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There are many techniques and materials that can be used to make large scale water. However, the following technique and materials (in my opinion) produce some of the best waves and wakes in large scale. Before we begin with the details of this project, I would like to state that one of the most important aids for making realistic waves and water is photographs. Having the correct reference photos of the ship you are placing in water is a must! Try to have as many different photos as you can find. They will show the various ways water reacts to the ship at different speeds and maneuvers.

The key to making realistic water at any scale is to understand how the waves and wakes are formed by a ship moving across the surface. No matter what materials or techniques you use, forming the waves and wakes inconsistent with a natural pattern will kill the effect you are trying to achieve. I believe that when you are placing a model ship in modeled water, you should treat them as one and the same and create both as one complete project.

The Base: There are many types of bases. You may choose to use a pre made base or to custom make your own base. I generally make a custom base and acrylic case for all my large scale models. Things to consider when selecting a base is how large is the overall model. Aircraft carriers and Battleships will require more space and water. As a rule of thumb, I try to give the completed ship model 3 - 5 inches of base for water on port and starboard sides and add a couple inches for bow and stern. The added distance for bow and stern is to create a good sea base preceding the ship and the distance at stern gives room for good wakes. To cut these areas short, takes away from a good at-sea affect.

There are a few factors to consider when selecting the type wood for your base. If you are making a custom case for it, generally plywood and molding (quarter round, etc.) can be used. For all others, a hardwood (Oak, Cherry, Walnut, Ash, etc.) is a good choice and the edges can be routed. Another factor to consider of which type to use is a later process for curing the sculpey compound used to mold the waves. The compound is generally cured in a standard oven at 275 degrees. A hard wood is required for this so it does not warp. However, for softer woods or a base that is too large to fit in the oven will have to be cured using a heat gun. This will be something to consider.

Supplies: The following is a list of the supplies used to form the waves and wakes. All of the supplies listed can be purchased at Michaels or local Hobby & Craft stores. You may use substitutes for these products if you are familiar with the products intended uses and can achieve the same results.

Note: Please adhere to all product instructions, warnings and special instructions.

Super Sculpey sculpting compound (Polyform): This is used to form the base waves and wakes.
Gloss Heavy Gel Medium (Liquitex): This is used to form overall detailed water.
Modeling Paste (Liquitex): This is optional. Used to form and finalize white water.
Acrylic Paints (Liquitex): The following colors are used collectively.
        Paynes Gray
        Phthalo(cyanine) Green
        Phthalo(cyanine) Blue
        Ultramarine Blue
        Navy
        Brillant Blue
        Transparent Mixing White
        Titanium White

Assorted Brushes: A mixture of large, medium and small round and flat brushes are needed.
Heat Gun : (Optional) If project is too large for a standard oven, a heat gun will be used.

Preparation : Once you have designed your base and completed the edges (routed, molding, etc.) and have stained them, decide how you will mount the ship to the base. I usually use bolts and nuts (nuts secured inside the base of the ship) so that I can build up the model as much as possible before mounting to the base. This also helps to keep the model tightly secured so that it does not move causing cracks to the molded water. Decide where on the base you want the ship to be and mark the base with a marker. The ship may even be placed diagonal across the base so the viewer will see more of the ship than just one side. You may wish to lightly sand the top of the base 60-100 grit sandpaper to give the surface some bite for the sculpting compound. Also, mask off the finished edges so the materials dont ruin the surface.

Step One : Now that the base is prepared and you have an outline of the base of the ship, we begin by forming the waves and swells. To do this, grab those good photos you have and study them a bit. Notice the details in the wave at bow and stern. These are the divergent waves and so to speak, are fixed waves that extend from the ship at the very point of the bow and the centerline of stern. This is where you will start first. I start at the bow where the water is forced up and splits into the initial divergent waves on either side of the ship. The centerline from bow to stern is the line to use to form the waves at the right angle to the moving ship. Start forming the wave on one side of the bow with the sculpey compound, the speed of the vessel will determine how high the peak of this wave will be. Remember, the height of this wave on the bow is double the size of the wave body extending from the ship. The bow wave will ride down the hull a bit, then extend out from the ship at approximately 20 degrees. This first wave extending away from the ship will generally be the wave that breaks (white water cresting its top). The faster the ship is moving, the bigger the wave and the boundary layer (white water caused by the breaking bow wave) will be. Once you form the bow wave on both sides, it will be time to make the transverse waves that follow behind the bow wave (test fit the hull as you add waves). So how many do you form (make)? That is dependent on the ship size and speed. A ship that is moving slower will make these waves closer together from bow to stern and they will not be that large. A ship at a faster speed will have less transverse waves between bow and stern, but the few will be larger and they still wont be breaking waves (most of the time, rough seas will factor in). These transverse waves will extend out from the ship centerline at 20 degrees also. The area between the bow wave and the following transverse waves will be lower. So depending on the wave sizes, you dont have to form the water with the sculpey between them. The transverse waves will actually look more like large swells. Before you get to the stern, form the stern divergent waves which are similar to the bow waves and extend outward from both sides of the ship, but are smaller then the bow waves. These waves will also be breaking waves and the boundary layer of white water will trail behind them. Once you have sculpted your initial waves with the sculpey place the hull on the base and assure you have a good fit and the wave pattern compliments the ship and looks realistic. Are the waves too big? Does the ship look as though it is going too fast? Too slow? If it appears right, you can move on, if not, make adjustments of the waves shape as needed.

Step Two : Now that you have formed the basic shapes of the waves with the sculpey compound, it is time to cure it. The instructions call for it to be heated by a standard oven at 275 degrees for 15 minutes per of thickness. If your base will fit in your oven, this may be the way you will want to do it. However, cut back on the time by 5 minutes. The tapered edges (much thinner portions) of the sculpey will bake rather quickly and may crack or break off. After ten minutes, the base and sculpey will be hot for awhile. Once cool, the sculpey will be rock hard. If there are still soft areas after cooling, place it back in the oven for a few more minutes. Note: Do not over bake the sculpey. It is better to under bake it a few times until it is set then to over bake it all at once. If your base is too big to be baked by the oven method, I would suggest the heat gun method. I only use this method regardless of base size for two reasons. One is that you have more control of the entire baking process (which is actually shorter) and two it eliminates possible damage to the base or oven. Depending on the type stain or varnish that you use on the base edges, it may be flammable or give off harmful fumes. (Not something that my better half would appreciate when she goes to bake that cake). The heat gun method requires only a simple heat gun which you can purchase for $20-$30 from any local hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowes. It only really needs to have two settings and you dont need one with nozzles or scraper attachments etc. To use the heat gun method, place it on the low setting, which is about 750 degrees, and work a small area moving the gun in a small semi-circular motion. Keep the nozzle about 8-12 inches from the surface. I use the pale colored sculpey, which lightens slightly as the heat cures it. As you notice the slight color change, move the nozzle to a new area and continue until you have completed the base. When working the heat over thin areas of sculpey, dont work it as much, the higher indirect heat will cure it faster then the rest of the thicker areas. Also, periodically check the feel of the compound. It should be hot to the touch with a slight elastic feel. Let the base cool and then check the hardness. Any areas that are still pliable, come back and apply heat again. Remember, it is best to apply heat a few times without over baking then to over bake at once. Now that the entire sculpey wave and swell forms are cured, it is time to move onto the next step of making the final waves, wake and water.

Step Three : Before moving on to placing the final layer of water with Gel Medium, you will want to ensure that you have completed as much of the model as possible. From this point forward, the model will be permanently attached to the base. If the base is not much bigger than the model, I will complete all of the hull, main deck, main armament and lower superstructure. I then complete the subassemblies an attach them once the ship is secured. If I have a large base, I will complete the model then permanently attach it to the base and finish the water. To begin, secure the ship to the base however you devised to do so. Next, start at the bow end and work aft. Using a small to medium round brush, apply the Gloss Heavy Gel Medium to the base in a thick layer. Work one area of the base at a time and use a pushing and wiggle pull stroke. Continue applying the gel medium in this manner and fill in all the voids between your waves first. Then work the gel onto the waves and using a stippling stroke on top of the wave crest (bow & stern waves) to from the wave break and white water. For a stippling stroke, I use a small round or flat brush (depending on the effect you want) and spread a few of the bristles with my finger tips as I dab the gel onto the crest of the wave. This will give you more control of the white water. On a few of the transverse waves (swells) place a small bit of white water on the edge of the crest to simulate and area on that wave where it may be beginning to break. Dont over do this. When you reach the stern divergent breaking waves, form them with a lot of white water by stippling. The wake pattern behind them will be a lot of churned white water. To simulate this effect, dab with a medium brush and twirl on the upstroke. If you are forming large curly cues, wet the brush first so the gel doesnt stick to the bristles as much. The center of the wake pattern is less turbulent then the outside edges of the pattern. In the center is a large swirl type pattern from large amounts of air and water mixing from the prop wash. You may wish to add another layer to build up the water surface to your liking. Do this once the first layer has dried. Once you are satisfied with the over all water shape and texture, allow the gel to dry completely. To prevent dust or other particles from sticking to the surface while drying, place the cover (if one was made) or another form of cover (drop cloth, etc.) over it. Once the gel has fully cured, it is time for painting.

Step Four : This last step is painting the water. This step is a bit more difficult to explain because some artistic license is used due to taste and color preference. A special note: If you are trying to achieve a deep dark sea or ocean, there is an added step to apply between step 2 and 3. Before you place the gel medium, paint the base and sculpey waves with semi thick wash of Paynes Gray. This will give a deep dark base under the gel medium, which simulates a 3D dark water appearance. As you paint the waves later, you will leave a see through of the dark layer underneath. This is a very good affect for dark seas before a storm or for choppy waters and actual storms themselves. For all other waters, the painting is a bit more straight forward. Mix a base coat of Phthalo blue (3 parts) to Phthalo green (1 part). Apply this base coat throughout the base. If you are simulating Atlantic waters, they are bluer. Pacific waters are greener. To adjust for this, the color waters you want use that color as the primary base and the other as the smaller mix in amount. Now that the base color is down, mix Ultramarine, Navy and a very small amount of white. This second lighter color will be applied to the waves and swells of the water. Make sure that the base coat is almost dry, but still moist enough for mixing and blending f the colors. Also apply this color as the base color for the center of the wake. Then mix Brillant blue and a little bit of white. Use this mixture to paint the very tops of the waves and crest, again mixing and blend the colors as you go. This color will also be the highlights of the wake pattern center. Allow these paints to almost dry completely. You can form the white water one of two ways at this point. If you have a lot of white water, the use of the modeling paste is a good way to go. It forms well atop the waves and along the hull and dries an off-white. If you dont have thick layers of white water, painting them with Titanium white is the way to go. Either way you decide to go, dont over do white water. Remember, the heaviest area of white water will be in the outer edge of the wake pattern. To add another touch of realism to the water, on large waves and the center of the wake pattern, add the use of a spider wash. To do this, use a very fine pointed round brush. Mix Transparent white and water (a very tiny touch of dish detergent) together. Make this mixture very thin. Apply this on faces of waves and in the center of the wake pattern. Simply twirl and wiggle the brush as you paint lines from the base of the wave face upward. Do the same for the area of the wake pattern. Again, dont over do this effect. At this point you should have very realistic water. To finish it off, you will have to apply the wet look. This is achieved by covering the entire base with either Testors High Gloss overcoat or Future Floor wax. Mask off the hull and cover the model so it wont be effected by over spray. Apply as many coats as you feel needed to make the water shine. Also, after you have achieved the desired affect, remove the mask and with a brush, apply some gloss to the base of the hull between waves and swells to simulate where the waves has passed over the hull leaving it wet. Allow the base to dry for 24-48 hours.

You will now have a very realistic water base for your waterline model. In closing, I would suggest that you practice these techniques on a spare board (doesnt have to be big at all) until you get the feel for the technique and get the results you are looking for. Practice and good pictures of the ship you are building in water will be the key to success with making realistic large scale water.