I’m starting to think about the bay on my Moose Bay layout. I’ve seen great stuff by members who say they’ve used “gloss medium” to create ripples. I’ve also heard of using Modge Podge.
Are these the same thing? The local A.C. Moore doesn’t have Gloss Medium, but they do have Modge Podge. Also, is Gloss Medium normally something thick that stands up, or is there a special “gel” variety that I should look for?
Finally, there are a few different flavors of Modge Podge. Which is the right one, if any?
Have you seen the new Dave Frary DVD on water effects? It is really good and he has a section on making a bay complete with ripples and waves. Since he is from your neck-of-the-woods you will understand the brogue as well [:D]
Gloss medium is more likely to be found at an art supply store than a paint shop. It comes in thick liquid or gel form and for my purposes - the gentle swirls of moving water on a sleepy creek to avoid the “sheet of glass” look - the liquid seems the best bet. For more aggressive wave action I suppose the gel would be better but I have not tried it myself.
Modge Podge comes in matte, satin and gloss. Get the gloss. Use a wide fan brush to apply and shape waves using a consistant wind direction. When dry apply white caps sparingly using a dry brush technique.Maybe a little waves along the shoreline too.You should already have your beach material in place . Oh ! I almost for got if you are painting on plywood, I fill the grain with either spackle or thinned drywall cement then sand back smooth. Then I prime with latex Kilz and then paint the desired color of water using CeramCoat acrylics.
Wal-Mart sells a product called Mod Podge. I’ve used the glossy medium and it goes on white, like Elmer’s Glue All, but dries crystal clear. Years ago, I saw a method for making a drain pipe. Using a long thin triangle of scotch tape. Attach the wide end of it to the inside of the drain pipe and attach the pointed end to the scenery below. Brush on layers of the Mod Podge until the desired effect is reached.
I tried the Modge Podge on my N scale layout and didn’t really like the effect. I was trying to make a small winding creek and it didn’t work exactly as I wanted it to. I ended up getting Woodland Scenics Realistic Water, a bit pricey at $16 a bottle, but even after making what I thought was a very big pour I still had almost 3\4 of a bottle.
I will be using the Modge Podge for other water projects but I will probaby use it as a ‘‘white water\rough water’’ type of pour. My intial results with it were very promising, just not exactly what I wanted for my N scale layout.
