James River Branch: Water

Water, Part 2 of 3: Rushing Rivers

Unlike peaceful ponds, moving water is a bit more of a challenge to model effectively, although the actual process is relatively simple. My choice for modeling rushing water is a time-honored process of painting a smooth, flat surface with paint to simulate depth, then applying a layer of thick glossy medium that's shaped and stippled to create waves.

The James River has always been planned as the being topmost layer of the layout base, which is made from Gatorfoam. This material is smooth and waterproof, and is thus perfect for a water surface treatment.

Once the vast majority of layout construction was complete, I set about cleaning up the Gatorfoam surface, then painting it with acrylic paints, creating the illusion of various depths through the use of blended colors. I used a deep blue-grey for the bulk of the river, fading it to a paler, neutral grey along the banks.

When the acrylic paint dried, I began applying a series of coats of thick gloss artist's medium. I applied this gel-like material with a small, stiff-bristle brush so I can add texture by stippling it. This is done in a gentle arc from one shore of the river to the other to maintain a sense of flow.

I'll apply anywhere from three to five coats, depending on how rough I want the surface. Just before the final coat, however, I mixed a few drops of white acrylic paint into the gloss medium and applied it in random streaks here and there to create a whitewater effect. The final coat of clear medium diffuses these streaks to add depth and motion.

The surface of the river is the top of the layout base.

Acrylic paints are applied in various shades to simulate depth.

Thick gloss medium is dabbed onto the surface to create texture.

The final effect is achieved after multiple coats of gloss medium.