How to
make realistic water
The question how to make
realistic water is as old as our hobby. There are different
techniques. The problem is always: Water is not only a medium of
great liveliness. It is also transparent and has very strong depth
effects. „Norsemen“ has a water surface for the professional
modeller, that matches our requirements but is very expensive. But
there is a solution to the problem. Moreover it’s a bargain:
Silicon, simple transparent silicon from the building center.
For an attractive water
surface you need a piece of styrofoam or wood as a basis, silicon,
some card, water soluble color from your craft supplier, a brush, a
spoon, a scraper, a toothpick, white modelling color, a scalpel, a
pencil and – of course – a model, no matter if built or unbuilt.
Time: One hour plus curing-time.
Click on the
images below to enlarge!
Here we go. First step is to
draw the outline of your waterline-hull on a piece of card. I usually
take the card from old GMM-photoetch-sets. It is about 1mm strong and
almost as solid as a styrene-sheet. The model for this demonstration is
USS „Lockwood“, Knox-class. It is an AFV-model in 1:700 scale, built
from the box, GMM-photoetch and Flagship-parts added. Take an pencil and
line out the contour. After that you cut out your template with a sharp
knife or scissors.
Now it is time for the water surface itself. I like to use styrofoam as
a basis. You get it from packing or in your local building center for
about 50 Euro-Cents for half a square meter. That's a lot of surface for
1:700 models. In 1:350 you will need a little more. With your template
you can set the position of your ship in the water. Roughly mark the
position with a pencil on the styrofoam and set aside the template. |
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Now it’s time for painting.
Water has very different colors, depending on oxygen content or
temperature. Ships in motion moreover create air bubbles in the water.
That gives a turquoise and white tone along the ships sides and behind
the stern.
I use water soluble paints that you take for painting placards. Buy a
turquoise, a deep blue and a black tone. That’s all you need. For
painting I use a broad simple brush like kids take for painting their
pictures. I always use a brush for this step, because brushing gives you
a better depth effect than airbrushing. You start with the area under
and around the ship using turquoise color. Blue is following, mixed with
more and more parts of black as you work yourself away from the
hull-spot. It is important to add the darker colors when the lighter
ones are still wet. This gives a fluent contour. Try it, it’s fairly
easy. |
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After a curing time of about
30 minutes you put your template on the basis again. Now it's time for
silicon. It has to be a transparent brand, of course. You simply press
some of that stuff on the basis aside your template. Then you level it
out with your scraper (take a broader one) including your template.
Doing this you get a layer of about 1 mm silicon. |
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As soon as you are finished
with that step, take a spoon and start to work in the waves. Do not take
too much time, because the silicon tends to cure fast. Do not build up
the waves too high. 1:700 is a small scale and you will have a heavy
storm or a gale before time. Waves that are too high can be smoothed out
with your scraper again.
With your toothpick
carefully build up the bow-wave and the stern-waves. Check your
references before and take a look at the wave pattern your ships makes
with different speed. Now set everything aside and let cure. After one
or two hours you can cut out your template with a scalpel or X-acto,
just by going along the templates rim. Take it out and use it for your
next project. You now have a neat recess that will take your ships hull
perfectly.
With white modelling
color, any brand is welcome, you can now touch up and highlight the bow-
and stern-waves. You will get the best effect by drybrushing the color.
Put in your ship and – voila, a perfect water-surface. |
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The method has stunning effects. Due to it‘s structure, the styrofoam gases
small air-bubbles that give your silicon-water a very realistic effect. Curing,
the silicon tends to cloud a little. This gives a very unique illusion of depth.
You really get the impression of fathoms of depth below your little ship. You
will have enough silicon for several bases and even when you make a frame out of
wooden bars your water surface will cost less than 2 Euros (2,5 US-$) per ship.
I presented this method on several shows in northern Germany and the response
was always very positive.
Happy modelling
Frank |
Photos and text © 2005 by Frank Ilse
May
26, 2005
www.carrierbuilders.net
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