Let It Snow!

Transcript*

Intro

Guys, do you hear that? Listen. It’s that time of the year once again. Snow is going to arrive very soon at your doorstep, if it hasn’t already. It starts to get colder and colder and it’s just more depressing. Welcome to another Sunward Hobbies YouTube channel video. My name is Paul. Today I’m going to teach you how to make snow. That’s it. It’s very simple. And to be honest with you, you don’t need a lot. But first, we’re going to debunk two myths regarding snow making in the hobby.

Myth 1- Baking Soda

Police brutality, where’s my lawyer? I need my lawyer. Baking soda. That’s not mine. Yes, we’re debunking baking soda and the use of it in making snow at home. The reason why you don’t use baking soda is because it will turn your snow yellow and it looks terrible. Now, unless you’re going for a yellow snow diorama on purpose, I don’t know, you have like dog models or something, then avoid baking soda. It’s something with the air, the water, the Elmer’s, and the soda mix itself that reacts negatively. And no matter how much sealing you apply, no matter how much white paint or Elmer‘s you apply, which by the way changes the look and composition of the snow anyway, it will turn yellow. So just avoid it for simplicity’s sake.

Myth 2 – Tamiya Acrylic

Yes, we’re debunking the use of Tamiya acrylics for snow making at home. You cannot just use any kind of acrylics because Tamiya acrylics are solvent-based. They pour a bunch of alcohol solutions in here plus the water plus the resin carrier to form the paint that you and I both love. Unfortunately, every part of this mix is water based. That reacts negatively with each other and the paint overpowers everything else, leaving you with a rubbery, curdled mess. It looks like a rubber expired milk and it looks terrible. Please avoid using it. Tamiya is often called the goat because it’s helpful in so many situations. Not this time though. They’re an active detriment this time, but that’s okay. We’ll get them next time, Tamiya.

Step 1 – Materials Needed

Up first, grab your old backpack from school and pull out your old Elmer’s glue. It should still be good. Also, if you have basing glue from Army Painter from Woodland Scenics, that’s the exact same thing. Use that instead. Up next, the most important part of the equation, we have Well, this is Army Painter’s Battlefield Snow, but it doesn’t have to be this. The reason why people opt to use baking soda as the binding agent, it’s not because of the soda itself, but because of how fine the powders are.

If you can find something that doesn’t react to water in any negative way, like curdles it or turns it yellow and is this fine, feel free to use it. So if you already have some sort of powder snow or micro balloons that are this fine, use them. And finally, grab your white paint and this is going to be water based. This is Atom Satin White, not enamel, not lacquer, not solvent based, water based. Speaking of water, grab water. You’re going to need it for the mix. And some sort of cup or bowl to mix all of the ingredients together. And finally, a miniature, of course. If you’re following along, grab your diorama miniature of choice.

Step 2 – Mixing

I think the most optimal ratio is one to one to one. That is one part binding mixture. So this would be the Battlefield Snow, one part Elmer’s, and one part white acrylic paint for the opacity. Then you start mixing and incorporating. Now it doesn’t matter the amount, so long as the ratios are roughly one to one to one. This is where we add a couple drops of water. Yeah, that’s it. That’s all you really need to add, just a couple drops, and start incorporating and mixing. Let’s take a closer look, and it should look something like this.

But Paul, what if I don’t want it to look like that? What do I do? Well, if you want dry pristine snow and it’s like -30 outside, you know, that kind of dry, add a bit more of your binding agent, the Battlefield Snow for example. Um and if you want it to look melting or wet snow, add a bit more of PVA glue. But if you want it to look like slush or even just straight up frost, nearly translucent transparent, then add a bit more water. And regarding the white paint, by adding a bit more, what you’re essentially getting is the most pristine snow possible. Um yes, it might make it a little bit more wet, but it’s so starkly white, it’s basically the undisturbed just fallen snow. That kind of snow is what you’re getting. Wait.

Step 3 – Application

Before you apply using a brush, make sure that it is an old brush that you do not care for because you’re essentially ruining this brush by using it to apply the snow because your binding agent of choice will get into the bristles of said brush, and then it will interfere with the glue. And then once you rinse it off, you can’t really fully get rid of those, I guess the binding agents that you’re using. So essentially rest in peace to that brush. And just start applying on your miniature. I’m using a Space Wolves Space Marine here with an ice sort of base. And just apply wherever you want. Now obviously a lot of weathering and basing is best applied in moderation, but that’s completely up to you.

Going to put on the stone there, the tactical rock. I’m just disturb the snow a little bit cuz he is standing essentially on top of the snow. Just stipple a little bit. Then put it on the edges. It’s going to get on his boots, but that’s okay. And that’s rock, so that’s okay too. We’ll put it there. That being said, by adding a tiny amount of snow on the boots or, you know, the very bottom of your miniature, you add some sort of real world feel because the character or the vehicle or whatever you’re painting went actually you know, it went through the snow.

It trudged through the snow. So just don’t overdo it. And again, same principle, just gently scrub the excess away. Assuming your binding agent is white unless of course it isn’t you sand in which case please paint it first. Anyway, I want you to sprinkle it on the miniature and specifically the base before it dries. Gives it a little bit of character, a little bit of texture, especially noticeable once it fully dries.

Leftover Mix

Before I show you the final results because it’s still drying and wet, assuming you have leftovers, the cleanup is actually very easy to do. The first step is to throw it in the trash. Every single little globule that’s still thick and runny directly into the trash. But Paul, what about preserving it for future use in the sealed a glass bottle? Good question. In theory, you’d be correct. In reality, you’re not because nearly every single product used in this project is water-based, has already been exposed to air.

And while this bottle will keep the mixture wet and sealed, ultimately it’s not a vacuum. There’s still air in there, which can lead to one thing, mold and bacterial growth. Not worth it, especially hazardous number two, because it’s perpetually wet in there, your binder will start to separate. At that point, just mix another batch, right? That’s it. Ultimately, you’re throwing away what? Like 2 cents. I’m not all for throwing away money, but if it’s like 2 cents, whatever, guys. Once the biggest chunks are gone, grab either hand soap or dishwashing liquid and mix it with warm water to remove all of it. It’s going to cut through it like grease. Wow.

Final Look

This looks incredible. And yeah, the sprinkling our final sprinkling, I should say, of the binding agent, in which case the snow or whatever white you’re using definitely helped. It definitely gave it a more textured, more powdery snow look. Though if you want to remain more wet, of course, then don’t add too much. I added a lot just to prove a point. See the edges of the boot where it’s sort of faded like a ghost, but it as it moves up, it kind of disappears.

Yeah, that’s an intended effect when we were cleaning up the boot from excess snow because the mix still has paint in it. When you wick up your brush, it kind of trails off, giving off this sort of faded, weathered look that’s very simple, yet very effective. This is actually a very common trick, especially with dust pigments. It looks incredible, just wicking your brush up with a little bit of enamel thinner on the pigments. Oh yeah, beautiful.

Paul’s Conclusion

Thank you guys so much for watching this simple yet in-depth tutorial on how to make your own snow because it’s that time of the year again, incredibly depressing. If you enjoyed this video, hit that like button and click subscribe. Also, click that bell icon so you don’t miss when we upload. And of course, thank you guys so much because we hit 20k. That’s great.

We finally started taking this channel seriously 3 years ago when we moved to Sauga. And because of that, our growth has been exponential. There has been ups and downs, but ultimately we got there. So, guys, thank you. And oh, follow us on socials. Pick your poison. We’re active on all of them. That’s it. Bye-bye.

About the Author:

Paul Catindig As someone who’s been building model kits since he was 8 years old, Paul is very knowledgeable and adept at model kit building! When he’s not building or painting kits, he spends his free time cooking, playing video games with friends, or at a restaurant patio somewhere. Hopes to make his very own movie one day.

*Video by Paul Catindig
Video Edited by
Daniela Castellano and Leo Nguyen
Transcript generated by youtube
Edited by Angelo Castellano