Making Water

[Malebolgia]

I don't think any of my water features made using WS Realistic Water has discoloured - but as I tend to use it in a fairly thin layer over a grungily painted base colour, I guess I wouldn't notice even if it did.

I'm about to paint and then 'waterify' about six feet of river - so keep the advice coming. If anyone has a foolproof product, let's hear about it 

I've taken the liberty of attaching a few pics of some of the things I've used Realistic Water on. See what you think.

Applying thin layers is the only thing I'd consider with RW. That way it can hardly shrink and still resemble water. The softness of the stuff still makes me frown though. But other than using it as a thin film to resemble water I wouldn't use it.

Demonherald (Wyrd Games' main painter) has recommended 'Solid Water' several times. His water bases are totally awesome and he also has a terrific tutorial in Wyrd's first e-zine. You can get Solid Water here at Antenociti:
http://www.barrule.com/Workshop/scratch%20builders%20paradise/water%20wasser%20aqua.html

See Demonherald's bases here:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/demonslairmodels/cmonsubmissions/pirateandpenguin.jpg
http://www.wyrd-games.net/shop/images/P/Ice-Golem2.jpg

And the link to the PDF with the tutorial (p.31-38):
http://wyrd-games.net/Ezine/Wyrd%20Chronicles%20v1.pdf

This may not be perfect for large surfaces, but they work very well for bases and smaller surfaces.

For bigger surfaces I only hear good things about Envirotex Lite. See the Terrainthralls for good tutorials:
http://www.terrainthralls.com/Tutorials%20folder/Port%20Aerie/Port%20Aerie.html
http://www.terrainthralls.com/Tutorials%20folder/Mushroom%20Gysers/Mushroom%20Gysers.html
http://www.terrainthralls.com/Tutorials%20folder/Menoth%20Fountain/Menoth%20Fountain.html

And of course Hirst Arts:
http://www.hirstarts.com/tips24/tips24.html#hole

[warrenss2]

Malebolgia   

D@MN Fine links, sir!! Thank you.

[rjandron]

Liquitex Acrylic Gloss Medium. Water-soluble and viscous enough that you can "sculpt" it to form ripples and waves if you need. Also, non-toxic and no harsh fumes, unlike some of the resin options out there. And it does not shrink in my experience.

[Captain Blood]

Liquitex Acrylic Gloss Medium. Water-soluble and viscous enough that you can "sculpt" it to form ripples and waves if you need. Also, non-toxic and no harsh fumes, unlike some of the resin options out there. And it does not shrink in my experience.

Hmmm. Sounds rather good. Is it something you find in art shops?
And any idea if you can use it 'deep' - i.e. will it set with a few mm depth - as opposed to just being used as a varnish?
Got any pics of where you've used it? 

[Michi]

Vallejo Still Water works well and is not as expensive as railway stuff...

[Cheeky Monkey]

I have to agree that Envirotex Lite Epoxy is one of the best things I've used for water effects. Ripples can be created as it starts to set, it doesn't seem to shrink at all, dries clear and can be colored with various products. You can't get really turbulent water effects with it but the solution to that is some clear gesso on top to create the appearance of rough water. I have used it on several model RR layouts to good effect and don't use anything else anymore.

[rjandron]

Hmmm. Sounds rather good. Is it something you find in art shops?
And any idea if you can use it 'deep' - i.e. will it set with a few mm depth - as opposed to just being used as a varnish?
Got any pics of where you've used it? 

You can find it in art supply shops or craft shops like Michael's.

It is closer to a varnish than a "deep" solution. You can get a bit more thickness using acrylic gloss gel medium and acrylic gloss paste, which will hold waves a lot better than the gloss medium. The other big advantage of gloss gels and gloss mediums is that they don't eat styrofoam, which can be an issue with resins.

Here's a photo I found online of a railway modeler using gloss medium on a river.

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/209#comment-1334

If you are looking at getting some "depth" and having stuff embedded in the water, then your best bet is to go with resin. But if you don't need it, then gloss medium will do the job quite nicely.

I use a painting technique for the riverbottom, where I use black for the centre and this is blended to a rich brown (Territorial Beige, I think, or Nutmeg-colour) closer to the shore where the shallows are. If I'm doing larger bodies of water, I'll blend in some navy blue and some greens in the deeper areas to keep the water from looking too "black". The results are quite striking, and for the $10 or so that a small bottle of gloss medium will cost, it's well worth exploring the technique.

[answer_is_42]

For water I use...blue paper, with streaks of white paint. And sometimes, I have to cut it to shape, too.
Oh, and I once painted a bit of wood to look like a very small lake.
This doesn't help much, sorry...
 

[Captain Blood]

Was wandering the net and found a terrain builder who uses Envirotex Lite.

See here http://www.quindia.com/studioart42.htm

Thanks. That's a nice tutorial 
I'd have to say though, the properties of this stuff (once mixed) look and sound quite like Realistic Water - apart from the ability to texture the surface once it's nearly dry...

For water I use...blue paper, with streaks of white paint. And sometimes, I have to cut it to shape, too.
Oh, and I once painted a bit of wood to look like a very small lake.

It's how all the famous water terrain artists started out... 

[warrenss2]

I read somewhere, of course I can't find it now, of someone using painted up aluminum foil for the bottom, than coated it repeatedly with a gloss varnish.

Does this ring any bells with anyone? Anyone tried this?

I'm going to look for either the LiquiTex Acrylic Gloss Medium or the Envirotex Lite Epoxy tomorrow. I hope Micheal's carries one of them.

I've got some cool, but large, tree trunks made from pumpkin stems, fallen trees (twigs), lichen shrubs, trees... just about ready to go.

[Hammers]

Hmmm. Sounds rather good. Is it something you find in art shops?
And any idea if you can use it 'deep' - i.e. will it set with a few mm depth - as opposed to just being used as a varnish?
Got any pics of where you've used it? 

You can get it at Atenociti.

[Hammers]

An important topic. I am making it sticky and moving it to How to...

[warrenss2]

An important topic. I am making it stiicky and moving it to How to...

"how to..."?!?!?! 

We got a "How To" section?!?! 

HOLIEEEE COW!!!! 

This is one noobie that is going to spent a ton of time in here!!!!

 

[Traveler Man]

I've been noodling with water effects for a modular dungeon built using Hirst Arts blocks. One of the things I've tried with good results is the liquid acrylic floor polish that goes under various names - Pledge/Future in the US and Klear in the UK. It's cheap and readily available, and has exactly the same properties as a gloss acrylic varnish. I've used it on figures, both as a straightforward varnish, and combined with ink to make a wash in the magic-wash style. 

A nice scenic water effect can be built up using several coats of this stuff. It does have an alarming tendency to go opaque in places while drying, depending on temperature and humidity. Stick with it - it'll dry clear and hard. Weed or pond scum can be painted on each surface before applying the next layer for a 3D effect, and as mentioned the polish takes ink and acrylic paint readily.

I've used it for puddles and shallow pools of moisture but also for a deep water-filled pit trap. Once I can figure out my cockamanie camera I'll take some pics. 

[Mr Pumblechook]

I've done a swamp table using blue cellophane over an old blue bedsheet, with islands made from cork tile