Having trouble figuring out good color for a base

[HandsWithLegs]

I'm working on a base for my Primaris librarian and I'm having a hard time figuring out a good main color for it. I'm really bad with color theory and don't really have any experience with basing at all so I'm really struggling with know what will make the mini look the best. It's the best paint job I've ever done and I really want the base to do the rest of the model justice.

 

Here's a pic of the Librarian for reference

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/gallery/image/252885-unbased-da-librarian/

 

And what I have for the base so far

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/gallery/image/252886-wip-base-for-primaris-librarian/

 

The paint I already have is mostly just tests and stuff, and I'm mainly concerned about the black/odd teal color area. I'm happy with most of the rest of the colors, just having trouble with the big area on top. 

[Bung]

Main color contrast would be orange, so i would go for alot of orange - brown rust on your base.

[HandsWithLegs]

Main color contrast would be orange, so i would go for alot of orange - brown rust on your base.

Hmm, I could see that working, thanks for the advice although I might try red instead for the flooring part and then try the rust over that

[Arkhanist]

Colour theory with basing is basically to pick the opposite colour on the colour wheel to your primary colour, which is known as the complementary colour; if you have two main colours, you tend to look towards a triad. Cream is a fairly neutral colour, so we do the opposite of the dark blue, which is a pale orange. You don't have to take it literally or to extremes, but ultramarine-style blue does look good on a martian ironearth-y type base, or a warm brown/tan earth base as the main colour.

 

Black, white and grey are also neutral hues as is silver. So any of those will go with pretty much any colour scheme (though white scars on a snow base can be a little meh!)

 

I can't really get a good look at what's under the cross; I don't recognise the base either - scratch build?

 

So you could paint the rubble? underneath in a neutral grey stone, and use a fresh rust look on the metal to give the orange hue, which will also give a nice contrast between the rough rust and clean lines of the libby. Or, you could do the rubble as orange/ochre rock.

 

[HandsWithLegs]

Colour theory with basing is basically to pick the opposite colour on the colour wheel to your primary colour, which is known as the complementary colour; if you have two main colours, you tend to look towards a triad. Cream is a fairly neutral colour, so we do the opposite of the dark blue, which is a pale orange. You don't have to take it literally or to extremes, but ultramarine-style blue does look good on a martian ironearth-y type base, or a warm brown/tan earth base as the main colour.

 

Black, white and grey are also neutral hues as is silver. So any of those will go with pretty much any colour scheme (though white scars on a snow base can be a little meh!)

 

I can't really get a good look at what's under the cross; I don't recognise the base either - scratch build?

 

So you could paint the rubble? underneath in a neutral grey stone, and use a fresh rust look on the metal to give the orange hue, which will also give a nice contrast between the rough rust and clean lines of the libby. Or, you could do the rubble as orange/ochre rock.

 

 

Yeah, base is a scratch build. Mostly old bits from the kill team terrain and a few things like the busted start of chaos and the chains from leftover blackstone fortress bits and hacked up sprue bits to look a bit like rubble. Thanks for the suggestions and the explanation, I think I have a much better plan now!