How to CORRECTLY model water.

[new guy]

You are not alone there I see tiny X's but get no joy when I clicked on it. The photo's look amazing, the ones I can see.

EXCELLENT work!

 

[Raincoat2]

DJ - Your tutorial on how you made the river was really good. And I love your comment - "Blowtorches and train layouts don't go good together." That's quotable!! Nice job - keep on posting!
Johnny (Raincoat2)

 

[riogrande]

Guys, help me, here. I cannot open any of the posted photos from anyone, not Modelico, not Riogrande, no-one. The icons for the photos are boxes with an "x" in them. Is there a specific program they have to be opened in? Everyone else seems to have been able to view them, but not me. Any suggestions?
Johnny (Raincoat2)

I'm not sure. I just checked my post and all the photo's show up just fine. However, at work PhotoBucket is blocked for some reason so I get red X's if I were to try to browse there. I'd guess either the photo host is blocked for you or lack of bandwidth is causing it to take a long time for the photo's to appear.

 

[Raincoat2]

After checking, IT is not blocking PhotoBucket, and I've allowed lots of time for photos to appear. Can't figure it out. Would love to see the rest of the photos. Oh well.
Johnny

 

[montanan]

Here's my first (and only) attempt at water. After molding the stream bed, I used fine ballast to try to simulate river rocks. Then the stream bed was air brushed, with darker blue in the center graduating to lighter blues as the shore line was approached. I used Woodland Scenics "water" and as it was setting up, I slapped th surface lightly with the side of an old paint brush to try to give the appearance of rushing water.



Could have used a bit darker blue, but I have seen the local river look close to this color depending on the weather conditions and lighting.

 

[Raincoat2]

Here's my first (and only) attempt at water. After molding the stream bed, I used fine ballast to try to simulate river rocks. Then the stream bed was air brushed, with darker blue in the center graduating to lighter blues as the shore line was approached. I used Woodland Scenics "water" and as it was setting up, I slapped th surface lightly with the side of an old paint brush to try to give the appearance of rushing water.


View attachment 59377 View attachment 59378

Could have used a bit darker blue, but I have seen the local river look close to this color depending on the weather conditions and lighting.

Chet - absolutely beautiful. that's a great tip about using the brush to create a sense of moving water. We plan to have one river in our layout plus a lake (for a fishing camp and tourist camping site). When we get to that point in our scenery, I'll keep your technique in mind.
Johnny

 

[riogrande]

At my work, I can see Chet's photo's, but mine (Photobucket) are always red x's. For me it depends on the photohost whether or not I can see the picture. At home, there is no proxy to block so if I can't see the photo there, its usually because the host is down, the URL is broken or the photo is no longer available or deleted.

 

[ScottoT]

At my work, I can see Chet's photo's, but mine (Photobucket) are always red x's. For me it depends on the photohost whether or not I can see the picture. At home, there is no proxy to block so if I can't see the photo there, its usually because the host is down, the URL is broken or the photo is no longer available or deleted.

I too have a hard time seeing pictures on photobucket ...or even photo's that were posted long before I joined this amazing site.

 

[new guy]

It looks a little TOO good! No offence but you got some CLEAN rivers where you model! The local river is hardly 6 feet deep on average and looks like cloudy tea, I rarely see the bottom, when I do it's truck tires, dead trees and old washing machines, bikes, odd shaped whatnot, a shoe, benches, former bridge foundations.....Other river features I've noticed are small islands with/without trees and bushes, the edges have trash, bits of paper, red solo cups, trees growing out of the bank at an angle, more dead trees laying half in the river, landowners attempts at bank control, rip-rap, docks, boats...... Sure don't look like no waterpark lazy river channel!

I'm just nit-picking, it's awesome!

 

[tootnkumin]

What the sky is like at any given time or moment affects the color of water too, because it is reflective. Is always a fine sunny day on Chet's layout, and why not.

 

[riogrande]

Yeah, it depends on what you are trying to represent. I'm modeling western Colorado/eastern Utah. The rivers are pretty clean out there but when they get roiled, they can be a light caramel brown from the silt and sediment that is carried in suspension. To get that kind of look, it seems you'd have to color the medium you are using for water, not just the bottom under it.

 

[Selector]

Here are my results. The first was on my second layout, now dismantled three years. The second is a diorama I took outdoors and staged in a local setting. I used image-stacking software for infinite focus to make it look more natural.

This comprises a tinted plaster riverbed, local screened gravel, and two pours of finish quality epoxy. Over the epoxy, which was glassy flat, I stippled some gel gloss medium. Importantly, in the second layer of the epoxy, I mixed a drop of Hauder Green (Walmart craft paints), a half drop of plain yellow, and a pinch of plaster of Paris powder for turbidity.

I more-or-less duplicated the process in this outdoors diorama, but I painted the riverbed rather than craft a plaster bed that was tinted. The actual surface was the white plasticized surface of a chip-board shelf, so it took paint well.

 

[montanan]

Crandell - Quite impressive. Well done.

 

[Selector]

Thanks, Chet. I surprised even myself.

 

[tootnkumin]

That would have to be the best water modelling I've ever seen, the top pic taken looking down into the water has exactly the right opacity and transparency balance.

 

[new guy]

THAT'S what I'm talking about! The rocks, being able to see only part way into the water and that "roiling" effect on the surface, really makes it "live"! Well Done Sir! I gotta book mark this one for when I start scenery!

 

[GarryCBQ]

There is some very outstanding work in this thread. I missed the first post because I do not wish to open a Word Press account, however.

Here is a quick way to make "water" ... (Note: I did not say "correctly". LOL)

Here is a scene from my recent bridge project. (This is fictional scene, and I suppose a railroad civil engineer would count some rivits for me. LOL ) ... I will explain how I made the water under the bridges.

I used an acrylic light panal from a drop ceiling. The kind is called "crushed ice". I salvaged what I needed from a broken one. I will explain the simple steps.
First, I cut some 1/4" plywood to be the base surface. I painted with blue (center of water surface), green (closer to shore), and brown (at shore). When paint was dry, I applied a wash of raw siena acrylic paint (watered down) over the entire surface of the plywood. (This will be the section under the waterfalls.)

Next, I cut a piece from the acrylic light panel. I turned it so it was crinkle side up, and applied a very thin wash of acrylic black paint. I sprayed it with soapy water while paint was still wet. Then, I waited for it to dry about two days.

Next, I turned over the acrylic light panal piece so it was smooth side up. I placed it on the painted plywood.

Next, I installed the "water" on the layout. Basically, it is best to just lay it in place. Scenerey around the edges will keep it from moving.
I suggest you do not make a mistake I made when I tried doing this before. That time, I used clear adhesive in the bottom of the acrlyic panal to hold it to the plywood, and it looked awful. So, this time I just let it lay in place with scenery around the edges.


Various scenery techniques can be used for the surrounding scenery.


I included waterfalls which were made with Woodland Scenics Water Effects. Before applying that, I made some clear plastic pieces.

 

[Greg@mnrr]

Garry: Looks great!

Greg

 

[Jaz avalley]

As this has been made a sticky I won’t add to it but am pushing it as a look at this