Icy pond

I shall make this short and sweet. I got this technique from the aforementioned Osprey book, and it's simply awesome.

1. Get a base and paint it black.
2. Get a spot of plastic. I used a DVD case, but the book recommends something a bit less transparent.
3. Melt some candle wax onto the back of said plastic.
4. Get an iron and turn it on. Put some grease-proof paper over the solidified candle wax.
5. Pass the iron briefly over the paper. The wax drops should now be smoothed down pretty flat.
6. Get some PVA glue and with it secure the plastic to the base you earlier painted black. The flattened wax droplets ought to be facing the black surface. Allow it to dry.
7. The book recommends Humbrol glass etch, a specialist product I lack. So I applied "too much" matte varnish spray from "too close" a distance. You wouldn't be use such a thick coat from so near on a regular model, but in this instance, it's great. Allow that to dry.
8. Use a hot glue gun to secure the embankment (made of polystyrene) in place.
9. Coat the non-pond bits with diluted PVA, and apply sand. Let it dry, then apply another coat of PVA atop the sand to secure it. Let that dry.
10. Apply white paint to the sand. I was going to have a go at a Baking Powder technique I had heard of, but apparently it's most unwise. Baking Soda sounds as though it's OK, but I don't have any.
11. Glue some shrubs in place to add a little colour, add drybrush their tops white as if a little snow clings thereto.