Making Pengwen bases

Stuff I used:
1. Soft Snow Flake from Woodland Scenics
2 Ink in the colour Process Cyan
3 Titanium White Heavy Body Acrylic
4 Modeling Paste
5 Distress Crackle Paint in the color Clear Rock Candy from Ranger/Tim Holtz
6 Iridescent Medium
7 Water
8 Small crystals
9 Transparent very thin and very slow drying glue

First I make sure the base is as white as possible. Then I add a big ‘dollop’ of the Crackle Paint (this can often be found in scrapbook shops, let me know if you want a link). The higher/thicker the ‘dollop’ is, the bigger the crack pieces will be. Give it plenty of time to dry. There are other brands of ‘crackle paint’, like GW has some stuff too (not transparent though, I think). But my absolute favourite for ice is this one.

I dilute the blue ink heavily with water. It’s at least half and half, if not more water. I really don’t like GW’s Drakenhof Nightshade or Army Painters Blue Tone for this. They’re both too ‘black-ish’ in tone. But I think you could use Guilliman Blue Glaze from GW if you have it.

As soon as the ink is applied I wipe it off with some paper towel, so it’s more or less ‘only’ down in the cracks. Depending on the base it will seep a little underneath the crackle paint as well. I like that. It adds some ‘depth’ to it.

Then a good, somewhat heavy, drybrush Titanium White.

Time to get the pengies on the base. I have to do this now, since they have a little ‘base’ around their feet, and I need to ‘build’ around this for the next step.

Add the modeling paste, using an old brush to push it around. I build this up, so it’s matching in height with the base around pengis feet and also so it looks like it’s a thick layer lying around the ice. This is also when I push down some of the crystals if I want any on the base. A tiny spot of the transparent glue on the bottom of the crystal, and that and the modeling paste should be enough to keep it in place once everything has dried.

I then soften and ‘sculpt’ the paste with a brush dipped in water. This now needs to dry completely.

Dabbing some iridescent medium on top of the ice to give it some ‘sparkle’.

I apply Titanium White to a brush as if were to drybrush, but instead of dragging the brush back and forth, I dab it on top of the ice, so I trap the ‘sparkles’ below a soft layer of white. I also paint a layer of the same white on top of the dry modeling paste, since it has a slight yellow sheen to it when dry. And that looks really stark and ‘wrong’ when the flock is added.

I mix the glue with water so it’s really watery. I need this to ‘seep’ through the flock.

I then sprinkle over the flock, tapping off the excess. Then let it sit for a little while, waiting for the water/glue to kinda ‘seep’ through it. Which I hope the picture shows. Once it’s soaking the flock for good I add a second layer on top. And done

I forgot a step…when I am all done adding the snow flock on top of the modeling paste, I add a thin layer of glue to the edge of the ice next to the paste and add a tiny amount of snow flock tehre as well. It gives a better transition and looks like some of the snow has blown onto the ice(edited)

Paint recipe for Team Pengwen

All paints are Scale75 unless otherwise noted:

*Black: SS Dunkelgelb 44, Flat Black
* White: Birch, White Sands, Titanium White (Schmincke)
* Yellow: Lillith Yellow, SS Camo Glden Brown, White Sands
* Red: Blood Red, Aldebaran Red, White Sands
* Teeth: Flat Black, Stone Golem (Army Painter), Titanium White (Schmincke)
* Foam: Arctic Blue, Titanium White (Schmincke)
* Belt: Walnut, Strong Tone (Army Painter), Birch
* Hair: SS Camo Top Lights, Light Tone (Army Painter), White Sands
* Eyes: Flat Black, Titanium White (Schmincke)
* Claws: Graphene Grey, Stone Golem (Army Painter)
* Metal: Thrash Metal, Speed Metal, Dark Tone (Army Painter), Blue Tone (Army Painter)
* Pengy Ball: Thar Brown, Light Tone (Army Painter), Birch, Chink Orange, Strong Tone x 2 (Army Painter)
* Fur: Graphene Grey, Stone Golem (Army Painter), Dark Tone (Army Painter)
* Blue Seal: Royal Cloak (Army Painter), Coelia Greenshade (GW)
* Gold: Victorian Brass, Strong Tone (Army Painter), Dwarven Gold
* Fish: SS Dunkelgelb 44, Dunkelgrau Grey, Nacar
* Horns: Thar Brown, Strong Tone (Army Painter), White Sands
* Tears: Artic Blue (Scale artist), Nacar, Blue Tone (Army Painter)
* Wolf Fur: Stone Golem (Army Painter), Blue Tone (Army Painter), Artic Blue, Titanium White (Schmincke)