Diorama FX Water Texture Swamp Water

Water that flows nowhere

Standing water in a marsh looks different from water in a river or at the sea. It is thicker, darker and the light reflects off it irregularly, because the surface is covered by a layer of decomposing plant matter. This product is mixed for exactly such a scene: a swamp, an overgrown pool, a flooded forest or a muddy track in a delta. The shade tends toward green-brown and it is translucent, so the shaped bottom is visible beneath it.

How the material works

It is a water-thinnable acrylic compound, which takes up a horizontal position by itself once poured and shrinks only slightly while drying. The dried layer stays flexible and glossy. It is applied in layers a few millimeters thick, each of which has to dry thoroughly before the next comes. With deeper pools the color thus darkens naturally toward the bottom.

Recommended procedure

First seal the base so that the compound does not soak through, and bound the edges with adhesive tape or modeling clay. Paint the bottom darker than the result is to be. Pour the paste slowly and remove any bubbles with a skewer or a short breath. You will create a rippled surface by spreading the last layer, while still wet, into ripples with a bristle brush.

Where it is useful

It will serve in dioramas with vehicles and figures alike, in terrain bases and in display-case scenes. It is not a paint for a model but a material for the base beneath it. It goes well with tufts of grass, reeds and small twigs, which can be stuck into the last layer before it dries.