Modeling Dramatic Scale Water Effects | River Road - Vlog #88

[@vincenthuying98]

Dear Boomer, Absolutely agree on the Golden products. They got an amazing range. So, on the water, with the resin pours, it’s not just the creeping characteristic which sets me off. It’s also the lack of illusion of refraction. The resins just make this thick plexiglass like layer, which our eyes just look straight into. Very experienced modelers might be able to achieve some refraction effects with these products, but most us just aren’t apt to use these materials so effectively. What I really like about your version of the Fraser river, is the illusion of refraction you’re able to achieve in such a thin layer of paint and GAC. Your depiction of the water shows that such effects don’t depend on a thick layer of resin, but on the imagination of the painter. And as you’ve shown in the vid on painting the surface, it isn’t that hard to achieve. Think the painting method is also an excellent opportunity for people to improve their painting skills, instead of relying on the one stop illusionary easy solution. Lastly, and back to Golden, what I’ve heard a lot about different resin pours over the years is that these products are highly prone to discoloration and are indeed avid dust particle collectors. Although I can’t say I’ve got years of experience with the Golden products, I can definitely say that the surfaces I create with it don’t attract more dust than average. Plus, on trueness of color, well, I humbly think that’s why they called themselves Golden. Don’t see any discoloration, even with models exposed to direct sunlight. And, in addition, models I painted with cheap-ass acrylics and later covered with just a thin layer of Golden really improves the durability of the models. So, to close, having become acquainted with the Golden brand through your videos makes me into a grateful viewer and modeler. Thanks 🙏 again for sharing.

[@boomerdiorama]

Well said! Most Golden products have UV protection built in because they know they are dealing with professional artists. Cheers ~ Boomer.

[@FarlandHowe]

Yes, I wondered what you had used for the river. Thank you

[@boomerdiorama]

You’re welcome 😊

[@painter662]

Thanks for the tip on GAC 500. I am a Painter with a closet full of acrylic mediums… and yes I have experimented with using my art stuff on the railroad at times… I simply had not thought of that one yet. But watching your videos on the river, I was amazed at how beautiful your effects were. And yes it is far easier than the hobby prescribed methods. Thanks

[@boomerdiorama]

You are welcome. Paint is beautiful in the hands of the willing. ;-) Cheers.

[@philRminiatures]

Impressive water effect...and the banks are breathtakingly realistic!👍👍

[@boomerdiorama]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@stevenz4432]

I have used Golden products for awhile in the arts and am quickly utilizing it now in the modeling industry as the effects like you’ve mentioned are literally incredible. Thanks for sharing

[@boomerdiorama]

I love hearing other testimonies of the product as used in the hobby. I mean why not? 😉

[@Vader15013]

Thank you so much for sharing wisdom. You're a walking, talking word in season. It's like my old books manifesting in skills right before my eyes. Thank you again, for all your efforts, to teach the way that you do.

[@boomerdiorama]

You are welcome Gabriel. It is always nice to hear when someone benefits in the community to the greater enjoyment of their hobby. Cheers ~ Boomer.

[@michaelparsons8962]

Thank you so much for this video. I don’t want to risk my layout to a resin pore. Was planing on trying paint and gloss water based polyurethane when I found this video. You now have a new subscriber

[@boomerdiorama]

Thank you for the sub. You are so welcome! You will find acrylic paint and resin is much safer to apply and easy to fix as well. Even if you don't like how the color turns out you can re-paint it and re-apply "gloss" gel (GAC500) over-and-over again. Furthermore, if you stay with Golden, everyone of their products is compatible without risk as well. Cheers and welcome aboard. ~ Boomer.

[@jerrysmith1929]

I had been a doubter of gloss medium and always used resin. Then a couple years ago I was asked by a friend to upgrade water features on his large Lionel layout. I had to retrofit a lake which simply had been painted on a flat surface. There was nothing to contain a resin pour. Gloss medium was the only option. It worked fine and had all of the benefits you mention. In the future I'll use resin only where it is critical features at the bottom of a water feature must remain visible.

[@boomerdiorama]

I find ways to skip resin, but whatever floats the boat. I have used resin in the past so get why people use it for sure. Cheers.

[@jerrysmith1929]

@@boomerdiorama It would be rare where submerged objects would need to be visible.

[@PostmoderneModelWorks]

I had so much fun doing this technique even though it was a small patch. Painting the base and building layers gave my little puddle depth and great realism. Thanks again.

[@boomerdiorama]

Great to hear!

[@4everdc302]

CLASS DISMISSED!🔔 Just stupendous Boomer. Thank you for your post 🚂🚃🚃🚃🇨🇦

[@boomerdiorama]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@dougkathydavies3024]

I sure wish we could get that stuff up here in the north. Our local craft store doesn't carry it and they can't get it from their supplier for some reason. This is the best method I've seen for doing rivers. Not sure it would work for fast-flowing creeks though.

[@boomerdiorama]

I'm doing a fast flowing creek with it. You can build it up in layers easy.

[@dougkathydavies3024]

@@boomerdiorama I sure hope you plan on posting a video of that process as well.

[@bobdutka1176]

Awsome vid! Definitely going to try this! Thanks again for sharing.👍😁

[@boomerdiorama]

Have fun!

[@thecnwmondovilinepaulscota7304]

I loved the video where you first did the water. My layout will cross a small creek or two and have a trestle crossing over a slow moving river as well. I will give this a try when I get to that point.

[@boomerdiorama]

Your layout sounds cool! Love the water feature for sure. Cheers.

[@johnarthur6302]

I knew you didn’t use resin but this break down is super helpful. I’ve got a trackside ditch I want to add some puddles to, thinking the 500 or maybe lower is the way to go? Want to give your method a shot.

[@boomerdiorama]

I have a trackside creek in the making as well which I will be using Golden Gels for the water.

[@ausfoodgarden]

That product looks good. I'd much rather try that than a resin pour and it sounds like it has advantages for the top coat as well. I'd better go find the videos where you made that river. Cheers!

[@boomerdiorama]

It's a fantastic top coat! It is also great for building up little creeks and puddles as well. ;-)

[@DungeonStudio]

Amazing how deep it all looks. I thought for sure you must've lowered it's area by an inch or more to get that effect.

[@boomerdiorama]

It's only as thick as the gel layer which is 1-2 mm. ;-)

[@MRR_Shadowolf]

Another great video tip. Definitely using this for my water features, understanding there may be consideration for other approaches/techniques/materials depending on situation. Another 'tool' for my kit bag. Well done as always!

[@boomerdiorama]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tomspettel3646]

I went up to east portal with my wife and took a bunch of pics to try out your technique for modeling trees and water. The river will be a bit different but i want to give it a try

[@boomerdiorama]

That is awesome!

[@205004gs]

Thank You Sir! Just about to paint the small creek that's running through one end of my switching layout. With it only being about 3-4 inches wide, hopefully I can get it to look decent. Super great tutorial. Cheers to you as well!👍

[@boomerdiorama]

I just copy a photo for color and gloss it up some, and it works! Cheers.

[@ericcoughlan]

I have gone out and bought a number of the Golden products after your full video on doing the water effect, but the one item that I have not been able to buy here in Australia is the GAC 500. I have asked one of the Art Supply stores that stock Golden products to get some in for me, but they are having problems getting any supplies from the US. I have also used the Liquitex Glazing Medium to great effect in some small stream scenarios. Definitely, using art supplies has expanded my repertoire for scenery work.

[@boomerdiorama]

Any of the other glazing gels will do. Thera are plenty of options. GAC 500 is just one of them.

[@tracksidemike]

Thanks for sharing Boomer Diorama going have to find this product. I have used bar counter top poxy. It’s a mess sealing everything up first. Going to see if I can find this stuff and try it out. Keep up the great work.

[@boomerdiorama]

Thank You. Cheers.

[@raysrails2164]

Outstanding I'm redoing my water soon on my train layout thanks for the ideas.

[@boomerdiorama]

Have fun!

[@rhythmrailroad1101]

You convinced me! I’m definitely going to take your advice and go with the GOLDEN products to create my water scene. I appreciate your advice on my last video. Your work is INCREDIBLE, and I’m looking forward to experimenting using your techniques. Thanks again.

[@boomerdiorama]

Sounds good. Try a test piece first though. Cheers ~ Boomer.

[@ianmillard1573]

Hi Boomer .... Interesting that you say the GAC500 can be used over a resin pour. I wish I had found your channel back when I did my creek pour. Do you think putting a layer of the Olive paint on top of the resin then the GAC500 would work? I was never happy with the colours I painted the creek bed with to start with. Cheers, Ian.

[@boomerdiorama]

Yes of course. However, I can't make the decision for you . . . lol. I will be using this method for the creek I model on section two. Cheers.

[@boomerdiorama]

When you apply Golden GAC 500 it looks "milky" white at first. It takes a few hours to set up and clear. Cure time is over a few weeks. Here is the how-to video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4S7hXSDd66bha8

[@click4mrh]

in which episode did you actually do the river?

[@boomerdiorama]

@@click4mrh kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4S7hXSDd66bha8

[@click4mrh]

@@boomerdiorama thank you sir, I know what I'll be doing for the next 40 minutes

[@TheLocutus70]

I was going to do resin on mine until i saw how you did your water.

[@boomerdiorama]

Water color works well if it is the color it looks in the shade. Try dark Olive with Gloss Gel over top. Blue never works well.

[@giulius7176]

Great results!! About how much coverage do you get from that size bottle?

[@boomerdiorama]

Most of the bottle for this area. You can use it over top of heavier gels as well.

[@VauxhallRailfan]

Glad i came across this. Wasn’t really looking forward to spending €38 ($56) on woodlands scenics water stuff. So all i would have to do is paint the base in some colours and pour that gac 500 over it and voila? Or are you supposed to mix the gac 500 with paint?

[@boomerdiorama]

GAC 500 is not for pouring.

[@VauxhallRailfan]

@@boomerdiorama wait what

[@VauxhallRailfan]

Oh sorry i think i meant apply not pour

[@JRossHunter]

Would you make a playlist of all your river related videos?

[@boomerdiorama]

Could do but for now they are under scenery tutorials. ;-)

[@JRossHunter]

@@boomerdiorama Thanks. I'll look there. They are very nice.

[@boomerdiorama]

@@JRossHunter Cheers ;-)

[@bobainsworth5057]

As rays rails said , I'm redoing ,over the top of my resin, but not the stuff on the floor , my water.

[@boomerdiorama]

It's perfect for restoring water or any glossy surface. You can't tell when you patch with it as well. ;-)

[@hondachopper6978]

The Rembrandt of Water. Others may be thinking it but how much did that bottle cost?

[@boomerdiorama]

15.00 bucks.

[@lilactreehouse]

Walking on water.

[@boomerdiorama]

Lol . . . ;-)

[@luvindemtrains]

No doubt your water is wonderful. However I'm trying to envision using this medium over an area that is not smooth. For instance a creek bed that has rocks and sand or one that has a plaster bed. Is there another product from Golden that would be appropriate or would this GAC 500 work?

[@boomerdiorama]

This surface was not smooth. GAC 500 is high viscosity and I will be trying with my creek and pools on section two. Try Golden Regular Gel Gloss # 3020 - 5 and thin with GAC 500 and you will have it all covered. GAC 500 can be used to thin down other thicker clear gloss gels, etc.

[@luvindemtrains]

Thank you!@@boomerdiorama

[@rhodesj1893]

Hey boomer, can you add color pigment to the gac for an element of translucency? And how does it take to being layered on to dried versions of itself? I.e... a sea blue mix poured over a dried aquamarine mix

[@boomerdiorama]

Yes you can add any water-based acrylic to it. You can thin it with water. You can tint it. You can blend layers on top in multiple layers and it all blends in perfectly over dry as well. I used it for the storm drain creek as well and it looks awesome. I can't wait to do the cascading creek pools with it on section two. ;-)

[@rhodesj1893]

@@boomerdiorama can't wait to see that! Offset pools with minor falls filling the next at odd angles... possibly a small trickle of water with a drop off in the middle connecting two pools...telling ya, I'm thanking of hanging up the RR and just do diaramas of places I haven't been yet! Love the art of it! Cheers, man

[@keithiritsky1426]

OK, I purchased everything I need in Golden products, from watching Your videos. I picked up some Vallejo paints to use for my channel project. The paint I got was Vallejo Model Color. I noticed that You used Model Air. Will I have to adjust the technique due to the paint being thicker, and is Model Color more matte than Model Air?

[@boomerdiorama]

I believe Model Color and Model Air have their own specific colors. They are generally "matte" in finish unless otherwise stated and come from the same company - Vallejo as water based acrylic. Vallejo does require their own thinner for airbrush - Tamiya does not. Any of them can be thinned, made matte, semi-gloss, and gloss. This is the tutorial covering the water effects: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4S7hXSDd66bha8

[@keithiritsky1426]

@@boomerdiorama Thanks for the reply. Now to do some test plates.

[@cattaraugustonawanda4426]

Golden products are truly quality and for matte/gloss medium are my go to. I would disagree with you and others regarding acrylic medium vs resin. To me it is a choice between both depending on specific use. For your large river it works great but for some tiny bodies of water like an eastern spring brook resin may be a better choice since I need good self leveling and clarity. The creep of resin works well if modeling a stream in a shale stream bed where water is drawn into the shale. I don't like the toxicity of resin but resin has improved in terms of lower VOCs and having decent ventilation I'm not worried. I model north eastern US which means deciduous trees and though your coniferous trees look outstanding I would love to see how you model deciduous trees. I need a couple hundred so need to get good at it fast.

[@danielbanks7500]

I completely agree. Boomer's method of water isn't he best for every application but neither is resin. His method for large water like in this video is great and WAY better than resin in this application! A mountain stream that is crystal clear and ends at the edge of a layout though, I want to put so fish in there and be able to see them. I'm confused by the comment about resin vs model railroading though...it's all scenery material for an specific scenery effect. That Golden gloss though, that is sure to be deserving a place in the toolbox!

[@boomerdiorama]

They all have there place for sure. I just think two part resin belongs to the genre of solid block water diorama scenes, etc, which I have little need for. I don't consider seeing down into the depth of water (especially in HO scale), like some, as important to modeling a railroad, but each to his or her own. Cheers. ;-)

[@LeonKolenda]

Any Idea on how much the average RR modeler might use, For Coverage, for example, I want to put a river about 5-6 feet long and a few smaller tributaries for an N-Scale layout. Wanting to know how much to get?

[@boomerdiorama]

I don't pour acrylic so I would start with one bottle and work a small area first. The beauty of spreading, stippling with a sponge, and painting acrylic clear gel, is you can add to it at anytime and you will never know once it is dry and blended in.

[@CPRRAMSEY]

can you add more water effects on top of these if you choose(small waves)

[@boomerdiorama]

Yes absolutely. You can keep adding layer after layers, to your heart's content, and the depth will only grow deeper and reflect more light and brilliance. All the the gloss gel mediums have different qualities in terms of viscosity. Some are really thick and leave tool marks and sculpting. Some are medium where they settle down some. Some are very fluid and self level. The trick is to build them up patiently with thin layers. The sky's the limit as to what you can do if you practice them. Cheers.

[@CPRRAMSEY]

@@boomerdiorama thank you

[@robertlussenburg1770]

Less is more! Cheers

[@boomerdiorama]

;-)

[@frankhellman6879]

You literally read my mind - AGAIN! I was looking online and about to ask you your experience with these things, then saw this video came out. You're creeping me out! 😆 You use clear finish GAC 500, but there's also Golden Polymer Varnish w/UVLS and an equivalent Liquitex acrylic polymer product. They come matte, satin & gloss. My question is have you ever used any of these in an airbrush; thinned or otherwise. If not, what's the safe CLEAR matte & gloss product you airbrush with (plastic, resin, styrene stuff) for a protective finish or between weathering coats. I prefer non-toxic too, but don't have the experience you do. I only know of Dullcoat and Vantage Modeling Solutions "Top Coats" (@ $10 US for 50ml). Thanks for the help and great videos!

[@boomerdiorama]

Liquitex is good product as well. I don't spray any varnish through my airbrush. It's very rare if I do. I stick to Vallejo Varnish from a spray bomb and spray only IPA based paint through the airbrush. Solvent based product is anathema to me even though I know it to be a necessary evil. Cheers.

[@frankhellman6879]

@@boomerdiorama I'm hoping that the "acrylic polymer" clear coats don't require acetone cleaning & thus aren't bad for airbrush seals. Not as relevant here as I have one newer airbrush with PTFE bushings, which you know don't dissolve over time when exposed to acetone. I'll let you know if I find out more. I'd like to be acetone and lacquer-free if possible. PS - What am I thinking right now? ;)

[@b.f.pproduction5719]

I'm having a problem finding the gac 500 by Golden' and any of their products can you help me! I've tried hobby lobby and art supply stores in my area I can't seem to find it need your help

[@davidorf3921]

Try Amazon though like anything good it's not cheap

[@boomerdiorama]

Try Opus Art Supply or Amazon.

[@hondachopper6978]

eBay?

[@MyFingerLakesRailwayLayout]

Blick carries Golden products online.

[@tombarnes7196]

I think you were responsible for the empty shelves of Golden products at my local art supply stores by your tutorials videos! People listened to your recommendations...!

[@boomerdiorama]

Lol . . . They see me coming in my own community as well. ;-)

[@shaunhuckstepp7531]

Hi Boomer, have to agree with you there , why use expensive overprice products when simple is easy. You would be to popular with of the model suppliers eg Woodlands lol

[@boomerdiorama]

I like the artists way. I can't wait to do the cascading creek and pools of water on section two with it.

[@tcarney57]

Aside from its bad mechanical properties (too runny, low surface tension so it wicks into things and forms menisci), I feel about clear-resin water the way I do about un-weathered structures or rolling stock. They all look like cartoons or coloring-book pictures. Water's clear, right? In an unused toilet bowl, perhaps, but not in any river I've ever seen. Yeah, but it's blue, isn't it? Not really, except in a coloring book. It's not really even all that glossy-looking, except in specular reflection. I think a lot misconception in this regard comes from the way humans use categories to understand things instead of seeing them as they actually are. It's one of the things that makes learning to draw so difficult--for some of us at least. Our _thinking_ gets in the way of our _seeing_ .

[@boomerdiorama]

I will never forget when a judge rejected one of my dioramas (Festival of the Arts) many years ago, when I was in international competition, because I used two part pouring resin. He said it looked out of scale and way too shiny. I never forgot that as an artist. He was right. I understand why people use it to pour blocks as modeling an under water scene, but not from the outside surface looking in - especially in HO Scale. I find it be overhype "Giclée." Cheers and thanks for sharing ~ Boomer.

[@tcarney57]

@@boomerdiorama When I first heard about Giclée, I was impressed. It has a diacritic, I thought, so it much be sophisticated and "artistic." When I learned it's just ink-jet printing, I was a sadder but wiser man.

[@boomerdiorama]

@@tcarney57 Ink jet printing with a touch of real paint from the artist. Very silly concept for me. It's either original art or a glorified poster (prints).