Painted city backdrop

[Graffen]

It was time to do something about the background as it had been neglected due to other activities, such as building houses and such .
I didn´t like to sit at the layout doing all the details that are inevitable when making a city....
I bought some high quality artist poster board and went to work on it, sitting at my workplace.

I put the board on the backdrop to draw all the existing buildings.
I then printed out some nice photos of houses along with some books I have for inspiration.
I use ordinary artist acrylics and start with blocking in the major parts:

(yup the whiskey is mandatory when making backdrops )
As can be seen I have started on the houses nearest the observer.
After some time it looks like this:

I then cut it out with a scalpel and used a gluestick to apply it on the backdrop:

This is how it looks so far:

I´m really satisfied with the result. Now it´s only the rest of the 10 foot background to do
Then to make the clouds as well.

[GRAMRR]

Graffen,

That is awesome work.  The three dimensional foreground blends into the two dimensional background seamlessly.

Always a pleasure to see your work.

[rrinker]

 Wow, that is amazing looking. I don't knwo what else I can say. Simply amazing.

                           --Randy

 

[chutton01]

I will say this - your background easily blows away this one, (IIRC that background series has been around for decades under different names - at one point they must have been around on a quarter of all layouts from the late 1970s, and I got tired of seeing that Hotel Dining and Dancing (and the corresponding Ice House on the Freight yard backdrop). Good job!

[Graffen]

Thanks guys, the plan behind this project was that I needed a backdrop. But I didn´t want to use a photoscene, as it puts really high demands on the foreground.

I didn´t like to use ready-made painted backdrops either, as I wanted to make the foreground and background "work" together, wich is very difficult to do with ready made items.

The trickiest part of this section was to make the road disappear in the backdrop in a "realistic" way, and I think it works, even from different angles.

[NeO6874]

I dunno guys.  I think that Graffen just took a shot down mainstreet and he's trying to play it off as a painted backdrop.

Great work Graffen

[tomikawaTT]

Well done, Graffen!

(And, if you weren't aware of it, that's the highest accolade ever given in the U.S. Navy.)

I think you have hit the exact point of, "Just enough."  Most non-artists ("Guilty as charged...") hit, "Too little."  A true photo background, even if taken specifically for the purpose, is, "Too much."  "Just enough," allows the luxury of being able to model to the same level or a more detailed one and still have a seamless transition from three dimensional art to two dimensional art.

Again, Well done.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[jecorbett]

When I saw the title, I wondered why someone would want to paint a city backdrop with so many photo backdrops available, but when I saw the finished product and how well it blends with the foreground scene, I can see why you would go that route. If I could paint that well, I would consider it too as it gives you the freedom to angle the streets as needed. It does what I think every good backdrop should do, suggest that there is something beyond the 3-D scenes without overwhelming them. You have certainly accomplished that. Well done.

[mikelhh]

Lovely job, Graffen!

 

Mike

[Graffen]

Thanks again . I think I will have the courage now to paint a new section of the backdrop....

[BATMAN]

Oh, to be that Talented!.....

 

                                                                           Brent

[Motley]

Holy smokes that is AWESOME!!! Great work, are you a professional artist? That looks like it could qualify for an art gallery showing.

[Allegheny2-6-6-6]

Not on my best day could I even come close to anything like that, awesome work and much better then anything one could buy because it's unique and individual to your layout.

[Graffen]

Motley

Holy smokes that is AWESOME!!! Great work, are you a professional artist? That looks like it could qualify for an art gallery showing.

Yes, I am a professional artist . That might be cheating . On the other hand, I work mainly with Airbrush in the daily trade, so the brush isn´t my real forté.

[Motley]

Graffen

 

Motley:

 

Holy smokes that is AWESOME!!! Great work, are you a professional artist? That looks like it could qualify for an art gallery showing.

 

 

Yes, I am a professional artist . That might be cheating . On the other hand, I work mainly with Airbrush in the daily trade, so the brush isn´t my real forté.

Aha, that explains it, your a cheater, that's not fair to the rest of us who have no artistry skills. That's why some of us use photo backdrops. If I could paint like that, I would do what you did.

[rrinker]

 See, the thing that tipped me off was the glass of whiskey. Amateur artitst don't sip whiskey while creatign art. They MIGHT have a beer - although I leave the consumption of adult beverages for after I'm done working on the layout. The professional types - they go for the whiskey or perhaps even a martini.

[rclanger]

WOW!  I am speechless.

[accatenary]

I am City modeler who uses Picture backgrounds produced on Photoshop. I usually dont like Painted Backgrounds But WOW.. You did an Awesome Job!!   

[AlpineModeler]

That looks spectacular! I might have to give your techniques a try.