Modelling Realistic Water

[Artisan]

I am at the moment creating a small harbour scene and in my last post I was given very helpful advice on laying cobble stone sheeting on the dockside. Having never modelled water before I'm now after some advice on how to create a realistic water surface. As the project is a small shelf layout The area I want to show as water is quite small measuring around 4 feet by 4 inches. The surface of the water area is at the moment covered in cork. Has anyone used a sheet material or a technique that I could employ to create realistic water?

[ntpntpntp]

Well, mine was done by creating a sealed trough, painting it a suitable dirty brown colour then pouring in yacht varnish.  It was supposed to be done as many thin coats, and indeed I started that way but got a bit impatient in the end and went for deeper layers.  As a consequence two decades later and it's actually like a custard skin, still soft underneath!




I do have an extension board built 10 years later which continues the water scene, it didn't have a ship floating in the water so that was done in the more traditional method of a painted base and just a few brushed coats of varnish.  Can't find a clear photo of it at the moment!

[Artisan]

Well, mine was done by creating a sealed trough, painting it a suitable dirty brown colour then pouring in yacht varnish.  It was supposed to be done as many thin coats, and indeed I started that way but got a bit impatient in the end and went for deeper layers.  As a consequence two decades later and it's actually like a custard skin, still soft underneath!




I do have an extension board built 10 years later which continues the water scene, it didn't have a ship floating in the water so that was done in the more traditional method of a painted base and just a few brushed coats of varnish.  Can't find a clear photo of it at the moment!

Nick thank you for the advice. The boat in your picture. Can you tell me where you got it?

[ntpntpntp]

Nick thank you for the advice. The boat in your picture. Can you tell me where you got it?

It was a 1:200 scale model by Heller of a large ocean-going tug. I'm not sure if the kit is available any more?  I made a few modifications such as increasing the height of the bridge and adding a a few larger doors  to make it more 1:160 scale - ish 



[edit]  Here's one on ebay
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heller-80602-1-200th-scale-Remorqueur-Jean-Bart-Ocean-Going-tug/232374556351

[Artisan]

Nick thank you for the advice. The boat in your picture. Can you tell me where you got it?

It was a 1:200 scale model by Heller of a large ocean-going tug. I'm not sure if the kit is available any more?  I made a few modifications such as increasing the height of the bridge and adding a a few larger doors  to make it more 1:160 scale - ish 



[edit]  Here's one on ebay
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heller-80602-1-200th-scale-Remorqueur-Jean-Bart-Ocean-Going-tug/232374556351

Thanks for letting me know. I'll have a look at the kit on eBay. Can you tell me what the width of the hull if on your tug?

[ntpntpntp]

...Can you tell me what the width of the hull if on your tug?

Unfortunately the boards are all crated up in my garage at the moment. From memory I'd guess around 6cm ish, but that is just a guess.

[Artisan]

Okay. Thanks anyway.

[AndyRA]

Probably not exactly on the same scale as a harbour, but I found Woodlands 'Realistic Water' was quite good. Discovered that putting a rough stone chipping base first, painting the stones, then adding the water led to a slight rippling effect on the finished surface.

[chrism]

Probably not exactly on the same scale as a harbour, but I found Woodlands 'Realistic Water' was quite good. Discovered that putting a rough stone chipping base first, painting the stones, then adding the water led to a slight rippling effect on the finished surface.

That's a model?
If I were wearing one, I'd take my hat off to you, sir.

[silly moo]

If you want slightly choppy water this method is very cheap and effective.
https://youtu.be/2TwpB7sVMn8

For a flat surface ntpntpntp's method is very good. I did try resin on two occasions but in both cases it leaked     which made me rather unpopular. If you do decide on using resin products make sure you seal the area really well and put down something in case of leaks.

You can also use Perspex and the clear cellophane that comes in packaging for flat water.

[crewearpley40]

Both ntpntpntp and and andy wcml southern section used proven methods. I keep yacht varnish and green brown blue black paints, but methods already covered i used to achieve. Good luck

[bvm]

I have used the method referenced by silly moo and the results are illustrated in the current edition of the NGauge Journal in my article about the Rhine Valley layout. Very cheap and certainly effective if you follow the procedure in the UTube video.

Brian Martin

[ntpntpntp]

... current edition of the NGauge Journal in my article about the Rhine Valley layout.

Ooooh, as a German N modeller I'd like to see that    Sadly I lapsed my NGS membership quite a few years ago.  Got any piccies anywhere else which we can see?

[The Q]

I too many years ago got impatient and used varnish much too thick , it never set underneath and the centre was lower that the edges.

One of the things to get the water looking right is to match the conditions of the land, if you model a bright holiday scene with people on the beach. Then the water will be lighter less muddy, smaller waves.  a dark layout with autumnal colours will have darker water.

Also look at where you are modelling, for instance a highland freshwater loch has peat coloured water, But see through on a sunny day, dark almost black on a stormy day. A sea loch you can see to the bottom on a flat calm sunny day, just a hint of blue in the water. But cloudy overcast it will be grey.

In a harbour, if it's a muddy bottom it will be green / brown.

For my next water scene I'm modelling a pier in the sea off Tiree, on a sunny day. So, I'm going to attempt a clear plastic sheet with a ferry inset into the plastic. Then use yacht varnish (I have plenty of that for varnishing real sailing boats), to put a slight ripple on the surface. giving a view of the sandy /rocky bottom beneath  Will it work? I've no idea, but I'll keep trying till it looks right..

[Bealman]

Yes, if using gloss varnish, as I did, you just have to have patience and brush it on layer by layer, letting it dry each time.

A trick I learned from the Americans back in the seventies was to paint the riverbed black, feathering colour gradually up to the banks.

In conjunction with the gloss finish, this creates a low grade mirror, which reflects the colour of the sky, which is essentially what real bodies of water do in real life.