Making waves 2

This is how I work with a flat base, as in a display box. The model will be mounted to it by screws, for which I drill holes into the base.  

The base is made very early on, before any detail work has been done on the hull, hence no risk of damage.  

The shape of the hull is marked by spraying paint. 

Any wave effects standing proud of the base are sculpted using some spackle or putty - make sure all of your materials are compatible with each other! 

The bow wave has been sculpted, the spackle has cured. Always make sure any material has proper time for curing to avoid averse interactions! 

White wall paint is now stippled onto the base. With some practice, you can produce a number of effects from utterly still to moderately choppy. Do not use too much paint in one layer, or it will produce cracks. 

The paint needs some drying time before the next step. 

I use water-based acrylics from my airbrush exclusively. Check references for the appropriate hue of the sea. 

Only after the previous steps have fully cured, solvent-based clear gloss can be used to achieve the proper sheen and reflections of the base. If you do this too early, water will evaporate and form unsightly bubbles. Don´t ask me why I know. 

This is a very still sea, probably on a cruise in the Mediterranean. The clear gloss remains sticky for much longer than you would believe. Do not mount the model to the base for longer than a test before you are convinced it can stay. Again, don´t ask. 

With the vessel mounted on the base. Permanently. I do remember the case of the somersaulting Flower Class Corvette. In front of my modeling pals. On a tiled floor. 

Here is a livelier base. The sea shade was sprayed away from the hull surround, and the white was touched up afterwards where needed. 

Here with the completed models. 

Another still sea. The boats were placed into depressions ground out of the base with a rotating tool. 

I use acrylic gel to close any remaining gaps after mounting the model to the base. 

Spatulas for artists work great. 

White artist´s oil paint is excellent for painting or drybrushing wave effects.