Anyone paint a desert backdrop lately?

[reklein]

So use Bruce Pettys technique, but use shades of blue instead. We just drove the eastern length of Nevada to get to Phoenix. Beautiful drive just glad it wasn't summer.

[NevinW]

That is what I'll probably end up doing. However, those racks of paint chips in HD can be more than daunting when you are trying to match it up to to a picture. It always seems to look slightly different when the actual paint dries. Suggestions about what colors look good are always a good start but it still comes down to your own eye.

I wanted to take a trip down to Death Valley and take some photos of DV Junction, Ryan etc, but the wife and I haven't had the time between work and the holidays. I may Google Death Valley and see what pictures show up.

Some mountains like Sunrise Mountain change colors every few hours.

Thanks for the suggestion. - Nevin

[tomikawaTT]

Nevin,

The sneaky trick would be to snap a few photos of the actual area, then take them to the paint department at the (Big Box Home Center of choice) and check them against the wall of color chips for a match.  Second choice would be to run a couple of computer prints - IIRC, there are about as many photos of Tonopah in various places online as there are people in the present-day town.

Agree about the purple mountains.  Hereabouts (Clark County, NV) they tend to be red (aka Desert Rose, according to my wife.)

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[luvadj]

The insert in January's issue I got at the local newstand had a great writeup from Pelle Soeburg on his roads and had some outstanding desert landscaping...check it out.

 

[NevinW]

I am preparing to paint my backdrop which will depict the deserts of Nevada and California around Death Valley. Since I have over 50 linear feet of backdrop to paint, I would like to use some commercial house paints for the desert and the main mountain ranges. I'll use the artist's paints to add details and depth. Any suggestions or recommendations for colors of house paint (from Lowes, HD or elsewhere) that would look good depicting desert tans and the brownish/bluish mountain ranges. I like what was done by Bruce Petty in this month's MR but those mountains are too purple to depict Nevada. Thanks, Nevin