I wanted SM scale. I took a small metal screwtop from a bottle and primed it. Painted black, weathered it a bit. The darker the container the less color you will see of your water (which is mostly clear). Clearcoat before you do your water (I used matte).
So paint it up, internally the water bucket may have small traces of green algae residue, sediment, calcium deposit rings & you can add these details now with paint. Keep it to a minimum or it will look yucky. You can get creative doing water in landscapes though.
@ craft store pick up 1 tube of the fake-stained-glass paint in plain old clear. Also get a tube of blue, pick whichever looks best to you, I chose a sky blue since the blue of water we percieve is often the sky's reflection. In landscaping you will see other colors of water, but for a bucket this will do.
Once your paint is dry you can take your clear 'glass paint' gently. DO NOT SHAKE YOU WILL GET BUBBLES. Turn tube/bottle upside down and put the THINNEST layer you can stand. It goes on white and smells like elmer's glue.
Put the bucket with wet 'glass paint' somewhere where it can breathe but not collect dust/hair and wait for it to dry. If you don't use thin layers & /or don't wait for it to dry completely, it will be cloudy and take months to clear. Thin layers dry in hours, you will wish it dried faster! There are other products to simulate water which will dry quicker but this was my 1st inexpensive project and an easy one to share. Add thin layers, put some blue in the white & swirl with a clean wire gently (beware of bubbles!). The blue dries faster than the white, in my experience.
It will take time to layer in, your layers mixed with blue can be a bit thicker as the blue will dry faster.
You don't need to fill the bucket completely. In my real-horse experience, we are all more likely to dump and fill a bucket with fresh water if it is less full (it obviously needs a fill/change & you don't get soaked lifting it, either), and they should be freshened as frequently as possible throughout the day.
Enjoy, I have also used this 'glass paint' to make streams and ponds. If the water surface gets dusty, just wipe it with a damp cloth.
