While there is no Realm of Ice in Warhammer Age of Sigmar, there are plenty of colder climes to be found – from the shadowy snows of Ulgu to the frozen mountain peaks of Hysh, and wherever the Beastclaw Raiders ride, the Everwinter follows.
In Warhammer 40,000, whole planets are icy wastelands, like the famously frigid Fenris or bone-chilling Valhalla. Lots of excuses for snowy bases!
Warhammer Community Design Warlock Joel has plenty of experience with making excellent snowy bases.
Joel: As someone with perhaps an unhealthy obsession with snow, I get through a lot of Valhallan Blizzard. I like the versatility – you can use it straight out of the pot for clumpy, frosty snow, or mix in a bit of water to make smooth pillowy snow.
When I started my Avengorii Dynasty Soulblight Gravelords army, I wanted to pursue a wintery theme. To go along with this, I painted Lauka Vai in a more frostbitten palette – blues, greys, and purples. I based it with Astrogranite, which I drybrushed with Dawnstone and Grey Seer.
I paid attention to where I thought the snow would pile up naturally – on the top levels of things, but also in all the nooks and crannies. You can even use details on the base, like skulls and bits of ruin, to create varied elevation – with the bonus that they don’t need painting fully when under snow!
I also wanted to show a hint that something a bit gory had happened, which is when I added a splat of Blood for the Blood God to the snow whilst it was drying. This allowed it to sink into the snow and stain it naturally. Some also got on the ruins, for a nice over-the-top splash of claret.
I also love using snow for bases on models with darker colour schemes, because it helps them stand out. This Leviathan Siege Dreadnought for my Horus Heresy Raven Guard force is another example of placing snow carefully to make it look natural.
I focus on the surface of the rocks, and places where the snow has fallen off and piled up. It’s also great to put a small amount of snow on feet (or hooves, tracks, etc.) to make it look like the miniature has been trudging through it. I also like to put a little snow in the tufts, so it looks like snow has blown into the grass and plants.
Cheers for that, Joel! The extreme environments of Warhammer also contain many realms and planets that are fully icebound, something that Warhammer Community’s High Marshal of Scheduling Darcy explored with his Black Templars.
Darcy: Whenever I start a new army project, I find myself writing some background information to place them in the broader context of the setting. I make sure to answer some important questions – who are they fighting, why are they fighting, and where are they fighting? For my Black Templars crusade force, I imagined them going to war, striding across a frozen planet, its ancient seas locked away beneath a thick layer of ice.
Part of this decision undoubtedly came from the fact that black armour looks great against bright white snow, and that I was able to complement the highlights on the armour with the range of blues I used on the bases.
I start by covering the entire base in Macragge Blue, before adding some Sotek Green in random patterns, trying to avoid creating any sharp edges. I follow that with some Temple Guard Blue, painting it inside the areas of Sotek Green. Finally, I added small patches of Blue Horror, keeping them inside of the Temple Guard Blue.
After that, I apply a nice thick layer of Ardcoat (two coats give a better result if you have the patience), which helps smooth off the surface and make it shiny, as if it were a sheet of highly reflective ice. I then added some Valhallan Blizzard, placing it to break up the lines of the blue I created earlier. Once dry, I add the final touch, a quick wash of Drakenhof Blue, around the edges of the snow.
Thanks also to Darcy! That’s two exceptional ways of putting together fantastic freezing bases. Try it yourself, and show your own creations to us over on the Warhammer Community Twitter page.