How to paint e texturing the Trench Barricades for Trench Crusade

After building the Trench Barricades in the previous tutorial, it's time to move on to the most creative phase: painting and texturing.

To guide us (and you!) through this process, we have Silvia from Follow The Black Sheep with us again, who will show you all her secrets to transform an MDF Trench Barricades kit into a realistic battlefield scenic element. This tutorial can be easily used to paint scenic elements suitable for Trench Crusade but also more realistic wargames like Bolt Action!

Modeling tools

Here are the materials we will need for texturing and painting the MDF scenic elements.

  • PVA glue: essential for creating and fixing the ground texture.
  • An old brush: perfect for spreading the texture paste without ruining new brushes.
  • Water: to dilute the glue and acrylic paints.
  • Miniature sand: to give a realistic visual movement to the base.
  • Paper towels: always useful for cleaning up excess and correcting small mistakes.
  • A piece of sponge: to create a wear and dirt effect by dabbing (also known as stippling).
  • Acrylic paints: the acrylic paints commonly used for miniatures are fine for painting MDF scenic elements (DO NOT FORGET to use primer on your MDF scenery)!

Step-by-Step Guide: From Texturing to the Final Details

The texturing technique – which allows the sand to solidify directly on the base – will be useful not only for the barricades from the Trench Battlefield line, but also for all Pwork Wargames MDF scenic elements.

1. Create the texture paste and apply it!

First, let's create our paste. In a container, mix the PVA glue with materials that provide three-dimensionality, such as sands of various sizes, fine gravel, or small stones. Mix everything well with an old brush or a toothpick. Initially, the paste might be too dry. Add a few drops of water to make it softer and more spreadable. Add the water little by little. The final consistency should not be liquid, but dense and pasty.

Once ready, apply the texture paste to the base of the barricade; use the old brush you set aside with your tools. For an even more realistic and sandy finish, while the paste is still wet, sprinkle it with some fine sand. Let it dry completely before moving on to painting: if you start painting before the glue is dry, it will take much longer to solidify!

EXPERT TIP

I used a mix of very fine natural sand, a medium-grit sand, and a coarser one. Furthermore, depending on the scenic elements you want to prepare, you can decide to include other types of materials – for an urban environment, you might consider mixing in cut pieces of sprue or bitz from your favorite game – the choice is yours!

If you don't have a suitable brush for the job or one you are ready to sacrifice – because we all know ruining a brush is heartbreaking – you can also use a rigid modeling spatula or a flat popsicle stick.

2. Paint the MDF kit

It's time to add some color! First of all, the model must be primed. The spray can you use for your models will work just fine; alternatively, there are cheaper brands that work perfectly well for scenic elements!

Once your base is solid and primed, it's time to paint: In this case, Silvia applied a wood-colored basecoat over the entire barricade using a warm, dark brown, spreading it as evenly as possible!

EXPERT TIP
MDF, being a porous wood, tends to absorb a lot of paint. Dilute the acrylic slightly with water to make it flow better. Don't worry if the color seems too dark: as it dries, it will be partially absorbed and will appear slightly lighter.

3. Add the dirt effect

For a more weathered look, add a dirt effect to the base of the trench using black paint. For this, use a torn piece of sponge, which allows you to create an irregular and natural texture by dabbing the paint (the “stippling” technique for those in the know). Dilute the black paint slightly and dab it along the lower part of the barricade and the ground!

Furthermore, adding dirt to the base of the scenic element will not only create a dirt effect at the walkway level but also a natural shadow effect that descends towards the ground effect, leaving the color more saturated and bright at the top of the scenery!

PWORK RECOMMENDS:

Obviously, for all these techniques, we can't help but recommend Pwork brushes, HERE you can find perfect brushes for every use, from those for painting miniatures to those suitable for painting scenic elements (yes, the ones you can ruin that we talked about earlier.

4. Highlight the details

To make the entire structure stand out, use a light, warm gray with the drybrush technique over the whole surface. Be careful not to use a heavily loaded brush, or you risk changing the model's color scheme rather than creating light effects.

Also, highlight the edges to make them stand out better; you can also lightly tap the brush on the walls to simulate scratches and signs of wear.

5. Final details

If you want an even more realistic and gory touch, add some extra details. Silvia used barbed wire, wrapping it around the posts and securing it with super glue. Finally, she added a few dry grass tufts and some fake blood splatters for a more dramatic atmosphere using PVA glue (the same glue you used to assemble the scenic elements in the previous tutorial!).

The Barricades are Ready!

And there you have it! Your Trench Barricades are ready to be deployed on the battlefield!

These are just suggestions, of course. Feel free to customize your scenery with whatever your imagination suggests: skulls, sandbags, abandoned weapons, your opponent's overly lucky models, and much more!

Who is Follow The Black Sheep?

Hi, I'm Follow The Black Sheep, Silvia in real life! I am a hobbyist and painter; for 6 years I have been sharing this beautiful world and collaborating with leading European companies. I started by painting wargame miniatures but gradually I also got into various competitions, bringing home awards that are significant to me. Since 2023, I have been participating in events with painting tables to introduce people to this hobby and to spread the concept that it's not important to be perfect but to be happy when you approach this world.

We don't want to be perfect, we want to be happy!

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