. I love making bases! But I’m out of cool ideas at the moment

[@kerryallen6200]

Great to see this being done, thank you. Saw an example of the final product in a shop, it is exactly the effect I'm after so bought the crackle paint there and then, looking forward to actually giving it a try.

[@ghostparty2062]

Looks awsome 👌 im thinking of stippling my reds and yellows on with a sponge to speed up a little more. Also as a brit, i can say you're a braver man than me venturing outside like that 😂

[@lutsurugi]

that's exactly how i do the lava. keep it wet and it looks fantastic. now exchance those colors with fluor paints from green stuff world and do the highlights with a pencil. then it will be perfect.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

This I need to try! Fantastic sounding tips

[@george_a79]

Brilliant mate. Never thought of doing an underlayer first then put crackle thingy on top. Always used it as a part of the terrain whole and paint it along with it. Great job lads, always enjoying seeing you on screen both. Happy New Year :D

[@nickdavis5420]

You where the chosen one !

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Haha!

[@DylanGosseye]

Yoooo u released this right after i bought all my paints and the martian texture from your last video. If only i waited another week hahahha

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Daaamnnnn. I’m sorry :-( if you’ve not opened the paint the shop would probably let you exchange it! Just say Watch It Paint It did you dirty and they asked if you’d please help :)

[@DylanGosseye]

@@WatchItPaintIt naaaah it's alright. I liked doing it. The base technique motivates me to finish my khorne daemon combat patrol haha. The martian texture paint is drying rn. Fingers crossed for some nice cracks :)

[@nicolassoucy1812]

Awesome jobs, your former video have helped me to do those lava base, with the new fanatic it will be awesome

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Oh perfect! Now you’ve got a slightly easier way to do them!

[@matthewbryan6280]

Amazing. Great video, entertaining and informative. Any tips for painting the mini seperately off the base, I get the impression this way you need to paint mini and base separately.

[@Eric-ff7mu]

lol you’re bit about waiting for paint to dry is why I’m here, currently trying to make ice bases using similar technique but instead blue, light blue and white, then throwing some AK diorama water on it

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Haha, I’m glad to hear that :-) those bits are always the most effort and I always worry I’m just wasting everyone’s time with my pointless bits :-D ooooh I’ve never done ice!!! I need to try it out

[@WarbossMorgorTeefsmasha]

you can take it a step further and chisle off some of the crackle to make footprints

[@Ryan-wp3vf]

This is awesome !! cant wait to give it a try. Thanks for sharing!!

[@LSOP-]

Yeah you can do this with rattle cans to bulk do bases. Cover with orange, use a small nozzel and follow up with yellow swirled over multiple bases and then blast it with the Montana cracke can. Bam, a whole army done in half an hour. You gotta add the crackle while the paint is wet and gloss paint works better.

[@williamd1732]

Brilliant! Thank you!

[@WatchItPaintIt]

You're very welcome!

[@Frankenzebra]

So much more fun to do it with the model already in place though! Especially when its light coloured armies 😂

[@WatchItPaintIt]

You’re crazy! I love it :D

[@LeCharles07]

4:42 😳 "Ooh, Jesus Christ!" - Mr. Slave

[@howardcoates6985]

Looks good. One small quibble though.. UK is not cold.. I live in northern Alberta, Canada.... warm day here, -15 C for a daytime high today.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

:-D holy moly how do you do any priming ever!?!?

[@howardcoates6985]

warm the primer in a pan of hot water, then spray in the garage or use an airbrush indoors in a home made paint booth. Isnt that difficult until it hits -20 or worse... then i just have to prime indoors.

[@duncanjayvanwolde5548]

looks great

[@gavinmoses9929]

This was such an awesome and easy guide to follow so thank you and the bases I made looks awesome with my salamanders. The only issue I've had is I can't get this to work on 90mm bases and I can't work out why as I'm using the same method, any ideas or tips? :)

[@robbie_g8308]

Very nice simple job mate. Look awesome.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Thanks Robbie! Absolutely, really quick and really easy and makes people think I’m super talented when they see them :D

[@justinmeyers5535]

Have you tried 2 thin coats paint? I’d love to know how you think APs new paint compares to 2 thin coats.

[@megino7489]

How well do the minis stick to the paint after? I'm worried the crackle paint will pull off when handling the mag bases in my storage boxes

[@blizzwagz]

thats what kids are for! haha love it as always

[@YouAreAsleep]

"Straight from the bottle." Take your sub good sir!

[@Cakemstr]

"No ice, no water, straight from the bottle" 💀💀💀

[@richardrothkugel8131]

I feel like this would be incredible on a power sword. Lightning underneath and crackle on top.

[@philipgriffiths3106]

Love this video. So simple though it will be with AK lava paint set but will certainly use them like this & see how it works out. Thanks for posting & sharing

[@BloodlyTear]

AMAZING!

[@ForgeFatherKotaun]

I use this technic for my salamander but then when fully dry i cover it with a gloss coat to keep it from chipping from handling while gaming

[@Ilikeridin]

Looks ace. Think I’ll give this a try. Do you spray varnish the mini as well as the base?

[@jamesharrison1579]

Great video! I bought AK Volcanic Earth and it's not quite doing what your citadel technical paint did. Is it not a crackle paint?

[@Sandcastle77]

It works much better if you apply a layer of vinyl glue and lei it dry before spreading Mordant earth.

[@foxmattyj]

stick in front of a fan to make it dry and crack quicker

[@dane3038]

Dude, we're on a sailing ship. You've doomed us all!

[@ayonmetar2301]

Great video, but honestly, your daughter stole the show there with the varnish bit =D

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I’ll let her know. She’ll be very proud :) thanks for the comment!

[@celinelalonde1778]

Do you recommend using a small brush even on a bigger base? Im basing my tyranids with a lava base theme, and this is by far my favorite tutorial.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I always try and use the biggest brush I can! I could have used a much bigger brush but when I’m painting just one for a tutorial it doesn’t matter so much

[@celinelalonde1778]

@WatchItPaintIt perfect, I think my issue is my brush control or the amount of paint I'm getting on the brush maybe. Because I notice my paints aren't blending like yours have been (I'm still getting good results-ish) but I'm always looking for ways to improve

[@zm0rc]

What type of glue do you use to have it stick to the crackle paint?

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I just use super glue, but pinning the mini is probably the safest bet!

[@danielgonzales3562]

What is that red piece under your bottle cap that you’re holding? Need me one of those

[@WatchItPaintIt]

It’s a Hobby Holder, and you can get them gameenvy.net/?ref=watchitpaintit (10% off affiliate link)

[@mrwicked4481]

After the base is done you just glue it on? Glueing it to the painted base causes no issues? I'm pretty new to the hobby

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I used plastic glue to melt the plastic and create a strong bond. Pinning the miniature would be MUCH better. As would scraping off a little paint to get back to the bear plastic

[@Przemko25]

Hmm, unfortunately there were no such cracks, they were very small. Did you add anything to this paint? I didn't even mix it because I thought it was too thick anyway... maybe that was the reason :/

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I give it a good shake, but like you say. It’s really thick so it doesn’t move around much. How thick did you apply it? Do a quick test and put it on as thick as you can, like do 2mm deep and set it drying, see how it cracks

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Put it on like icing a cake? It’s not a paint it’s a covering, and it shrinks as it dries. I’ve never applied too much!

[@MoD1982]

That bloody Timmy Mallet has a hell of a lot to answer for, not least of which that horrendous excuse of a song lol

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Could you imagine thinking 30 years ago you’d be watching a video about lava bases and having to remember that sodding song? :-D

[@mikelaaper9100]

Anyone else struggle with crackle paint from GW? My crackle paint does not crack very well. Even thick it does not crack like in this video.

[@grendl74]

Drybrushing with a deep purple would be a more accurate usage of drybrushing than grey.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Oh that’s a sick idea

[@mahari7285]

And if you're a cheapskate, skip buying the crackle paint and paint a layer of PVA glue on top of the colour (about 1mm thick). Then spray an opaque layer of black spray paint over the still wet glue and let everything dry. The glue shrinks as it dries and breaks up the black colour. It also becomes transparent as it dries and the "lava" appears, voila...! The thicker the glue is applied, the larger the cracks (be careful, too thick and the glue will no longer become transparent).

[@WatchItPaintIt]

This is a very cool suggestion. I’ll be trying that out. Thank you!

[@Dave1502]

I tried this on a bigger base and it didn't crack at all - I'm thinking I didn't put enough on and, I didn't prepare the base properly - a bit disappointing really.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

In my personal experience I’ve never put on too much. But too little has bit me in the ass before! Drying too fast can be an issue too, and perhaps not shaking/stirring the mix might be a problem - but I barely shake mine and it works

[@zebwilliams8945]

Bro literally said "Rimjob" and we just let him.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I think that’s the correct term

[@Crits-Crafts]

But im not greg... 😂 Love these bases. I need to get some crackle paint

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Get it changed by deedpoll, don’t make me redo my intro!

[@Crits-Crafts]

@@WatchItPaintIt haha tell you what, I'll pop over to Manchester to help you redo it. I'm only in notts lol

[@WatchItPaintIt]

@@Crits-Crafts haha do I sound Manculian? I’m even closer to Notts :D

[@Crits-Crafts]

@@WatchItPaintIt I'd got it in my head that you'd said Manchester in a video... But now I'm second guessing myself and it may have been Sheffield because you went to element games...

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Hehe. Yeah it’s Sheffield, there’s a couple of videos I’m in the town centre just for lols. Although I like Manchester and go there a bit 😊

[@celinelalonde1778]

What would you recommend as an alternative to mordant earth?

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Black paint with crackle medium?

[@nicholasgineprini9728]

What's the name of the technical color?

[@WatchItPaintIt]

No one really knows!

[@the250mikec]

Cool

[@nerosthethundergod5616]

Question: if the black overshadows the other colors, should I repaint lines or redo it with less mordant earth?

[@WatchItPaintIt]

For the time it takes I’d do a few practice ones. Vary the amount of mordant earth you use and see which is the sweet spot for you. I’m not quite sure what you mean that it overshadows it, I find if the earth is too think, the cracks are really small so you wouldn’t see the lava as well… which means I’d need it thicker!

[@nerosthethundergod5616]

Thanks this helps

[@tripfoward]

Um, mine doesn't have the steam coming off of it. Think I'm doing it wrong. 😅

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Haha :-D I’ll do that in the next tutorial!

[@Rigidbearhead]

Where are the bodies Garth?!

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Lol

[@brianbarrett2487]

The families need closure.

[@Rigidbearhead]

@@brianbarrett2487 hey mommy

[@marianrys316]

How stable and durable is the glueing of the base and the figure?

[@WatchItPaintIt]

It works but I’d run out of super glue, I’d not recommend plastic glue. Or I’d scratch off a little down to the plastic. Having said that it did work! Just a bit slippy holding the marine / waiting for it to set

[@mahari7285]

For any crackled or uneven bases I'd always suggest to pin the model.

[@laylahingram838]

how could i do this on a large, single piece, scale ... eg: on a4 size ... please

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Challenge accepted! What you painting? I’ve got an idea but I need to try it and I can get back to you!

[@laylahingram838]

@@WatchItPaintIt I'm painting a Nerf Helios 😂😂😂 & this paint job would look incredible for my son

[@Fabodroidgaming]

Its nice, but the miniature will come off and take some technical paint with it for sure.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

It definitely will if you try to glue it to the technical paint. Attach the mini first, then make the lava around it. We only leave the mini off on these videos to make it easier to see what we're doing.

[@Fabodroidgaming]

@@WatchItPaintIt Is there any negative sideeffect by doing it with the mini attached? How do the cracks look around the feet?

[@WatchItPaintIt]

The cracks will be smaller around the feet, so it will look a little different. Sometimes we'll use a piece of cork as a "rock" for the mini to stand on, then do the crackle paint around the bottom of it.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

It’s just a bit fiddly! I play lots of board games and when I do this for a single piece mini from them I don’t take it off the base so I have to do it around the feet, definitely doable :)

[@Fabodroidgaming]

@@WatchItPaintItThanks mate! Will try!

[@Dreoni_]

4:48 that discord ping made me look LMAO

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Hahaha. Sorry! I never even noticed it. I’ll have assumed the same thing while I was editing. And not that it was in the audio

[@lanesteele240]

A rim what now?

[@WatchItPaintIt]

It’s to finish the base off. Rim it until you’re satisfied

[@lanesteele240]

@@WatchItPaintIt lol

[@Itsallover57]

I think it looks best on my chaos models personally since they live in hell after all

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Now I need to go paint some Chaos! Great ideas

[@Trundle_The_Great]

Pro tip. Get rid of those mold lines

[@WatchItPaintIt]

They are actually my friends and I’d miss them

[@mahari7285]

​@@WatchItPaintIt This is the way...!

[@ScytheNoire]

Here's the real question: How is a space marine in armor that ends up making them weigh up to 1,500 kg standing on hardening lava? I don' think it could hold a normal human child. Best to keep logic out of fantasy games. :)

[@mahari7285]

Codex Astartes states that daily training of "The floor is lava" is obligatory for every single Marine...!

[@julienmerienne]

… you don’t show the lava paint you use …

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Wait…what?

[@xxbrkdwnxx]

FORBIDDEN PIZZA

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Hahaha that made me laugh out

[@Komandie]

I find the random memes and cuts in your video to be distracting.

[@WatchItPaintIt]

Sorry!

[@CaptainMcAwesomepan]

I don't, I enjoy them. Different strokes and all that

[@Komandie]

@@CaptainMcAwesomepan what do you enjoy about them?

[@jabbadesilijictiure2937]

4:43 Uhhh excuse me?

[@WatchItPaintIt]

I think that’s the technical term.