Imitation of water in bench modeling. Muddy waters of the Mekong Do-it-yourself imitation of the water surface
The eternal diorama question - how and from what to make water? - has probably puzzled everyone at least once. Moreover, no one will give a definite answer to it. The water in the diorama, unlike other objects, it seems to me, does not tolerate compromise - in the end it is either similar or not. There can be no average. Just as there cannot be only one true technological solution this task - after all, a puddle, a waterfall, an ocean surf, a quiet backwater, mountain river- this is all water in its countless and magnificent manifestations. This problem must be solved anew every time.
I'll tell you how I imitated water in a specific case. For anything else, this solution will be useless, but I will be glad if it helps someone and leads to new thoughts and discoveries.
The idea of the diorama lay on the surface - there was an excellent Dragon set of "Navy Seals", there was a Dragon LSSC boat. What else remained to be done - of course, landing on the shore. Enough for a simple plot, but to complete it I wanted to fill the composition with an exciting mood. I decided to create the effect of silence - in literature and films it is often mentioned that when going into the jungle for an operation, group members maintained silence, using sign language. This determined minor alterations of the figures. It is clear that water needs to be made, but what kind of water should be made? Probably also quiet, calm, splashing along the side of a rocking boat.
Of all the materials I had at my disposal, epoxy resin was the most suitable for this. But experiments with its traditional use (and, naturally, the traditional shrinkage meniscus along the perimeter and ubiquitous bubbles) were not encouraging. But who said that this should be the surface and not the underside of the simulated water? If epoxy is used to cast excellent, delicate parts, why can't it be water cast as a part "face down" into a modeled mold. The material for the mold was aluminum foil. I used a blank offset plate (it is used as a plate in printing presses, you can purchase it in stores that sell printing supplies). The sheet size is enough for a full-fledged diorama, but one can only dream of such surface quality, evenness and thickness of the metal.
First you need to draw on the foil the outline of the diorama, the outline of the coastline and the “spot” of the boat. To do this, you need to make a template in a sheet of cardboard - a section of the ship's hull along the waterline. It is desirable to ensure that the body fits into this template clearly, tightly and without gaps as accurately as possible. All parts below the waterline that form negative angles must be removed.
The plate is too hard, so it must be annealed over a flame gas stove. I placed the annealed sheet (the size of the pond on the diorama plus an allowance of a few centimeters on each side) on a backing consisting of a piece of chipboard folded in several layers thick fabric. I secured this “sandwich” around the perimeter with slats nailed to the chipboard.
Now comes the real creativity in pure form. To create the relief, I used the entire range of spoons available in the kitchen. The canteen and tea room were mainly useful. With the large one I set the main rhythm and plasticity, with the small one I worked out the individual waves. It didn’t work out the first time - I got carried away and went overboard with the depth of the relief and somehow didn’t “catch” the character of the waves. So brevity and brevity again. The finished form can now be cut out along the intended perimeter and glued “face down” onto chipboard or plywood - after all, despite the wavy relief, the water remains a flat plane. I glued it with “Moment” and for extra confidence I put a press (book) on top.
After this, we need to sculpt a side from plasticine that limits the cut of the coastline and the opening into which we will then insert the boat. In the case of a ship, this must be done as accurately and carefully as possible. It’s easier to get or cut plasticine and spend an extra half hour than to then spend a long and tedious time sharpening an epoxy casting. I limited the smooth sides with strips of glass, which were again fastened with plasticine.
The mold is ready for casting, so the surface must be perfectly smooth and clean, because all this will then remain on the surface of the water. Since I imitated a muddy tropical river (remember “Apocalypse”?), I didn’t need to create a depth effect, it was enough to convey the color and plastic dirty water. For casting I needed two standard EAF kits. I tinted the first layer that will create the front surface oil paint. By varying the amount of pigment, different transparency can be achieved. In my case, I didn’t skimp. It is better to dilute the resins with a margin so that the first tinted layer completely hides the relief of the waves. In principle, you can fill everything at once without making layers.
Just to be on the safe side, I reinforced the second layer of the casting with pieces of fiberglass twine. After polymerization, you can remove the mold and completely remove the remaining plasticine with acetone. Now our accuracy when applying plasticine will come back to haunt us - let’s try to launch the ship. There may be gaps - I hope it’s clear from the drawing how to fix them. The boat should “sit” in the water like a glove.
Let's assume that everything worked out and now it won't be difficult to include water in the fabric of the diorama. To bring water to condition, you need to make its surface glossy. I achieved this effect with car varnish - I decanted it from an aerosol can and blew it through an airbrush. It is better to blow in thin layers, allowing each layer to dry thoroughly so that the varnish does not pool in the recesses. To prevent dust from settling on the wet varnish, it is better to cover the diorama with a suitable box before drying. The layer ended up being rather large; I polished it with automotive polishing paste and fixing polish. I imitated the flakes of dirty foam at the sides and near the shore using thick tempera. I had to drill a lot of holes for the reeds; this required several 0.5 mm drill bits, which broke terribly. But, in my opinion, these are all minor things compared to the final result.
So, at home we found:
1. Acrylic varnish, transparent, glossy.
2. Glue Moment Crystal.
3. Parquet varnish, colorless, glossy.
4. Glue BF-6, medical
5. Children's stained glass paints (well, on glass they are almost transparent)
6. Silicone sealant, transparent
7. Liquid nails (It seems like a moment), also a transparent option.
8. Titan glue (I bought it while I was looking for epoxy, just in case)
The containers are wire spools, the thickness of the poured layer is approximately 5mm (to the edges).
Photo after pouring and photo after 5 days (which has dried)) During the pouring process, I sprinkled all sorts of glitter, beads, and tried to tint it with stained glass paints. In general, see for yourself what happened (there are a lot of photos))))
Acrylic varnish. Colorless (when it dries), I threw the beads on the bottom, I didn’t risk tinting it (let the transparent layer dry first!).
It turned out to be garbage... :(There were some holes left. The varnish itself did not become transparent. Plus it dried out twice as much. Yes, it took three days to dry...
Moment crystal. It poured beautifully, mixed well with the stained glass paint, but there were a lot of bubbles inside (I don’t think it was from my mixing with the paint, it’s just the moment), I threw in a bead.
Dried quickly. The next day was dry. As the bubbles dried, all half a centimeter of glue dried into a thin bubble film in the shape of the container))) Well, if you imitate swamp mud))))
Parquet varnish... Well, apparently it is colorless on parquet)))) It mixed well with sparkles and beads, did not become cloudy, there was no reaction.
I didn’t make friends with stained glass paint; it turned out to be a cloudy substance (in the upper right compartment). But the droplets of paint (if not stirred) fell very beautifully (in the photo, blue, like beads - this is stained glass paint)
Oooooh... it's still drying.... 5 days is not a long time. Although you can pick at the top with your fingernail :) but it’s still soft inside.
The color is not colorless. During the drying process, some large air bubbles appeared. Droplets of paint spread (looks very nice in reality). In principle, I liked it. If not yellow, then it could be poured in several layers.
In general, there is something to dream about).
By the way, it didn’t shrink very much. The level fell by 1/4 of the initial volume.
Glue BF-6, regular, medical. In general, I really liked it - it mixed well with the paint, there were no bubbles. The bead is not visible)))
Dried for two days. Dried into a charming film))) In general, it’s not suitable for a lake, but it can be used for some other crafts (in our country they make trees from PVA)
Stained glass paints. Too dark... Apparently that's why they are stained glass, so that they can be applied to transparent products...
It took three days to dry. It turned out very interesting, but not suitable for the lake. But some kind of puddle can be depicted) After drying, the volume did not change much.
Transparent liquid nails (left) and transparent silicone sealant (right). Stained glass paint They refused to paint it))) It became lumps in the sealant, and they didn’t even pour it into the nails...
Bottom line: if the sealant can also roll under the water surface (slightly cloudy), then another use can be found for the nails (they are not particularly transparent with such a layer after five days, maybe dry it yet?)
The volume hasn't changed at all.
Dry for three or four days. The volume has decreased by half. The sparkles partially dissolved into bubbles (apparently some kind of reaction took place). The result was a translucent bubbly mass. Looks nicer in reality than in the photo. The glue that I added along the edges dried normally. In principle, if you pour carefully, you can avoid bubbles. It is better to pour it in several layers (after drying the previous one)
HEALTH TO ALL!
What are special means and how to “fight” them?
Vallejo Water effects an acrylic product designed to form the foundation of rivers, lakes, bays and oceans. Vallejo Still water being a dense gel, ideal for simulating the surface of water on colored base created using Water effects, and can also be used to create waterfalls, waves, ripples and ice.
For imitation water apply a small layer onto the prepared surface with a brush, scraper, sponge or any other tool. Water effects and left to dry completely.
Its drying time depends on the thickness of the applied layer, the humidity of the atmosphere in the room, and can vary from one to several hours.
After the surface has completely dried, apply it with an old wide brush. Still water to create water shine, ripples and transparency effects.
The advantages of this product are its ease of use, non-toxicity and the ability to mix with acrylic paints to create different shades. However, there are two significant drawbacks such as big time drying time up to 24 hours and large shrinkage after drying. Therefore, if you want to do quite deep water, then apply Still water should be done in several layers.
Vallejo Still water is simple, but not perfect and if you pay attention great importance water on a diorama, it's not the best choice. But if you use water in limited quantities and as a secondary object, this is the product for you.
In about a day Still water dries and water on diorama takes on a transparent and shiny appearance.
In my opinion, this method is suitable for replacing the stand-holder of a model in a small area, as in the photo below.
As an alternative to the above, I will lay out the procedure for making such a unique stand from a Polish modeler under the nickname ARBAL
Let's admire it together, and I just comment on each photo ( with an almost literal translation from Polish done by Alexshow) :
We prepare the stand by modeling the shape sea waves using mass-Milliput. (Epoxy plasticine for modeling - milliput)
Coloring the simulated waves. I (author - ARBAL ) mixed the paint, various shades turquoise and gray. Waves, draw in compliance with all the rules of miniature painting, or pay attention to shadows and light. Color transitions don't have to be done perfectly. Finally, let's deepen the effect achieved by using a faint gray tint.
When the paint dried I covered the entire surface Transparent Water effect ( Effect clear water).
(We looked at the ready-made ones above of blue color mixtures - Alexshow)
Keep in mind not to spread a layer too thick because it may take a few days to dry out! I put a 3.4 mm layer. Currently, it's winter, so I placed the stand on a heater to speed up the drying process.
After 8 hours, the effect is completely dry.
I applied another layer of clear water in the same manner as in the third photo. (before this, he applied white paint with a dry brush to the problematic areas in his opinion - Alexshow)
When the second layer has dried:
I made a mixture of white paint with Transparent Water effect.
Spread the prepared mixture in places where water should produce foam. And left it to dry.
I painted the sides of the stand black to create a natural contrast. Work is done.
- Diorama - imitation of water using Vallejo Water effects and Vallejo Still water (part 3)
I present to your attention one of the ways to simulate waves on the surface of a reservoir using epoxy resin. The method is a modification of V. Demchenko’s method, described in the article “Water Imitation”. In this article, the author describes a method for making wavy water relief by casting epoxy resin into an aluminum mold in one step. Note that the method is very sensitive to the quality of the injection mold (even Demchenko himself did not succeed the first time), and also requires a large amount of resin.
The method I propose differs in that the formation process water surface is divided into two stages - preliminary (casting a rough plaster mold) and finishing (forming a relief with epoxy resin directly on the gypsum casting). This method, naturally, somewhat lengthens the work in time, but it is cheaper and is quite accessible to not very experienced modellers. So let's begin. I’ll make a reservation right away that I will write in as much detail as possible, since the article is addressed specifically to novice modelers.
We decide on the dimensions of the future diorama. I use standard photo frames (photo 1). Next, you will need a special device - a board with an even layer of plasticine applied with a thickness of about 5 mm and an area sufficient to complete the required casting. On this board, with the blunt end of a brush, we draw out the future water relief in plasticine (photo 2). Cover the board with a layer of thin food-grade aluminum foil and roll the relief formed on plasticine into it with your finger (photo 3). This allows you to smooth out the relief and make it more realistic. Using rulers fastened with plasticine, we form a bath for plaster casting according to the dimensions of the future diorama (photo 4). The rulers should be sunk into plasticine so that the plaster does not spread. We dilute gypsum (alabaster) by adding and kneading small portions of powder in water until creamy. The water can be pre-tinted with a dye (photo 5), for example this one (photo 6). Pour the resulting creamy solution into the mold and wait for it to harden (photo 7). I let the casting dry for about a day.
So, the next day we have a finished casting, which we fix to the frame (photo 8) using glue, for example this (photo 9). First, you need to glue an insert of 2 mm plastic into the frame as the bottom of the future diorama (photo 10). We paint it with acrylic paints in the colors of the water that we want to see on the diorama. I chose dark brown and dark greenish shades because I am making the base for a small peat bog (photo 11). Let the paint dry for about a day. The next day we decorate the ends of the future diorama with thin plastic (photo 12). IN in this case I used clear plastic from some packaging. The sides should protrude above the surface by at least 3-5 mm to form a bath for filling the surface with epoxy resin (photo 13).
Cooking epoxy resin(photo 14). We act according to the instructions. First, we heat a larger vessel with resin in a water bath to 40-50 degrees (but no more!) so that it flows better. Pour the required amount of resin into a disposable cup. It is easy to calculate this amount. The resin layer should be small - 2-3 mm. If the base size is 13x13 cm like mine, then the volume will be 13x13x0.3 = 50 ml - a quarter of a glass. Next, add the hardener in small parts in the recommended proportions, mix everything thoroughly. To accurately dose the hardener, it is convenient to use a syringe. Let the composition sit a little so that the main air bubbles come out, and then fill the surface of the base with epoxy (photo 15). It can be seen that there are still quite a lot of bubbles. We remove them with a toothpick (photo 16). This will take about half an hour.
The next stage is the actual formation of the relief. It is obvious that the epoxy spread in an even layer (photo 17). But we can easily restore the relief if we tilt the base at an angle (Fig. 18). As long as the epoxy is fluid, the relief will disappear. Therefore, the most important thing is not to miss the moment when it begins to solidify. How much time will pass until this moment from the start of preparation of the composition depends on the amount of added hardener. Therefore, I recommend determining this point experimentally. In my case, the epoxy began to set after 2.5 hours. Next, you should cast a spell, tilting the base, for 15-20 minutes until the movement of the resin stops (photo 19). I note that the degree of inclination is easy to control the depth of the relief, making the waves insignificant or, on the contrary, noticeable. Complete hardening occurs within a day (photo 20).
So, we have a blank with a realistic water relief for further work on the diorama. The labor intensity of the method in pure time is four to five hours, of which three hours are witchcraft over the hardening epoxy. The advantages of the method include a small amount of resin used, high reliability of the formed relief, since it occurs during the natural wave-like movement of the resin during its hardening. And the third plus. If we want to drill a hole in the base, for example to plant reeds, we only have to drill a thin layer of resin. This allows you to significantly save on thin drills when further working with the diorama. This method was used when working with the “Wet Place” diorama. There were no losses when drilling the base for the reeds.
