Sidewalk Base Demo

 Here's a quick demo of how I paint up a base to look like a sidewalk (or "footpath" for any British or Australians out there):

1. Paint the base black (picture not shown - pretty self-explanatory).  I use a smooth mdf base (this wouldn't work with a slotted plastic base, or any base that doesn't have a smooth surface).

2. Dry-brush the base lightly with a medium gray, using a lighter gray in some areas.

3. Next I stippled some black paint on a few areas to give it more variety. 

4. I then painted a few black lines to establish the bricks, or pieces of sidewalk. You can do as many or as few as you want, but it's best to paint them a little off-center. Then I used a light gray paint to highlight the edges of the bricks/pieces, as well as a few "cracks".  

And that is it! It's really simple and easy to do. If you make a mistake and paint a crooked line, simply use a heavy drybrush over the area, then a lighter one to blend it back into the rest of the base. Once you add the lines of demarcation and a few highights, the whole thing comes together. 

Here's one that I did for a Plastic Man 'clix, at the same time as the demonstration. Simple and effective.

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