How to Make Snow Bases for Warhammer 40,000 Miniatures

October 12, 2026

Snow bases are one of the quickest ways to give an army a strong theme, and they make almost any colour scheme pop because the bright white frames the model. They are also easy to get wrong: too much snow looks like icing sugar, cheap materials can yellow, and a flat white blanket hides all the groundwork you built underneath. This guide covers materials, application and finishing so your winter bases look cold rather than sugary.

The short answer: finish a normal textured, drybrushed ground first, then add snow in patches using a fine white material bound with clear-drying PVA (microballoons or a ready-made snow paste give the most reliable results), concentrate it in hollows and against rocks, add a little gloss for slush or ice, and seal with matt varnish once you have tested it on a spare base.

What do you need to make snow bases?

You need a textured base underneath (sand, grit or texture paste), clear-drying PVA glue, a white snow material and an old brush for stippling. Add matt varnish to seal it, gloss varnish or a water-effects product for slush and ice, and optionally winter tufts or small rocks. A cocktail stick is handy for footprints and tracks.

What is the best material for realistic snow?

There is no single best material; each gives a different type of snow. Fine powders give crisp fresh snow, pastes give packed drifts, and flock gives a light dusting. Many painters combine a paste for depth with a powder sprinkled on top for sparkle.

Material	Look	Pros	Watch out for
Baking soda	Crisp, slightly grainy	Very cheap, sits in any kitchen cupboard	Can clump or discolour if unsealed; re-sprinkle once the glue soaks through
Microballoons mixed with PVA and white paint	Fine, packed snow and drifts	Stays bright, sculptable, light	Very fine dust; mix gently and avoid breathing it in
Ready-made snow texture paste	Packed snow, slush with gloss	Consistent from base to base, no mixing	Costs more per base; some brands dry slightly translucent
Static snow flock or powder	Fresh, fluffy dusting	Great for light falls on models and tufts	Needs glue underneath; too much looks like flour

Should you paint the base before adding snow?

Yes. Snow rarely covers everything, so the ground showing through needs to be finished first: basecoat, wash and drybrush as you would for any earth base. Cool browns and blue-greys make the scene read as cold, whereas warm orange earth can look odd under snow.

How do you apply snow so it looks natural?

Think about where snow actually settles: in hollows, against the sheltered side of rocks and feet, and thinly on raised edges. Stipple your snow mix on in patches with an old brush rather than painting a flat layer, and leave some rocks and earth poking through. Keep the drift direction consistent across the whole army so the wind appears to blow the same way.

How do you make slush, ice and footprints?

For slush, mix a little brown paint or pigment into part of your snow and use it where boots or tracks have churned the ground, then add a touch of gloss varnish. Frozen puddles are a thin pool of gloss or water effect over a dark blue-grey painted recess, finished with a pale edge highlight. Press a cocktail stick or the tip of a spare foot into wet snow paste for tracks.

How do you add snow to the miniature itself?

A light dusting on upward-facing surfaces such as shoulders, helmet tops, boots and weapon casings ties the model into the base. Stipple a small amount of snow mix on, or drybrush pure white on top surfaces only, always from the same direction as your base drifts. Keep it subtle so the paint job underneath remains the star.

Why does snow turn yellow or grey?

The usual causes are yellow wood glue instead of clear-drying PVA, unsealed baking soda picking up moisture, dirty brushes and the wrong varnish. Some spray varnishes dull bright white slightly, so test on a spare base before sealing a whole squad. Store finished models away from strong sunlight and dust, which grey white surfaces over time.

Which tufts and extras suit winter bases?

Winter or frosted tufts, dead brown grass and small grey rocks work far better than lush green tufts. Place one or two per base, half buried in drifts, then dust a little snow over the top. Icicles can be made by pulling thin drips of clear glue or UV resin from an overhang and letting them cure.

How do you keep snow bases consistent across an army?

Write down your recipe: ground colours, snow material, mix ratio and how much of the base you cover. Batch bases in groups of ten so the coverage matches, and finish every rim the same colour. Consistency matters more than any one base looking perfect.

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