water and the modelling thereof
- Thread starter Jaz avalley
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- modelling water water
Jaz avalley
Station cat
Jaz avalley
Station cat
Jaz avalley
Station cat
my water features evolve, I have a go then feel dissatisfied with something so attempt an upgrade
for some time I was happy with this, it is pretty flat, like a ford but I got a nice colour and light
later I added the rock and then the bridge
but the autmn colours. never quite hit it for me
and the coloured packing foam with chunky grasses needed an upgrade
the autumn colours were pulled
the bridge was weathered
additional finer textures softened the look
extra varnish improved the reflective properties
and upgraded weathered items were added for interest
wildlife was added
slowly but surely the area evolved and there is still a couple of items I still intend to upgrade
my photography acceptability increased as I. Found ways to make the results look better,
Levels of light, time of day, angle, to increase reflections, wiping the water with real water on a damp cloth to improve the look, additional fibre texture,improving any aspect that dragged the whole had to meet the grade to make the cut.
for some time I was happy with this, it is pretty flat, like a ford but I got a nice colour and light
later I added the rock and then the bridge
but the autmn colours. never quite hit it for me
and the coloured packing foam with chunky grasses needed an upgrade
the autumn colours were pulled
the bridge was weathered
additional finer textures softened the look
extra varnish improved the reflective properties
and upgraded weathered items were added for interest
wildlife was added
slowly but surely the area evolved and there is still a couple of items I still intend to upgrade
my photography acceptability increased as I. Found ways to make the results look better,
Levels of light, time of day, angle, to increase reflections, wiping the water with real water on a damp cloth to improve the look, additional fibre texture,improving any aspect that dragged the whole had to meet the grade to make the cut.
Jaz, you do a great job modeling not just water but water scenes. Good for you and thanks for sharing.
I have one feature water scene on my layout (barley underway). I did a mock up a long time ago using a Woodland Scenics product (I believe it's called "Deep Pour"). I thought it came out nice but will revisit this thread before I proceed on the layout
I have one feature water scene on my layout (barley underway). I did a mock up a long time ago using a Woodland Scenics product (I believe it's called "Deep Pour"). I thought it came out nice but will revisit this thread before I proceed on the layout
Jaz avalley
Station cat
In my experience people who believe that their water features are somewhat lacking, actually only need to tweak the overall atmosphere to seriously improve the results, and often a few useful ways to photograph the results can seriously upgrade the impact.Jaz, you do a great job modeling not just water but water scenes. Good for you and thanks for sharing.
I have one feature water scene on my layout (barley underway). I did a mock up a long time ago using a Woodland Scenics product (I believe it's called "Deep Pour"). I thought it came out nice but will revisit this thread before I proceed on the layout
Often water is best put on the layout in a river like manner, a major waterfall into water or a long thin option that you can photograph from different angles, especially if that water has buildings or track to help emphasis the impression of distance.
Jaz avalley
Station cat
Again I started off pleased, then saw more and more ways to improve the results
i used real sand, but rather than large grain yellow builders sand, I used chinchilla sand from a pet shop, fine grained and grey, here in the UK you do not get much in the way of golden beaches
I painted the water in strips at 90 degree to the direction of water movement
I added greenery for seaweed and let some sand texture sit on the water as I knew I would be adding several layers of golden varnish
The back area was mostly plaster sheet laid and painted with some more expensive cork bark for finer texture, now this area needs to be removable so the overhang is somewhat rough and I normally just avoid photographing it, and you can see I like my individual areas to flow into each other literally lol
this toy boat was damaged and given to me by another modeller as a reject, and was still a plastic model, a quick paint over transformed it from kids toy to model
a few more water coats and white painted foam started to improve no end, varnish into the sand immediately added a wet look
looking back it was easily seen that this one simple upgrade made a big difference
painting water some times wet and runny and onto wet varnish
and sometimes drier onto more textured waves
the honey coloured lumps were part dried varnish lifted out and literally dumped on the flat surface adding texture, and between varnish layers I was not above adding transparent thinned colours to add depth
I also measured items I knew would end up on the scenery and made waves to suit them on various spots as I get bored and like to move stuff.
I really enjoyed playing with this and testing ideas,
I also added real pebbles that blended with the colours, rounded or textured
i used real sand, but rather than large grain yellow builders sand, I used chinchilla sand from a pet shop, fine grained and grey, here in the UK you do not get much in the way of golden beaches
I painted the water in strips at 90 degree to the direction of water movement
I added greenery for seaweed and let some sand texture sit on the water as I knew I would be adding several layers of golden varnish
this toy boat was damaged and given to me by another modeller as a reject, and was still a plastic model, a quick paint over transformed it from kids toy to model
a few more water coats and white painted foam started to improve no end, varnish into the sand immediately added a wet look
looking back it was easily seen that this one simple upgrade made a big difference
painting water some times wet and runny and onto wet varnish
and sometimes drier onto more textured waves
the honey coloured lumps were part dried varnish lifted out and literally dumped on the flat surface adding texture, and between varnish layers I was not above adding transparent thinned colours to add depth
I also measured items I knew would end up on the scenery and made waves to suit them on various spots as I get bored and like to move stuff.
I really enjoyed playing with this and testing ideas,
I also added real pebbles that blended with the colours, rounded or textured
Last edited:
Jaz avalley
Station cat
I will then dress the area, look out for nice lighting to increase atmosphere, luckily a nearby window helps,
and then I just relax and play
and then I just relax and play
JeffH
Well-Known Member
Overall, I'm very happy with the way my river came out. The river is one of the main focal points of my layout, which is a fictitious area along teh West Virginia Panhandle of the Ohio River Valley.
The width of the river is compressed, mostly to save space, but also because it's just not very feasible to have a 3-foot wide river, lol.
Here's a pic of the layout with the white styrene sheets as the riverbed. I installed some wood trim on the ends so that whatever I used for teh water wouldn't run off the ends like a "flat earth."
This is N scale. The river area is 54" long, and roughly 17" wide. So I needed a product that could cover this large of an area, and started to research what products to use. I ended up choosing Gloss Acrylic Medium with some Raw Umber pigment added to give it a murky appearance.
Raw umber has a bit of a yellow base, so adding yellow to blue makes brown... So I painted the white styrene sheets a sort-of sky blue, so when the water is poured on top,, the result is a bluish tint in the shallow areas, and a more murky appearance in the deeper spots.
I mixed up a half gallon, which is just enough to pour 1/8" deep over teh entire riverbed.
Here is a picture of the paint job before the pour.
Even the paint is darker in the middle of teh river, and lighter as you get shallower.
This next picture is after I mixed and poured the Acrylic Gloss Medium. The product comes a milky white liquid, but hardens clear. So a little pigment goes a long way. It took several days to cure. The white-looking areas are just a reflection.
The next morning, you could see teh color starting to show through as teh milky white fades away and begins to reveal the final color.
The photo was probably day 2 or 3 of the cure. At this point, you can see some fissure forming. This is caused by the top skin drying too fast in relation to teh still-liquid pool beneath it. The product shrinks a bit as it dries. The product has polymer binders in it that try ti keep teh skin from cracking, but if teh skin dries too quickly, it will crack as it dries. These cracks get larger as the product continues to cure.
The result is cool, especially if you are wanting what looks like churning water. But for a river like the Ohio, it's not a very common sight. But it looks great for 2-3 feet away. Much closer than that, and it looks like a mud flat in some places.
In the picture above, you can see where I added some more product to the fissuree to try to "fill it up," but the way this stuff dries, it takes several applications to obscure the effect.
Below are some close-up shots that I think are pretty darn good if I do say so myself.
The width of the river is compressed, mostly to save space, but also because it's just not very feasible to have a 3-foot wide river, lol.
Here's a pic of the layout with the white styrene sheets as the riverbed. I installed some wood trim on the ends so that whatever I used for teh water wouldn't run off the ends like a "flat earth."
This is N scale. The river area is 54" long, and roughly 17" wide. So I needed a product that could cover this large of an area, and started to research what products to use. I ended up choosing Gloss Acrylic Medium with some Raw Umber pigment added to give it a murky appearance.
Raw umber has a bit of a yellow base, so adding yellow to blue makes brown... So I painted the white styrene sheets a sort-of sky blue, so when the water is poured on top,, the result is a bluish tint in the shallow areas, and a more murky appearance in the deeper spots.
I mixed up a half gallon, which is just enough to pour 1/8" deep over teh entire riverbed.
Here is a picture of the paint job before the pour.
Even the paint is darker in the middle of teh river, and lighter as you get shallower.
This next picture is after I mixed and poured the Acrylic Gloss Medium. The product comes a milky white liquid, but hardens clear. So a little pigment goes a long way. It took several days to cure. The white-looking areas are just a reflection.
The next morning, you could see teh color starting to show through as teh milky white fades away and begins to reveal the final color.
The photo was probably day 2 or 3 of the cure. At this point, you can see some fissure forming. This is caused by the top skin drying too fast in relation to teh still-liquid pool beneath it. The product shrinks a bit as it dries. The product has polymer binders in it that try ti keep teh skin from cracking, but if teh skin dries too quickly, it will crack as it dries. These cracks get larger as the product continues to cure.
The result is cool, especially if you are wanting what looks like churning water. But for a river like the Ohio, it's not a very common sight. But it looks great for 2-3 feet away. Much closer than that, and it looks like a mud flat in some places.
In the picture above, you can see where I added some more product to the fissuree to try to "fill it up," but the way this stuff dries, it takes several applications to obscure the effect.
Below are some close-up shots that I think are pretty darn good if I do say so myself.
Jaz avalley
Station cat
Beautiful
beautiful
Jaz avalley
Station cat
White with water movement
Jaz avalley
Station cat
Weir, still in progress but you can see various steps and a reference
Jaz avalley
Station cat
If you ever do go ahead and want some awesome result from cheap products and little effort give me a nudge. I am sue pthers will add their two pennyworth two there are some great water modellers here.Wonderful water scenes and scenery in general. If I ever progress on my little water scene I'll be sure to let you know so you can laugh at it
Jaz avalley
Station cat
Jaz avalley
Station cat
Jaz avalley
Station cat
Different levels of light have a very different effects
and reflections add impact
and reflections add impact
