How to paint lily pads and duckweed on ponds?

[Mr. White]

I really like how this little pond turns out in the follow tutorial. However, the technique to paint lily pads and duckweed is vague: "when dry, paint lily pads and duckweed onto the top".

https://www.charliefoxtrotmodels.com/blogs/news/115937093-tutorial-step-by-step-ponds?_pos=1&_sid=c7a8e0e3b&_ss=r

anyone have some tips on best colors and techniques to achieve this?

[Diablo Jon]

Nice looking pond but yeah it's hard to tell from the picture what he has done with the pond plants. The pond weed just looks like it was stippled on in a bright green paint. For water lily leaves the obvious thing is the split in the leaves so paint a circle but leave a small split on each leaf



I'd be tempted to go a bit more 3d with the lily leaves and cut out (or hole punch) out circles, in green paper, and then cut out a  split on each one and glue them on top on the pond. 

[carlos marighela]

Actually Noch or Heki, one of the German model railway companies anyway, make lily pads if you can’t be bothered making your own. Anything submerged, like weed you would be better off painting on the base before adding the marine varnish/ Woodland Scenics water effects or whatever you are doing the surface in.

[AndrewBeasley]

As above - head for your local train shop and ask for the MP Scenery box.


http://sceneryitems.com


Some amazing bits.

[Blackwolf]

I made a punch from brass tube,sharpened to make lily pads. Have a look in the Build Something archives for The Loch.

[Cubs]

Nice looking pond but yeah it's hard to tell from the picture what he has done with the pond plants. The pond weed just looks like it was stippled on in a bright green paint. For water lily leaves the obvious thing is the split in the leaves so paint a circle but leave a small split on each leaf

As above - but also, have a look at the use of shade. The pond looks darker surrounding the plants (looks like the painter has just splodged some black on in a big stipply patch) then the pond weed looks like the little leaves are irregular green-brown shapes with light yellow-green in the middle, and the lily pads are pale grey-green round the outside and darker in the middle. A coat of gloss varnish over the top will take car of shiny wet light.

[Spinal Tap]

Could you not ask the seller? He's likely to be helpful if you're buying stuff.

[SotF]

Not as sure about duckweed, but there's a far easier way to do lily pads.

Get a sheet of paper, even just printer paper will do, paint a chunk of it in greens and yellows with some thinned paint and keep the sheet flat while you're doing it and let it dry. Then use a hole punch and pop out as many as you want/can get from the area before using a knife or scissors to take a notch out of the side.

To place them, put a little gloss varnish down and place the pads on it and add a little bit on top to seal it in.

From looking at the tutorial, it seems like the duckweed is basically stippled onto the area with an old, trashed brush...I'd do that before adding lily pads with it.

[Blackwolf]

Not as sure about duckweed, but there's a far easier way to do lily pads.

Get a sheet of paper, even just printer paper will do, paint a chunk of it in greens and yellows with some thinned paint and keep the sheet flat while you're doing it and let it dry. Then use a hole punch and pop out as many as you want/can get from the area before using a knife or scissors to take a notch out of the side.

To place them, put a little gloss varnish down and place the pads on it and add a little bit on top to seal it in.

From looking at the tutorial, it seems like the duckweed is basically stippled onto the area with an old, trashed brush...I'd do that before adding lily pads with it.

You will have to post up some of your work,interested in seeing what you do. Sounds very good,and always up for inspiration 

[SotF]

You will have to post up some of your work,interested in seeing what you do. Sounds very good,and always up for inspiration 

My main problem, at the moment, is a lack of a decent camera for it.

The one on my phone was damaged, and until the lockdowns and things end, I'd need to actually get my own and carry the other around for work, but until things open back up, work isn't issuing things for new ones.

[Blackwolf]

My main problem, at the moment, is a lack of a decent camera for it.

The one on my phone was damaged, and until the lockdowns and things end, I'd need to actually get my own and carry the other around for work, but until things open back up, work isn't issuing things for new ones.

That’s a pity,you will have to post up some of your stuff when you can

[SotF]

That’s a pity,you will have to post up some of your stuff when you can

Yeah, but I'm not about to pay for a new phone when most of it would be covered by work anyway