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Asking to see if anybody has done this and maybe has a picture or two to share.

I'm looking to make terrain with small(ish) puddles of water. Since I don't plan to add much elevation to the ground (to conserve on dried earth paste, really) and not being sure if I want water effect (nor how it would look bordering on said dried earth) I've been considering just painting the base and adding satin varnish over it to make it look like a watery surface.

Anybody got any experience with this? Good idea? Bad idea? Possibly lacking depth to make it look like water?

You'd need gloss varnish. Applied selectively over a more matte surface it should work

Something like this? https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/698120.page

Gloss varnish (Vallejo or acrylic based) over painted mud textures.

As it shrinks as it dries, you don't need much of a recess.

cheapest solution, PVA glue, it dries clear.
paint the puddle with normal colours and then apply a layer of PVA over it.

Thanks for the advice, guys. I have both satin and gloss Vallejo varnish, but don't use them much and consequently lack the expertise. Gloss it is, then, provided I go this route.

 FrozenDwarf wrote:
cheapest solution, PVA glue, it dries clear.
paint the puddle with normal colours and then apply a layer of PVA over it.

This is interesting. I once emptied a bottle at the end of its life span to fill a fountain, but that ended up pretty thick and lost any transparency. Never thought about applying a thin layer of PVA glue like this. I'll have to try this. Thanks!

The first thing I would do is make the puddle "3d". The pics attached are of a pool which consists of a hole in the base, a small cut-out below the base and some filler to make the hole watertight. This then gives a ledge to work with. I painted the ledge the colour I wanted (here green) and then added some darker green to suggest depth. This was then covered in ardcoat to simulate water. I found this to be easier than water effects but I think you could experiment with them to get a wide range of gross water.

TLDR: cut hole, make watertight, paint, gloss coat.

I have also had good luck for shallow puddles with PVA glue. I have even gotten good cracked mud by mixing paint directly into the PVA. Try a little out first though, as thinner dries clearer.

PVA can discolour or cloud, depending on company.
The Vallejo works well but will go alarmingly blue while curing. Don't freak out, just let it dry and it goes clear again.

Yeah don't use pva. It doesn't look right. Invest in some water effects, or a resin if youre serious.

Thanks, guys.

Cutting a hole, yeah, that was the basic idea. I'll build up the terrain from its base, but it's mostly thin layers (of crackle paste and sand) according to current planning, without much of a chance to dig deeper, so I was looking for a way to put the puddles on as flat as possible.

As such I'll certainly endeavor to apply only a thin layer of PVA glue (if that ends up working out, of course).

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
PVA can discolour or cloud, depending on company.

Yeah, I'll definitely not do that without a test run of some sort.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Yeah don't use pva. It doesn't look right. Invest in some water effects, or a resin if youre serious.

Can you elaborate on how it doesn't look right?

I used water effect way back when, and wasn't too impressed. For diorama use, sure, fun stuff, but for wargaming terrain it wasn't nearly sturdy or user friendly enough. I remember a Hive Tyrant and Hormagaunts leaving base imprints in a swamp I made.

And no, I wouldn't describe this project as particularly serious. I'd like something that looks close enough, done with simple means and with practicality in mind. I want puddles because I think the idea is cool, they break up the terrain a little and add something to the terrain piece. Not because I want to take my modeling skills to the next level.

Let's see how this turns out.

And the result:



Seems reasonable to me. It's shiny, reflective, has depth and there's no noticeable clouding.

Things to note:

There are tiny air bubbles that need magnification or be viewed at just the right angle to see. Might be rectified by stirring the glue a little.

On topic of stirring, where I just poured it on it the glue leveled out admirably and left a smooth surface. Where I tried to stretch it out I failed to see that I thinned it too much and the surface ended up a little uneven. Not the end of the world on a test piece, but probably the most important thing to keep in mind for the real deal.

I put on the barrels first just to get the piece ready as quickly as possible. This gave the glue a surface against which it could accumulate and resulted in a somewhat visible incline of the surface close to the barrels. Ordinarily I would poor the glue on completely and then put the barrels in. That should give a better result.

Now that I know that it works, I'll have to figure out how to paint the bottom of the pool better.

most water effects will ride up onto surfaces. I dont think putting them in after pouring will stop that. all you can really do is pour another thinner layer that doesnt quite reach the edge of the first layer to allow for the expansion.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
also, pva wont yellow immediately, but over time. In your case it probably wont matter as its a dirty ish water anyway.

Ah, soyour concerns earlier were about yellowing over time. Makes sense. That wouldn't usually be desirable.

I figured perhaps if the glue's surface had started to dry a little so you get a of tension there that might get rid of some of that effect. Basically you create a small depression around the barrel that the dried surface holds and when the rest of the glue dries and shrinks, the effect won't be as noticeable. Just an idea. My hands are way too unsteady to apply a second layer and hope not to mess it up.

Can i hijack this thread for just 1 second.( i make too many threads ).

Since pva glue is being spoken about, does any one know if pva glue would be good for making a texture for lava? like doing "waves"


Thank you.


Edit - ( means i wouldn't have to get some modelling putty stuff or what ever. )


Edit 2 - Or is it bad to paint over pva glue with acrylic paint long term?

I don't know for certain how pure PVA glue acts in this regard, but one of the less thrilling effects I had when putting several layers on top of each other in combination with sand I got a stepped look. So I 'd say doing waves of lava by putting several layers of PVA glue on top of each other might work. I don't think it will look very voluminous, though, as the glue will only hold its shape up to a certain height before its own weight spreads it out further than you want.

I don't think painting over PVA glue should be a problem if you use primer. I've done that in small spots before and never had a problem. Admittedly I have no experience with larger surfaces.

 Geifer wrote:
I don't know for certain how pure PVA glue acts in this regard, but one of the less thrilling effects I had when putting several layers on top of each other in combination with sand I got a stepped look. So I 'd say doing waves of lava by putting several layers of PVA glue on top of each other might work. I don't think it will look very voluminous, though, as the glue will only hold its shape up to a certain height before its own weight spreads it out further than you want.

I don't think painting over PVA glue should be a problem if you use primer. I've done that in small spots before and never had a problem. Admittedly I have no experience with larger surfaces.

Thanks.