Ok, I did get around too redoing the river and I think the results are better. I used magic water and olive drab for color, I would like too add some ripples later.
Man that looks great. Nearly every MRR river winds up with ripples. Aside from the question of how you would add ripples after what you have has already dried, I'd say leave it. It really looks wet and murky. It's just a 'still' waterway. Maybe a small dam is closed up north. It doesn't have to be flowing...and the reflections look super, too.
Reminds me of a place back home. It's on a fair sized river where a Milwaukee Road branch line crossed with a steel truss. It is sheltered from wind, so there are rarely ever any ripples, yet a large volume of water is flowing by the viewer.
Looks good. Forget the ripples. They go better on a big pond or a wide body of water, or a harbor scene. What you most likely see is instead some swirls and eddies where the water passes around or over a submerged object like a rock or similar. Woodland Scenics water effects can be used for that. Just a thin coat on the surface and as it slowly sets work it into what you want with a stick or brush. You would have the effect of a very small bow wave as the water approaches an object like a bridge pier and the circular swirl as it moves past the downstream end of the object. Don't add color as the stuff dries semi transparent or transparent and the bottom color will show through.
Looks just fine to me. Colors can vary in the same river, depending on the light. Here in Montana, I live close to the Gallatin River which starts in Yellowstone park. At times it is blue, and in varied shades depending on the sunlight, but can change to a color like your river in short order if there are showers upstream and a lot of silt is let loose into the river. You did a great job and I agree with the others, leave it alone.
I agree on not changing a thing. Your results are outstanding! Could you explain the process you used for coloring, etc?
This is one band wagon I'm not getting a ride on. I see your good work and I think how lucky you where to get a photo of perfectly calm water when it is usually not. No problem if you can explain this calm to visitors. Here are two photos for all your enjoyment......or not.
Perfectly calm water happens, at times....even in ocean-fed bays. When I finally finish my container port scene, it will be done with perfectly calm water. The biggest reason is I have a thing about modeling "frozen motion". Waves move, so modeling them in a frozen state does not appeal to me as much (not that the example above does not look great). I also don't purchase figures or animals that are in positions of frozen motion. Instead I purchase figures and animals that are modeled in naturally still positions, which tend to imply impending motion. Personal preference, I guess.
You know,I was looking at HOexplorers excellent pics,and I realized that,in a pic,choppy water looks amazing,but in person,it's a little weird..Calm is calm,but frozen waves ? Hmmm...Now I realize why I only model lakes and ponds,LOL!!
The murkiness of the water is familiar to me as it appears to be a model of a stream about 1-2 days after a good rain and the runoff washed silt into the stream some of which is beginning to settle out. It will do that in calm water but not in moving water. I would leave it as it is with the one exception being to go back and touch up the edges where the resin has crept up on the banks and other objects in the water. All resins has a way of doing this but a little touch up and you are good to go.
I used Magic Water and I must say the best stuff and easy too use. For color I used olive drab, a little goes a long way. Pour it and it will level on it's own.
Did you mix the olive drab into the Magic Water before pouring? I ask because that's what it looks like you did versus painting the bed olive first, then pouring in the resin or whatever. What brand of olive drab did you use?
I mix the paint in with it and mix everything for a little over 5-6 mins, then pour. Stuff is great to use no bubbles, no odero etc. I used model master acrylic or you can also use a enamel. I used the WS realistic water and was not happy with it, with the Magic water you can pour it up too a 1/2 inch.
All of these resins are self leveling so you need to make sure the area where you want your stream or pond to be is level or else you face the prospect of having sloping water. I use the age old method of painting the bottom using black or a dark color for the deeper parts and feathering in lighter colors such as browns for the shallower areas. Bear in mind that all these resins will creep up on any objects they come in contact with such as bridge piers, rocks, logs, and the river/ stream/ lake/ pond banks so plan on going back and doing some touch up work to these items.
