Since I started trying this painting technique with my Bloodthirster Bloodbath commission, I decided to give it a go on a slightly smaller scale and with a different material to see how well it translated.
Using pieces of bark (free from my backyard) to simulate two huge pieces of marble, I figured I could use the same painting technique here to make it look like this guy is standing on what's left of some monument now destroyed.
What I learned:
1. That bark does work for simulating broken marble.
You need the chip kind and not the shredded stuff though. I attached it to the base with superglue and once that was dry, I coated the whole piece of bark with more superglue and let all that soak in. It made the bark rock solid and less prone to chipping.
2. The painting technique works with different palettes.
In this case, I was using a warm palette and stuck to using Devlan Mud, Gryphonne Sepia and Ogryn Flesh for my wash colors.
3. You can go heavy with the washes if you want to.
I went heavy with the washes, sometimes not diluting them at all to get a higher contrast marble in the end. I think you have to look at the model and use what fits best.
4. You can add other colors too.
I went in towards the end with a dark brown paint and used that to add some real high contrast lines on the face of the marble.
All in all, I think I've been able to improve on my previous attempts and would consider this a success. And, it takes no additional costly materials.
Make sure to check out these posts as they might help:
Basing using free stuff from around your home
Basing in the simplest form possible
Basing and using the "right" stuff
