Life-like water

2011-06-13 Khaiell

Modelling realistic water is easy if you have the right glue...

Sci-fi bridge with a sewer pouring dangerous chemicals

Swampy pond

This guide is about creating water itself. Make sure to check other guides on this website that use this technique for complete projects: river and sludge, puddle/mire/lake

Note that we are creating the water surface not its bed so it must be almost perfectly flat

1. Even the water surface by pouring a thick layer of polymer/nitrocellulose glue easily available from DIY stores. You may theoretically just use a PVA glue but then the base of your model may warp ruining the effect

2. Paint the water with a grey paint with a hint of green and blue. Darker in the middle with brighter shallow areas. I use Games Workshop's Shadow Grey

Note that real water is not blue or green. Physically it is black as it absorbs almost all light. Artistically you may call it dark cyan. Various pollutions may alter its colour but it is still mainly dark grey.

3. Cover the water with a glossy varnish

4. Use drybrush to paint some yellowish-green duckweed at the edges

I don't use ready-made modelling water as it is expensive and actually worse then a glue covered with varnish.

See the pictures as separate pages: Swampy pond River Sci-fi bridge with a sewer pouring dangerous chemicals