Basing Miniatures Once I have painted the mini and the rim of the base I will spray the piece with a coat of Gloss varnish. This protects your piece from rubbing off paint from handling during basing and doesn't have the tooth that Matte varnish does, (which can pick up the dust from your flocking material.) Plus if you are gaming with the mini you've just added the protective layer, which resists chipping from all those spiky/pointy minis that get into base-to-base contact with your own! (Stoopid hormogaunts...) When I am working with a unit I usually work in the assembly line, moving from one mini to the other and then starting over on the next step with the first miniature. For basing I recommend doing one mini at a time during the PVA glue and sand process, as the PVA glue will dry out if you do the assembly line process. I start with PVA glue, (also known as Elmers Glue or White Wood Glue.) I add this to the base with a brush set aside for this process. PVA glue will clot the bristles of the brush over time, even if you rinse well.  I cover the top of the base and around the feet of the miniature, careful to avoid slopping it over the painted mini. I don't want to cover what I spent hours painting! When this is applied I will dip it into the sand. I use various grades of sand for a textured, more realistic look. The smaller rocks among the sand give the mini a sense of scale also. Once the PVA is covered with sand I'll tap off the excess back into my container and then gently blow off the excess dust from the top of the base. I put the mini down and start with the next!  Once I have applied PVA and sand to all the bases in the unit, I'll move onto Inking.   I totally recommend Games Workshop's Brown Ink for basing. GW's Inks act more as a stain and discolor paint it is applied over. But for basing it is da Bomb! GW Ink will seep into the pores of the sand and interact with the PVA, creating a concrete-like layer of basing material. Plus it looks deep and rich like nutrient-rich, loamy earth. In an assembly line process I'll paint the sand with undiluted GW Brown Ink. Again, I ensure I don't cover the feet of the mini. If I accidentally hit the mini with ink the Gloss varnish acts as a protecting layer, beading the ink and making it easy to remove with a damp brush. Once the sand is inked brown, I go to the next mini until I've inked the bases of the whole unit. I let the Ink dry for a bit, either taking a break to get a snack or head out for some fresh air. If you try to drybrush the sand before the ink is dry, it will peel off and you will have to start over. Besides there might be a good show on the TV!   Once the ink is dry I will drybrush the top with GW Vomit Brown paint, going down the assembly line. Then I will give a light drybrushing with GW Skull White. Once I've gone down the line with these two colors it is time to add Flock. When it comes to Flock I love Static Grass. It is very realistic in certain colors and gives the piece that final touch that looks professional and complete. Woodland Scenics carries tubs of different colored static grass for an economical price. I put a small bit in a container like my sand so I don't get it everywhere. I use CA glue for flock, (also known as Super Glue.) CA glue carries a static charge, which helps to make the static grass stand upright.     Once again in the assembly line I apply a dot of CA glue where I want my grass. I hold the mini inside the small container and put a large amount of static grass on the CA glue dabs, ensuring I am getting full coverage. I tip the mini and tap off the excess back into the container, and then gently blow across the mini to further help the static grass stand up. Once done I move onto the next mini! For competition minis I will drybrush Vallejo Sunblast Yellow across the top of green static grass, or Vallejo Bone White across brown static grass. This give further highlights and shows the judges the attention-to-detail you have given the mini.   I hope these pics and tips will add to your Miniature Art repertoire. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at rg@raginggaijin.com.