What's missing ?

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Before I pour the water look at this picture and tell me what’s missing

It just doesn’t look right

I painted the center pullman green and the banks brown

and i streaked the rocks with a little white

but somethings still not right

2

it might just be the way my monitor is, but it doesn’t look “deep”…

perhaps make the riverbed darker as you move toward the center?

3

I’d try to build the banks up and more toward the center, thus narrowing the actual water channel, unless you’re trying to model a river as wide as the Mississippi.

4

I can add another coat of green in the center but i think black would be too drastic

thanks

5

I’ll try adding some more rock without gluing it down and see what it looks like

Thanks

6

Yeah, thats all I meant, just something darker - either darker green or muddy colors…

as it is (which may be caused by my monitor) it looks flat…

7

I join the more rock crowd. The rocks showing in the stream bed indicate a shallow stream. If that is the case the shore will be less even with rock out cropings and piles. This looks like the manufactured edge of the Mississippi where they build the shore line to hold the Milwaukee tracks. I would be inclined to just continue the rocks out into the stream for an uneven edge and add a lot of trees, brush and weeds.

8

Well it is flat, not the best picture either

but i thought the water would add some gloss

I don’t know this is my first attempt at water

9

Yep i think it is to straight. Brush and weeds i can do. Trees are a whole different thing

I haven’t learned how to make a good looking one yet.That’s why there are none on my layout .

10

We have all struggled with trees. I just decided one day I needed some, and they were time consuming but easy. I had best luck with Aggro’s filter on a stick and a variety of weeds and sticks with WS foam and micro fiber. Experment some and you may amaze yourself. We can surely help with those in that trees have been a big subject of disscussion lately.

11

How deep do you want the river to appear? If you want to show greater depth, darken the pullman green. To do this, paint the center again, but this time, work some black into the green. Keep adding the 2 colors as you work to lighten the bed as you approach the shoreline.

By varying the shadows and experimenting, you can have different effects such as some very deep channels or raised shallow spots (where you can show exposed rocks).

If you want any submerged or partially submerged objects this is the time to place them.

The areas around the bridge piers should be shallower and have some debris. After pouring, you can show movement, current turbulance by applying gloss medium to the spots needed.

12

I didn’t know you could change any thing after you poured the water like adding a gloss medium

can this medium be tinted if necessary ?

13

I agree. No sand bars or mudbanks, not near enough shoreline brush or water weeds. As someone else said the round rocks in the channel would indicate a very shallow slow moving stream. All of the rocks look too rounded like pebbles rather than rocks (rip rap) that would have been dumped along an engineered bank.

14

I will concur with all the previous advice :

There needs to be some darker areas to show depth changes.
The ‘rocks’ appear too uniform and ‘placed’ in possition.
The addition of scenic elements will detract from the straightness.
The small ‘rocks’ in the river take away from any depth illussion.

Also,

There is too much definition between the bank colour and the green in the middle, this needs to be blended more and not a sharp line, as the banks fade away into the water.

rivers can appear deep even with no actual depth, here is my previous one with just a 1/8" epoxy over the blended paint.

And then with more scenery added.

Water effects can definately be added ontop of the pour, WS makes a specific item for this, or you can use gloss medium (a clear gloss gel available @ art stores, expensive) or ModgePodgeGloss(white gel but dries clear gloss, available @ art stores/walmart/ect, cheap)

Water ripples added with ‘modgepodge’ (bottom right section of pic)

Also check out this site for some VERY convincing water modeling.

http://magnoliaroute.com/magnolia%20route.htm

Practice some techniques on a scrap of wood to find what works for you,

Karl.

15

Several thoughts come to mind:

If you’re modeling low water, the depth is fine. Try adding a long gravel bar or two, either parallel to the shoreline or extending out from the shoreline to the main channel. By gravel I mean fine ballast, not boulders.

If the center channel is intended to be navigable by anything that draws more water than a kayak, there shouldn’t be any boulders in or near it. That’s also where your “deep water” color should go.

If you’re modeling runoff just after a rainstorm, the water should be murky even if it isn’t moving very fast.

If you’re modeling a typical “river” from my part of the planet, you don’t need water. Just ballast the bottom of the channel and plant a few clumps of weeds. (All the rain tha has run off my 20-square roof in this calendar year would hardly fill a child’s backyard wading pool. For those unfamiliar with roofing terms, one square = 100 sq ft.)

Chuck (modeling a lush cedar forest in the middle of a full scale dessicated desert)

16

Thanks Karl lots of good advise ! Really enjoyed your layout pictures! lots of outstanding modeling there!

P.S. The guy driving what looks like an old Hudson Hornet it the very first photo

needs a ticket for being left of center LOL

17

Chuck

Your low water comment brings up the point that there are no high water marks

I’m not sure how to achieve that but it’s something to consider

Thanks

18

The depth issue is one thing. Gradually darkening the colour of the river bottom as it approaches the center is the way to solve this probem.

The other thing that I see here is that the rocks in the river have a “floating” quality to them. This is because they are sitting on top of the hard wood surface. No matter how flat the bottom of the rock is this will happen. The rocks must appear to have mass, and rocks with mass sit “in” the river bed, not “on” the river bed. You can add talus of assorted size around the larger rocks to give them weight, put a thin coat of plaster to embed the rocks in, or cast some rocks which would have a perfectly flat bottom.

Hope this helps, and asking forgiveness if I’m repeating other posts.

Trevor

19

ooooooooooook What is Talus ?