How to build big river sections(Part 2)

[Andym]

So I’ve been building a wee bridge recently. I was quite happy how it turned out, so I’ve went on to build a couple of extra sections of river to go with it.



The base is hardboard, with scrap pieces of foam glued on. Cheap, unbranded filler was used liberally to fill in the gaps. Some sand and gravel were PVA glued too.





Use a cheap brush and lots of water on your brush and ‘dab’ some texture around the surface to simulate uneven ground.





Once that was dry, I used cheap acrylic paint and tester pots to paint the river. Lots of water was used to mix the greens/blues/browns of the river.





Once all that was dry. I used a cheap cream coloured acrylic(a cream tester pot would do too) and drybrushed the stones and rocks and some of the surface. Drybrush some lines in the direction of the running water.



Once that was given some time to dry, using a cheap brush and gloss furniture varnish, dab loads over the surface of the river. This will provide a good base later to do waves/currents.



Part 2 later…..

[Andym]

So, with the liberal amount varnish dry, we are ready to add water effects. The river section should look something like this before we start. Ignore the flocked embankments. You can do the ground work at anytime. Just don’t do it while some of the stages of doing the water are still waiting to dry.



To do the water I use white and clear silicon sealer, and then more of the varnish.



Start by using a toothpick or other point tool(here I use a sculpting tool) and use small amount of white sealer to make little waves and ripples. You could make ‘v’ shapes past any obstacles in the water or maybe beside some of the rocks or outcroppings on the embankments.



Next, use the clear sealer in a silicon gun. Run lines from left to right all the way up and down the full length of the river. Anywhere we apply this if going to produce rough looking water. If you want a smoother, less turbulent area, just leave some of the surface free of sealer.





Next, use a toothpick/lollipop stick/sculpting tool to push the clear silicon around. Flatten it down in places, sculpt waves and generally try to cover the whole area.



Wait for all of this to dry and apply another coat of varnish.

Part 3 will cover the ground work.

[Gundamentalist 5.56]

Best river tutorial I've read.

[snitcythedog]

Very nice work. Quick question on the clear sealer that you used to build up the waves.  Is it actually silicone or is it acrylic?  If it is the former, how well does the the varnish adhere to it? 

[Hammers]

Brilliant. I've use clear silicon myself with some success. There is a problem that the material is a bastard for colleting dust as it remains sticky.

[Hammers]

By the way, Andy, I like your old school, low budget, hands on methods and materials, and none of this lazy 3d-pritning BS for everything. Guys like you keep the craft alive in the hobby.

[sundayhero]

Nice rivers, personaly for the water effects I use some liquitex gloss medium :





It's done in one shot.

[traveller]

Wow! Top notch! Thanks for sharing!

[SgtSlag]

That is the most effetive, most realistic, babbling brook technique I have ever seen.  Absolutely brilliant!  That is a Trout stream if ever i've seen one!

I agree, the cured silicone tends to be sticky, attracting dust.  I suspect a clear coat would make it less tacky, less prone to dust.  I think storage in a sealed/covered box would help, tremendously.

As long as every surface is sealed, you could likely get away with running it under water, or even washing it in dish soap and water, to remove the majority of dust, if warranted.  Cheers!