Monotone_Matt wrote:
I recommend saving yourself some money and buying one of the new texture paints from Games Workshop.
That's not saving money in my books... I slap some pva (white) glue onto the base, this can be watered down a bit. Then I dip the base in some sand, any sand will do. (I have some variety of size in my sand, and I specifically place larger chunks on before hand if I want certain larger pieces in specific places.) I leave this to dry over night and then prime my figures. The spray helps seal in the sand. Then I paint the base a dark brown, and highlight it up with various lighter brown drybrushes. (I don't use GW paints for this as craft paints work just fine, and cost a lot less). Once the paint is dry, add a few dots of pva and add some static grass. Done!
This way is super cheap: the sand is free, pva is cheap, as is craft paint, and static grass lasts a long time if all you're using it for is bases.
I hope that helps.
*edit* Here's a pic of a basic base.