Environment Inspiration Swatch - or how to find the perfect base for any model

Hi Folks,

In this episode of Straight from the Desk, we will talk about a handy little tool:

The Environment Inspiration Swatch

I am pretty sure we have all been there!

You have a model that you really like, but it lacks that last bit of inspiration to really create something outstanding! 

Or you have even painted a model but have no idea for a base.

Maybe you are also looking at starting a new tabletop army and you think about what color combination and base design could work best.

It can happen that projects remain unfinished, and end up on the shelf of shame because we have started them just out of the blue and had no idea about the actual environment or scene the figure could be embedded in.

Sometimes we buy a miniature because we really love it .. yet when it comes to starting the paint job it lacks inspiration.

I don't know if it´s the same for you, but I have quite a huge inspirational folder where I save texture references, color inspirations,all kinds of art but also plenty of nature and environment pictures that I find online.

But to be honest I rarely use it when I am sitting at the painting desk to find inspiration, I just hoard them.. like a visual Smaug (picture messy).

The Environment Inspirational Swatch brings those inspirations back to the hobby desk.

I have collected some of my favorite environmental pictures in this handy swatch for you folks!

I sorted the pictures by colors, but there are many different ways how you could sort your personal swatch.

For example, you could sort it by topics: First all forests, then all kinds of desserts, man-made environments. Or you just go fro a completley random mix, I guess you see how sorting the swatch can change the way it inspires you!

You print out the PDF, cut the pictures in shape, punch a hole to the top and bind them together with a key ring or something similar.. taaadaa! 

You have your Environment Inspiration Swatch!

It´s very easy to use: You simply check your model with different environments - ranging from lush green forests to dense urban scenarios. You can browse through the swatch and see what environment tingles you the most.

The pictures provided will give you a perfect resource to come up with a striking idea in no time, for sure you can add more pictures from your personal inspiration folder to fit all your needs.

In this video, we want to see how the swatch works with a finished model that has been painted only with a very loose idea of a base in my mind.

We will paint a super fast model- that I could call an elaborate tabletop standard. A 1h Stormtrooper from Star Wars legions

We will be first painting our model 

and then checking what different bases or environments create to biggest WOW factor.

As you can imagine: The very same model appears completely different depending on the scene its places

Once we have decided on a base, we are also building it!

We are going for an exotic green jungle base!

In the final step, we will do minimal touch-ups to connect our more neutral figure with the base.

Alright Folks, I hope you will enjoy this video and the swatch!

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

PS: sorry that it was so quiet this month. I lost a friend to cancer last month and it hit me harder than expected. I know this would have been something relatively easy to communicate with you folks but sometimes it's hard to find the right words to express your feelings.