model river shots

fran1942

New Member
Hello, I am approaching completion of my river. It is just a generic canyon/gorge type river.
All criticisms (even negative ones) most welcome. It is hard to judge if you are heading in the right direction when you are working on a project by yourself with no external input.
I still need to add some water effects to the surface and tidy up the banks a little, but thought I would post some pics and ask for any feedback.
Thanks for looking. (made with Woodlands scenics ez water)
 

Attachments

  • RIVER5.jpg
    RIVER5.jpg
    65.6 KB · Views: 66
  • river6.jpg
    river6.jpg
    64.8 KB · Views: 64
  • river4.jpg
    river4.jpg
    66 KB · Views: 62

ezdays

Out AZ way
Wow, hard to say anything negative about these shots.:) Great modeling.:thumb: I can't wait to see the finished product.
 

TrainClown

Member
Looks real good! The only thing I might suggest is an A/I wash on the cliffs to bring out the details. A/I wash is made from 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol and 2 or 3 drops of black India ink. Washed over the rocks with a broad soft brush will allow the A/I to pool in low spots and cling to crevices. When it drys, it has quite a nice effect. The idea is to mix a weak solution and apply it in repeat washes to darken it to where you like. Let it dry between coats. This will also make your tressel look like it has seen a few years of service.

TrainClown ;)
 
N

nachoman

that's far better than I have ever been able to do with EZ water. Nice Job.

kevin
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
You probably need to dry brush some white on the river to get the feeling of rushing water, especially if the water is running around any rocks.
 

fran1942

New Member
thanks guys for the comments. Yes, a wash of india ink over the cliff and dry brushing white on the surface for turbulence effect are the next steps. Thanks for that advice.
Also need to establish more definitive river banks in areas.
 

sumpter250

multiscale modelbuilder
Also need to establish more definitive river banks in areas.

This is particularly obvious in your third photo... You caught it before I could say anything, :thumb: :thumb: The "realistic water" product from Woodland Scenics gives you a little more control than the EZ water. Both products are relatively thick, and their surface tensions cause a lot of "climb" ( makes the "water" appear to curve upward). with the Realistic water, you can use a fine bristle brush, and water to thin the product along the edges, so the "water" sits "in" its course.
Your first two shots are excellent! Well done! :thumb: :thumb:

that's far better than I have ever been able to do with EZ water.

I gave up on the EZ water very early on. I couldn't get it to do what I wanted it to.
Pete
 

Sir_Prize

Member
Maybe some bushes and "hanging on" trees on the gorge walls.
Other then the points you already said are your next steps...
SWEET!
 

CalFlash

Member
While we're on the subject of modeling rivers, I want to model a scene somewhat like:

river.jpg


The "pea" or "river rock" is smooth and fairly uniform in color as you can see. Ballast of any sort is out of the question as being to angular.
 
N

nachoman

beach sand. That is as rounded and uniform size and color as you are gonna get.

kevin
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
nachoman said:
beach sand. That is as rounded and uniform size and color as you are gonna get.

kevin

I'm not sure about beach sand unless it is from a lake. The salt in ocean sand might cause corrosion problems. I'm not sure what scale you are talking about modeling, but check out your local builder's supply (Lowes, Home Depot, Orchard, etc.) in the sand and gravel area. They will carry various sizes of aggregate from gravel to sand, as well as playbox sand. Also check out a pet store in the fish area to see if they have a gravel that is small enough. Also check out kitty litter to see if it might be the right size. For kitty litter, you want the cheap stuff without all the colored crystals in it. The last possibility that I can think of would be the absorbant used to pick up oil spills at your local autoparts store. The oil absorbant is pretty easy to crush, so if it is too big, and sand is too fine, and you can't find anything else in between, get some oil absorbant and crush it to the size you want.
 

hminky

Member
CalFlash said:
While we're on the subject of modeling rivers, I want to model a scene somewhat like:

river.jpg


The "pea" or "river rock" is smooth and fairly uniform in color as you can see. Ballast of any sort is out of the question as being to angular.

I have had good results with home improvement store sands

photo6.jpg


That is play sand ballast and screened paver sand for ground cover. I have a "what I did" at:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/gravel/

I find it is very versatile and can be screened into various configs.

Thank you if you visit
Harold
 

Marxed

Member
... if your looking for good dirt/sand, go out digging, i'm not sure of where you live, but if you can find some good dirt, take a bucket... typical baseball field dirt around would make really awsome smooth sand if applied right...

as for the river rock... go to a stream, get a bucket and dig away at the river bed, river stones are typically 20lbs stones or small round pebbles... you'll find a vast amount of tiny pebbles in the sediment layer that would work awsome in a river bed. just bring a strainer to help pick what you want from the sediment (loose dirt layer).... i cant think of anywhere better than a stream to get material to model a stream :D
 
N

nachoman

I think the problem is more of a rounding issue rather than a size issue. It is easy to sieve sediment to the proper size in HO scale. River gravel is typically well-rounded, with a median grain sizes between 20-40mm. In the stream in question, you are unlikely to see anything much larger than 256mm in diameter. Any boulders in such a stream would be rare. 40 mm in HO scale would be about 0.5 mm in diameter in actual size - the thickness of a mechanical pencil lead.

the problem with most natural materials, is that if you get to grain sizes that small, they will be angular and not rounded. The dominant minerals on the surface of the earth are quartz and feldspar, and at sizes of 0.5 mm, the grains are likely to be composed of individual mineral crystals. Feldspar will cleave into angular fragments and will not round easily. Quartz will round over time. So, if you want 0.5mm grains that are rounded, you need to look for quartz sand, that has been transported and rolled around enough to round the corners. that is why I suggested beach sand. Another possibility would be tiny glass beads. Ocean salt is soluable in water - so if you wash the sand it should be fine.

kevin
 

hminky

Member
Under examination most of the sand that I have used has the corners and edges rounded. HO sized sand is so small it wouldn't be noticable.

Harold
 
Top