"Water effects" Topic

So, I bought some of this .89c kids craft blue foam that comes in a large sheet. It's not felt and not foamboard, but a blue sponge kind of rubber foam.

I put some paint on it and it stuck, so it got me thinking about putting some Spackle on it to see if that would stick. I'm afraid it will warp the rubbery foam, but it's worth a shot (in the name of science!)

I think wondered about watery effects. I know of the clear silicone caulk that you can put over blue painted spackle to get the desired effect, but does anyone know what other water effects are out there that are on the cheaper side AND don't need spackle to adhere? Possibly something that could just go down as is?

Thanks

Vallejo sells some. They paint on but look like water. They come in different colors.

Thanks John. I'll see where I can get it online.

Modge podge gloss

Wouldn't I need something for the mod podge gloss to go over? I don't think I can just use the mod podge gloss by itself?

Ok, just watched a video. The gloss goes on top of my blue spackle water.

Not sure spackle with stay on this blue rubbery foam I have, but I think I'm just going to have to experiment.

A few things to look into:

See if Future will add gloss and remain flexible enough. This stuff is cheap, and might look just fine if you painted the "water" area in the right blues & tans, then glossed over it, then built up banks on either side (with paintable acrylic caukling?) and decorated them with sand/mud/grass/plants/etc.

Latex clear gloss clear coatings from The Monster Makers are not cheap, but probably the easiest, and with the right technique can retain some texture (like ripples). If Future doesn't stick, this might.

Some acrylic gel mediums dry flexible and clear. Go to an art store, look for the sample boards for Liquitex and/or Golden acrylic mediums,and look at the gels. These tend to be expensive, but there's a huge variety and a lot of advice on art boards.

- Ix

I've used some of the foam you have for river sections. Watered down craft paint was used to paint a water effect and I tried to make banks from pva and sand. I did not worry about a gloss coat for the water. Without a rigid base for the foam, the sand banks tended to crack and flake off. I think if I adhered the foam to hardboard the sanded banks would have worked. I still have the sections in a box so can try to recover them. Ah, another project….

Thanks all

@tima113…I'm trying to add plaster to the foam to see if it would warp.

I'm using that clear Elmer's glue and Mod Podge. If neither work I might try Future.

If that doesn't work then I'm going to buy some of that Vallejo Mediterranean Blue gel.

Not sure if this foam is what I want to use. Could try cork, clear plastic sheet and maybe even cloth.

Well, trial and error

Plaster won't work on flexible material. It will crack if I even bend it a little. Think I need to use an acrylic caulk. I don't think the caulk will crack if I bend it a little.