In this third article Ray discusses water surfaces and techniques.
The easiest way I found to model water is to paint it directly onto the particle board surface. If you are artistically inclined your first step is simply a matter of matching the color of the paint to the shoreline material that you will use at the edges of your model.
Use fast drying acrylic paint and mix a little bit at a time in a pie pan until you get a close match. Don't completely mix all of your colors
A little bit darker tint is better to model the wet sand or gravel of your shoreline. Sand is easier to mimic with paint since its a relatively flat surface, gravel will take a bit more effort. For sand paint a uniform strip about an inch or two out from the shore, while this is still wet take your brush and mix a bit of paint a barely darker shade, dapple this over the wet strip, the effect will resemble rippled look of walked on beach sand. Once you get out further from shore and want to mimic deeper water you must add more black to the paint mix. In the real world in a clear, clean, natural river you loose sight of the bottom at about 8-9 feet, so gradually blend your sand color with black (careful because it doesn't take much black), adding more until the very deepest section is basically black, then gradually lighten it with the sand color mix until you reach the opposite shore.
The picture above shows the unglazed surface of the water. This river was slow moving and relatively deep. The outside bends were undercut banks and black right to the shore. The inside of bends have the gradual blend of shoreline color with black to show a gradual deepening. Note that even though unglazed the painted surface reflects some light and does not appear entirely black.
This shot really shows the reflectivity of the painted surface of daylight ( a blue sky day) coming through the shop window. The glaze will enhance this effect.
The gravel shore takes an extra step. Spread out and look at the gravel you wish to use. the gravel will be predominately one color, and the spaces and shadows between the individual particles will be a darker shade. Mix your paint to the darker shade and paint it first again as a strip along either shore, letting it dry this time. Next mix the color to match the majority of the gravel particles. With a small brush dip into the color and just make a roundish point of paint much like a pointillist impressionist painter. These are your gravel beneath the surface. At the very edge make them distinct, as you go out further from shore you can blur them more together and add more black. Once you get the effects you want let it all dry. Now is the time to place your sand and gravel shorelines. Spray a 50-50 mix white glue and water with a few drops of dishwashing detergent to set them. Make sure all loose particles of shore like are vacuumed up when done.
Unglazed shoreline at the native village
Shoreline with final glazed surface. Note the small waves lapping at the left
The final step is to glaze it, by painting an acrylic gloss finish over your water work. It will be white out of the tube but will dry to a shiny light reflecting surface. Take a one inch wide brush and apply rather thickly, dapple the gloss over the water this will look like small waves if done right. Current seams can be created by building up the gloss where needed with a small brush. Small waves breaking upon the shore can be created the same way. The final step for the waves and larger seams is to take a fine brush and barely paint them with white.
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This shows a good example of what the gloss can achieve, an effect that looks like sunlight reflected off water |
| This is a side view of the gravel shore on the Ft. Duquesne model. The lower right hand corner shows the edge of the particle board.
The rock in the stream shows the built up gloss finish with its capping of white paint to model a flowing current. The rock was outlined in pencil upon the particle board, a wood chisel was used to gouge out a depression the exact size then white glue applied to secure it. Final step was the addition of the gloss "V's" to simulate the hydraulics. |
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Overhead view of the same scene
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A different scene showing a portion of gravel shore, the transition from shallow to deeper water, more exposed rocks with hydraulics, and also the wave effects achieved from the gloss. |
Updated March 2004