Hey all,
welcome to Page Ten of my project diary. If you're wondering what this is, please check the announcement post, in which I explain the motivation and general goals of the diary. At the bottom of that post, you will find a link to all parts of this series (constantly updated as soon as new articles are published).
We're on the finish-line, folks. This will be the penultimate installment of the project diary, and today, I will talk about finishing the base. This included three main steps:
- painting the base
- adding the "deep water"
- finalizing the water effect
But before we start, let's take another look at the project when we left it in Part Nine:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7kVSm5PIdZs8967msudhMXaLIBGMBqT0D-xze_sn4DkPtl_3ZTBDtM4ptBYY3hd1ro-bCMVBstELhwgWCr4Eq2ljd3Crim6I2DX6dEgVVBdx92rBVk1dgYY-n0Ix-_UIOrP7rdVc57Q/s400/IMG_20210811_210234.jpg)
The first thing I did was painting the base. This included three parts: first, to finish the sand, giving it a little "depth". For that, I simply gave the sand a slight wash with a very diluted brown (VMC Smoke). Once that was dry, I drybrushed the sandy surface with the basecolor (VMC Dark Sand) and, finally, some Ivory to bring out the highlights a little. Second, I treated the parts of the base where I envisioned slightly "deeper" water with a diluted wash of VMC Emerald and, where the deepest part would be, a little VMC Turquoise. This, later, will simulate some depth in the water. Finally, I also painted the cast shadow of the miniature, taking into account the zenithal lighting situation and the idea that the Mediterranean sun is standing high and glaring in the sky. I didn't worry too much about getting the shadow totally and exactly right as the water, which will flow around the raider's legs would distort the shadow and lighting a bit.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2Se8LKkRIzhjPKCP0opKRnvQc9eUH6_Z1on-SRITv3wtdtBc65Yd4AkDizEyGcVVXCl6NwD5dGa2OmbckLZXtUMwPIMjgpTa8pdkjOZqY_cn3BYQZVHxsXPatNLHRAyHRb81bRnj1iA/s400/IMG_20210811_213056.jpg) |
Some turquoise to imitate the depth of water...
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYPboxxp8SH8bU0_1HBpoPFo4kdM0YMm_YD67ANdiNueB1tIvBDRw68r2NDvT-i5LOMNE4IzpTp1w5jEUDESR4XJX_Yj6Kuyj8ybKXfIsYylq8oe_3AdlSJpAc8Bns4sKXEBk9Cwxblw/s400/IMG_20210811_213539.jpg) |
... and a little grey for the cast shadow.
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The next step was all about that deep water-fun! As will all my water-works, I followed my MV jungle brother Josua's fantabulous 2K Water Tutorial. So, I started constructing the borders into which I would be pouring the resin water, using some cut-up transparent plastic sheet, which I then glued to the plinth.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7WvhmulxhFhshGV6Ft5_cQ58r5wKFtMkdita66bRG7ye9P9h6SbtIJRWGPFH4eF3Cl_VmzBtwPoHbqPI3e9fRSBcJkOGRCXgdv4TjTBRb8IUk00syB5XJZ8LbVDpmgy1_NOG7g1Ir1U/s400/IMG_20210824_191000.jpg) |
Before... |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4R7lg70s8H9uFrMu-TuG2TPsvDHF8m0Yl8d3wDnWiI0a-Wdo2MPrImWESyPjkpVS6XBQjQJ5YUAhPOjYCFgyR7DnDYbLAZ2USJEFuvYD6VVISEDVZ1LaFN8ZcdcbTUwxkonXXtO7W8ao/s400/IMG_20210824_191710.jpg) |
... and after.
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Once the borders had been put in place, I prepared everything for pouring the 2K resin. As noted, I follow the commandments laid down by Josua for all times in his excellent tutorial. But as described in a previous tutorial of mine, in addition I like to stir the resin while bathing the container in a mug of hot water. This makes the resin "runnier", i.e., more liquid and like water - it becomes easier to pour and there will be fewer air bubbles. And that's exactly what I did with this base as well. Once the 2K resin was nicely mixed, I used a single-use plastic pipette and carefully let the liquid run into the area. I used a toothpick to make sure it spread everywhere I wanted and to remove the two or three tiny air bubbles that occured at the edges. And with this, I left the project to rest for about 24 hours.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GOjTHrdpRh3NZUq0XEvLBJNtmWvJcUjA6eE48FFOhQ8qOIActJKQpqn5Vh1NSraKLoZNchSII_A8jHpFJw_YCjSggt8nfP_dYToKJNBvIz852xvKqDFXUH1G1PhEneyfoj4pH6o16lo/s400/IMG_20210826_160351.jpg) |
All prepared for the resin pour...
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgMcGplf_-ndAYIv67600CF_DjRMAMSdIm-Fm6d3QcN7iAy5qMxNzDLrWAJal7_ffEoGrfMqlAf3rHhCYxB7_qSc3atW4haxmsVv7RthnBcAAYLJg_A2zyAZH1hot8MRxe2jjiOBmIew/s400/IMG_20210826_161605.jpg) |
... and done. The cent piece under the plinth ensures that the resin will remain mostly at the left side of the base.
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Once the resin was hardened, I returned to the project and - as always when working with 2K water - was a little anxious about what would await me when I would remove the barriers. Well... Overall, I was happy with the result. BUT: there were two issues that needed work before I could finish the water. First: When I super-glued the barriers onto the plinth, a little bit of glue had snuck up and laid itself on top of the already painted sand area. Once I removed the barriers, the superglue stuck to the barriers, and I removed it along with the barriers, leaving a little hole or tunnel at the bottom of the 2K water.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-xhUQi7KS5gWSaarTo2a7hzaIOMj83q64uz_nb5YSgVUVaUnE7OwIJauBc9wWPrqRorYG9tiRH878omwuIsqNjVGdnj4sgg-1Lxiprp_1Iz8fNaaZP2CqDkYSrevntskjz1tfo09y6o/s400/IMG_20210827_183235__01.jpg) |
There's a hole in the resin...
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The second issue was that, despite the "genious" trick of positioning the plinth on a one-cent piece, a little bit of resin had run along the edges and now there was water where none should be:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1sAJCDb9jnwR9aTx8cdC_jANna6EpCuyEwUBgb6MeFB0XQJ0ZrWjSChfLqMkX1mvmWTsq12vVT_CrjKB5eBD0QWvV35KznhOR_JsrVav7stDbZb_RlVdX8LCtWCgYtLKYyDV0KXnvvw/s400/IMG_20210827_173343.jpg) |
... and some superfluous resin.
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I first addressed the second issue, cutting away the superfluous resin that had run along the edges of the barrier. Along with the resin, I of course removed some of the "sand", so I had to recreate it with a little bit of Milliput, which was then painted. Then, I took on the first problem - simply by painting the sandy surface below the "deep" water and then adding a little UV-hardening resin into the "tunnel". When that was cured, I gave everything a nice little sanding to even the surfaces.
Then, it was time to add the waves. For that, I used Vallejo Water Texture, a thick, gooey acrylic gel that is white-opaque when it comes out of the container, but becomes transparent when it cures. With this, I did two rounds of adding waves, trying to recreate the look of surf at the beach, and letting the first layer cure before adding a second one.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtD3P64kWf2bL3-2JzrpAIb_oFJDTSMbQlZZLhDqEq7O-wbCu3OyYsPSCwGe7bZvkg8PJ52Hk_hnO3Y9qodYjVJkb-X-VS5FR1wElmijScnBB2NnyCcsXA1Dpm5ijr3YI3EFdaXBpH0kc/s400/IMG_20210829_115948.jpg) |
Adding waves.
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_8uwYObZqh4TBSY0BYRVWunGLmFRCDnblvCFFrQt84mvXfJGSnu4h2JwQb8fd1tBL0VmRjLx-vXJLH_CuEDf8kM8TmSlRPu_aIrKR2J7VWgO_Je7AkMjqlIb6dpwTxUOnQGsKPSmQ9A/s400/IMG_20210829_115957.jpg) |
Layer one...
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1NdIBJlGhmzOMhW-jDXQiDMKlIdBk5thGpGYokXk0UjtsLwKUCcwgctyAkWuHCjuBUmUZvgTuWxoVH5-WE6emEy-B5EgsL1KM_SVfOZOxokRgYqUbbD1ky77vcl83_UMPLuulO_mzOhw/s400/IMG_20210902_201752.jpg) |
... cured and transparen. |
Once the second "wave-layer" was cured, I added a bit more acrylic gel here and there, and added a tiny bit of Vallejo Still Water on the beach, where no waves would be. I did this, first, to give the sand the impression of wetness and, second, to smoothen the transition between "waves" and "sand".
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnIq2bOe6fkxM2An0YbNoROX90flkIj_z8_fZ9rPGA-aPwiJ8YSO5voEh-8D7hIf8UTAADFAv32wViomuE6Zg9zdeXj1bDWLa5BxraevUZHA1f5L6ia66TlOYEKOYVRK_6NuMLyHav28/s400/IMG_20210831_191116.jpg) |
And a second layer.
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However, when I looked at the scene with a fresh set of eyes before starting to put the whitewater on the waves, I was not really happy with the look and "feel" of the waves. I was not really sure what it was, but when I compared the waves with images of "the real thing", something was off. So, and as so often with my projects, I decided to take a radical step - and put a sharp scalpel blades to the waves, which allowed me to start from scratch with modeling the waves...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Q0P6hPxOapnXZFTrtWw4kkEvWO8pW-kIj6nvu34YhJptpEebp32u5Jhg_MEdxW6Cc4zqlLu4y0Whi_ExO5qUoVNPdp32hkY2dO8d3eAjebLskEB6JGrHTKjE92rzGIoIvGAwC9G9jZ8/s400/IMG_20210908_201354.jpg) |
Off to a fresh start
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Thankfully, I remembered that I had seen a tutorial on modelling a beach scene some time ago, over on YouTube. This I decided to follow slavishly. So, I started out with carefully making the waves again, in a more realistic fashion. For the whitewater, I mixed the acrylic gel with a tiny bit of acrylic white color and some microballoons, usually used for recreating snow, and carefully added it to the waves. Finally, when all was dried and hardened, I gave the whole surface a slapping of some Still Water effect to restore the shininess. The last bit of work was some light and careful sanding, polishing, and gloss-coating of the sides of the hardened 2K-resin to make it nice and smooth.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQU3eb3bHT9YsP7yiPdxvCm9NbzylORxrb7MNVPnZLt2Z_6V8UO_g1WNEZJp9mZj3HYEDCU0OAJEApejFBDvRg4XA3pJGoozp3AbpwOuH-4aIPSiFCj8Y-DLO6vDMO3dPsn6F7BcbhWM/s400/IMG_20210909_193658.jpg) |
Adding the waves...
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsgOjLXiOy3PBHNK34cuOai7b3i2bFYP6uFITOFR7LI3ElSXeN7Qu8C8RplLCnwWgt3q-Nz-G3uLscJAYzhgRDyfT6C5e0tcbzqeEDJ0Y-UZVQByaeV3_tI48PGQHB0zq3MxmkPMUUj4/s400/IMG_20210909_193711.jpg) |
... take two.
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Looking back, to be honest, I was not super-satisfied with the result of my second water experiment, as I find the waves a bit too shallow and I dit not manage to recreate those little foamy crests. I also do not find the water lapping up the raider's hind-legs particularly convincing. But I decided to call it a day and leave it as is.
For the absolute final step, I checked the figure for some last-minute corrections. The only thing that I decided to do was to repair two little specks at the mini's sword-hand where I accidentally removed some paint during the sanding, and on the lower side of the shield, which had mistakenly been hit with some water texture. I also made my peace with the sword, deciding to leave it as it was. Then I painted the plinth black. I really like the effect of a deep-black painted plinth, which, in my eyes, serves as a nice and strongly contrasted "frame" to the scene, driving home the idea that the mini-and-base combination is a small sliver "taken out of some larger environment". I painted two layers, using cheap acrylic black color, and in between I carefully sanded the surface with fine-grit sandpaper. This makes the paint really nice and smooth. As a last thing, I added my signature at the base of the plinth - for me, this always signals a project's completion.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJkSxRQUvdRzWJNumJJvL0eUntbaY6n-O2OKiP2vZxipRndN46tZHBCn2ToxydGo89pjrRQN8MEpRGCY1ocfz1kLRXpRTYQpr010CL_Wwwmu4zQ_hg3uInKH3ZB-iqpxbCRRu2iwKIVg/s400/IMG_20210912_211047.jpg) |
The final thing.
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And that's that. For the final presentation, I will put a small, plaque on the plinth, which I'll have custom-made for this project by my friend Conny over at Fredericus Rex! I will post some final, good pictures at the blog once I have made them. In the meantime, and as always, feel invited to drop me a line in the comments? I hope to see you soon in the Epilogue for a quick debriefing!!
Best, D.