Best Water Textures for Diorama

[Die_Maulquappe]

Hi, my 3 (first ever) dioramas are 99% complete.
Everyone has some water included.

I bought the vallejo water texture (2x 200ml) and used it as in the description.
Vallejo STILL WATER EFFECTS Texture Terrain Scenery Acrylic 200mls

It was really disappointing.
First issue ...i got some cracks. (ok i can cover that because the are small and i will add some small waves and plants on the water surface.

Secons issue...I shrinks at least 50%.

So is there a water texture that doesn t shrink so much.

I mean my small pond looks like a puddle...

thx 4 help

[Lizerd]

My best guess for this is to use say a fake water from some shop like walmart then possibly use a water texture over it with some paint mixed in for color. Or I maybe wrong, but that is my guess. Hope it helps.

[Lanthanotus]

"Quick Water" looks like a good option from what Kayakasaurus posted about, however, it does not seem to be available in Europe.

I used real water in my 2016 entry for the contest cause epoxy failed me completely, despite the product description saying it could be filled up to 1 litre, many centimeteres high and would shrink for only 1 or 2 %.

Glycerine soap is an option, though it get's nowhere near the possible quality and transparancy of acryl or epoxy.

[Therizinosaur]

Is the stuff from Woodland Scenics no good? I bought the realistic water and water effects for a diorama, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet.

[Lizerd]

It does work, I used a bit. As Lanthanotus pointed out real water can work well (Lanhanotus that diorama is actually amazing) as it can be easier to manipulate figures  in liquid and it also looks, real.

[Therizinosaur]

Thanks, that's good to know! I think I'll try the Woodland Scenics stuff out in a small test diorama before I decide if I'll use it for the bigger one or not.

[Lizerd]

You should probably start with a smaller in case you don't like it.

[Die_Maulquappe]

"Quick Water" looks like a good option from what Kayakasaurus posted about, however, it does not seem to be available in Europe.

I used real water in my 2016 entry for the contest cause epoxy failed me completely, despite the product description saying it could be filled up to 1 litre, many centimeteres high and would shrink for only 1 or 2 %.

Glycerine soap is an option, though it get's nowhere near the possible quality and transparancy of acryl or epoxy.

but your water scene got a giant crack too?!

[Lizerd]

Using fake water, no I have gotten no cracks. I say give it a try

[Syndicate Bias]

Clear resin?

[Lizerd]

No its stuff like this https://www.amazon.com/Floracraft-Quick-Water-Silks-Simulated/dp/B002XNN5NG/ref=as_at/?creativeASIN=B002XNN5NG&linkCode=w61&imprToken=76EqUTDAO-4YoS0JZFm8Ng&slotNum=0&ie=UTF8&qid=1534191779&sr=8-3&keywords=quick+water or this
https://www.amazon.com/Woodland-Scenics-Realistic-Water-WOOC1211/dp/B000A7PPOE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534291566&sr=8-1&keywords=woodland+scenics+realistic+water
You can also go cheap and use elmers glue clear and gel with various paint colors in it, makes a decent effect.

I don't trust most resins due to the one time I got some, looked at side effects (which included DEATH, nervous system depression, heart failure, and an evil load of nasty stuff) and said nope. So casting resin, just don't do it 

[Syndicate Bias]

No its stuff like this https://www.amazon.com/Floracraft-Quick-Water-Silks-Simulated/dp/B002XNN5NG/ref=as_at/?creativeASIN=B002XNN5NG&linkCode=w61&imprToken=76EqUTDAO-4YoS0JZFm8Ng&slotNum=0&ie=UTF8&qid=1534191779&sr=8-3&keywords=quick+water or this
https://www.amazon.com/Woodland-Scenics-Realistic-Water-WOOC1211/dp/B000A7PPOE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534291566&sr=8-1&keywords=woodland+scenics+realistic+water
You can also go cheap and use elmers glue clear and gel with various paint colors in it, makes a decent effect.

I don't trust most resins due to the one time I got some, looked at side effects (which included DEATH, nervous system depression, heart failure, and an evil load of nasty stuff) and said nope. So casting resin, just don't do it 

Nice, I prefer resin though if I can find my ceratosaurus base I can show you what I mean by how realistic it looks at least to me lol. But everyone's got a different approach to their crafts I guess lol

[Syndicate Bias]

My wife does model scenery and dioramas and recommends this. It dries much faster than woodland scenics and is much more affordable. It can be used over resin for waves and ripples, used to enhance waterfalls. It doesn't appear to shrink much with the correct application 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06Y4DLM7G/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_7?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

[Lizerd]

Now that I'm going to check out.

[Doug Watson]

No its stuff like this https://www.amazon.com/Floracraft-Quick-Water-Silks-Simulated/dp/B002XNN5NG/ref=as_at/?creativeASIN=B002XNN5NG&linkCode=w61&imprToken=76EqUTDAO-4YoS0JZFm8Ng&slotNum=0&ie=UTF8&qid=1534191779&sr=8-3&keywords=quick+water or this
https://www.amazon.com/Woodland-Scenics-Realistic-Water-WOOC1211/dp/B000A7PPOE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534291566&sr=8-1&keywords=woodland+scenics+realistic+water
You can also go cheap and use elmers glue clear and gel with various paint colors in it, makes a decent effect.

I don't trust most resins due to the one time I got some, looked at side effects (which included DEATH, nervous system depression, heart failure, and an evil load of nasty stuff) and said nope. So casting resin, just don't do it 

The first one is a two part urethane casting resin according to the description on Amazon hardener & resin. I couldn't find an MSDS online but I use urethane casting resins and I use a fume hood. My water clear urethane resin has an extensive list of possible hazards. A product like that should be used with good ventilation, preferably a fume hood. In the absence of good ventilation most urethanes require a respirator equipped with organic vapor cartridges or air-supplied respirator, but again consult the MSDS. And remember if you are using it in your home when you remove your respirator the fumes are still there for you, your family, pets etc. I always run my fume hood for a time after flash since resins off gas after curing.
The second one looks like an air drying acrylic but I would recommend reading all hazard warnings for all products and get the MSDS when possible.

[Lizerd]

Oh crap, its resin??? That stuff is spooky. I never used it but I heard it was good...
probably should stick to something safer, I dunno 

[Lanthanotus]

[...]

but your water scene got a giant crack too?!

The original diorama was filled with an epoxy I acquired after a long search on the net for the right material. Despite all promises the material failed me and caused that giant crack, shown in the post.

I built the whole diorama a second time and in lack of a material to trust in used real water to shoot the scene. The final photo is a composition of two shots from the same angle, one with water, one without.

The recommendation for Quick Water goes back to a post by Kayakasaurus (click), it seems to be the most reliable solution, but I did not try it myself as of yet.

Personally I used layers of polyurethane resin (1 component) for very small and shallow bodies of water and glycerine soap. While not as clear and somewhat difficult to cast (needs to be hot without bubbles and cools quite fast on certain surfaces which may cause unnatural transitions on submerged objects or "water" edges), the cooled soap can be comparably easily removed more or less completely, even from rough surfaces to give it another try if failed in a first attempt.

[Syndicate Bias]

Oh crap, its resin??? That stuff is spooky. I never used it but I heard it was good...
probably should stick to something safer, I dunno 

Yea you're probably right. You should be an adult to safely work with resin 

[Lizerd]

Lol, I'm a teen. I may monkey with scalpels and surgery tools but I don't trust resin, and thats saying something