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Can anyone link me to a tutorial or explain how to do water effects on a portion of a base? I'd like to paint and base my Tyranids like they're coming out of the ocean onto a beach, but I can't seem to find any tutorials on how to do that specifically. I think it would be really cool to also have it look like they were dripping water, but I'm not sure how to do that either.

Also, could someone help me with selecting colors and using techniques to make my bugs look a bit like this guy, https://aqua.org/-/media/Images/Animals/Mantis-Shrimp/animals-mantisshrimp-slide2-web.ashx

Thanks!

I couldn't find an all in one tutorial but all the elements are there.

I'd start by building up a slope on the base, maybe with milliput, to get the slope of the beach. Then glue and cover everything with fine sand.

Then how about this link for how to put water on half of the base?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFvmllcn82A

You just need to dam up the sides of the base and pour a water effect in until it starts lapping up the beach slope. If you want the nids coming out of the water then pin to the base first and then pour the water effect so it also comes up the foot/leg. Ignore the rest about scratching up etc to represent ice and you'll have water instead.

Last, you could add the foam using woodland scenic water effects. Plenty of scale modelling tutorials for that.

Thank you! That's really helpful.

Do you know of any good painting tutorials to help me achieve the effect I talked about in the first post, with the picture of the Mantis Shrimp?

If it is the neon effect you are after, try vallejo fluorescent paint mixed whit regular paint.

If you have an airbrush id say try the vallejo fluorescent.

Id do Prime white

Preshade with some "brighter" colors or possibly an transition color leaving the white exposed in the upper parts you want poppin fresh

then spray over the whole thing with the vallejo air line of fluorescent as they are transparent.

Ok, for beach bases -

sketch out about what you want to do, I would save more 'involved' bases for the characters or bigger models, and keep your slightly more plain ones for the troops. It makes less work, less cost, but keeps it interesting while keeping the army cohesive.

Some of the ones I've done:



These ones are made from using a gel medium (you can pretty easily use anything from spackle, to woodfiller really). The gel medium formed the basis of the 'seafloor'. I decided to use it because it was more opaque than other material which would have required painting. Then I put a small bit of different grade sands on the valleys formed between the peaks, glued down with simple PVA. After that I painted it a bit, mostly some shade ad simple drybrushing (agrax and zandri dust, followed by a small bit of kkaki or light tan).

Then I built the dam to contain the water effects - this is honestly one of the most important steps period. If it leaks, all your work goes to hell. Easiest way I've found to get a good leak proof barrier is to hotglue some plasticard strips around the base's sides. Since the base sides are angled it can make it a bit hard to work with but it's important to keep them level, so the water effects dry level as well.

Once that's all ready, I mixed some blue ink with the water effects I used. There are several versions you can use, I highly recommend using a two part epoxy however. Stuff like Woodland scenics, usually good for small bases, can leave more bubbles and react strangely I've found (that can also be down to the humidity of my climate). Also it's important to mix in a figure 8 shape - this introduces less bubbles generally. Once you have your mix, start pouring into your dammed bases. Allow to dry 24hrs (possibly more depending on climate, I've not had a problem usually they're dry before 12 hrs)

Note that if you want your critters standing on your base, in the water. Make sure you position them and affix them before pouring the water effects! And be ready to wipe some off. I've found using a large syringe to place the water effects helps immensely keep you from getting any on areas of your mini you don't want it on.



This guy was done pretty similarily on the main base. I built up the seafloor base, as though he were near the edge of the sea where the waves made ripples in the sandy bottom. I used the same gel medium to do this, same sand effect etc.

To get the water on the wheel I used the method described in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGF9_c08Z3g&t=176s

there are several others if you give it a look see - but basically you're taking gloss modge podge and cotton ball material (make sure you stretch it out) to form the wave or water in the shape you wish. For the droplets - I used a thin nylon sewing thread to hold some Vallejo Still Water which I dripped onto the thread very slowly. This takes a good bit of time, but you can slowly build up droplets doing this, which you can then pose with the thread, in ways that seem natural.

Some people also will use the still water dripped onto wax paper of another non stick surface, but that tends to flatten.

You can also melt the plastic from clear packaging (or such as the flying stands) to make 'glass', 'ice' or 'water droplets' as well. Be careful of the vapors if you choose to try this method! The fumes from such are not good for you and you should only do it in a well ventilated area, wearing your mask (And also because frankly melting plastic just stinks )

For just showing your critters as "wet" a simple gloss coat - say around areas that are standing in or near the water - can be enough to show this. You can also use 'ardcoat, or the still water.

If you have some extra money the vallejo water effects (which come in colours) are also very useful to make 'waves' - kind of a do it in one step, rather than using gel medium etc. I quite like it as well.

RE: your colours - eh, I'm not sure I can really help there except to say, take the picture with you when you look at some colours, and try to pick some close ones. Then, get a few units of your army built, and experiment. Practice makes perfect =D

Hope this helps! Good luck =D

Here is a link to a series of video tutorials on making a beach diorama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PI8K6iIqPE

Its probably a bit more involved than what you need for standard bases but gives a good idea of the process to make the beach and apply the water effects. If you have already got water effects products to make the bases with you can add some to the models once they are painted to make them appear wet as if they are coming out of the water.