At my local Micheal's, I found a 4' x 8' roll of bulletin board paper for $7. The paper is sky blue with clouds printed on it. I brought it home, cut myself an 18" x 72" strip and used tempera paints to paint some mountains on it. With the paint, the cost was somewhere around $11.
Here's the finished product:
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
I employed a similar technique on my shelf layout. In my case I used cloud-printed wallpaper I found at my local bigbox store. It's a little more complicated because you have to cut the strips of paper into chucks in order to line up the clouds properly. I also didn't trust my artistic skills, so I just let the paper run down behind the back of the layout.
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
I like both ideas. I have a lot of sky to add and am not an artist so this approach may be my answer. Thanks.
Nice.
Thanks for the info.
Jim Murray The San Juan Southern RR
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Justin
I was going to suggest painting it yourself, but that's basically what you did -- you just started with a pre-printed background.
It looks very good. Fits nicely with your layout theme. My only issue is that in my experience (my kids art projects), tempura tends to flake off after a while. I hope yours doesn't.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
The "train room" was painted a "sky blue" sometime before the layout was put in, so it "fits". It doesn't have clouds though as I don't really want to paint clouds in only one corner as we plan on selling this place sometime {hopefully soon}.
But I like the idea. I would use latex paint I think. AS mentioned I have seen tempura paint peeling.
I don't see background as a major feature for the layout anyway...the layout itself is the "object of attention".
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
GP-9 Man,
My Norton Security software is giving me warnings of a Trojan Horse when my cursor hovers over your photo. Might want to check that out.
Rich
Alton Junction
richhotrain GP-9 Man, My Norton Security software is giving me warnings of a Trojan Horse when my cursor hovers over your photo. Might want to check that out. Rich
McAfee just did the same thing to me. It's because my photos are hosted www.deviantart.com, which is a reputable site but some of the things people upload can be Trojans. All of my stuff is clean though.
GP-9_Man11786 At my local Micheal's, I found a 4' x 8' roll of bulletin board paper for $7. The paper is sky blue with clouds printed on it. I brought it home, cut myself an 18" x 72" strip and used tempera paints to paint some mountains on it. With the paint, the cost was somewhere around $11.
Oh oh -- I have to explore this but my wife always gets first dibs on the Michael's coupon in the Sunday paper. It could be awkward if we start to fight over it.
On a related topic, my dentist has flourescent light fixtures that have a blue sky with cloud picture on the panels, as you see at this website
http://www.fluorescentgallery.com/page/skies
Note at the bottom that they have 1x4 foot panels.
I was toying with the idea of using these not in the ceiling but as a backdrop, backlit with flourescents or perhaps LEDs (for longer life). the cost would be high but the effect could be spectacular.
Dave Nelson
dknelson On a related topic, my dentist has flourescent light fixtures that have a blue sky with cloud picture on the panels, as you see at this website http://www.fluorescentgallery.com/page/skies Note at the bottom that they have 1x4 foot panels. I was toying with the idea of using these not in the ceiling but as a backdrop, backlit with flourescents or perhaps LEDs (for longer life). the cost would be high but the effect could be spectacular. Dave Nelson
So the title of the thread has now been changed. Instead of "Backdrop for less than $20", it is now "Backdrop for less than $2,000".
GP-9_Man11786 At my local Micheal's, I found a 4' x 8' roll of bulletin board paper for $7. The paper is sky blue with clouds printed on it. I brought it home, cut myself an 18" x 72" strip and used tempera paints to paint some mountains on it. With the paint, the cost was somewhere around $11. Here's the finished product:
What section of Michael's was the backdrop in?
sfb
GP Man,
This looks like a great idea. I tried looking for this on-line and couldn't find it on their website...does this bulletin board paper go by another name?
Wayne
Modeling HO Freelance Logging Railroad.
sfcouple GP Man, This looks like a great idea. I tried looking for this on-line and couldn't find it on their website...does this bulletin board paper go by another name? Wayne
I actually happened on it by accident one night when I went to get some strip wood. I do remember it being with the other school supply type stuff.
Not sure what it is called cloud paper I think and you can get it at Michaels or AC Moore. I use it as a back drop Beware that the clould repeats every few feet.
Joe Staten Island West
galaxy The "train room" was painted a "sky blue" sometime before the layout was put in, so it "fits". It doesn't have clouds though as I don't really want to paint clouds in only one corner as we plan on selling this place sometime {hopefully soon}. But I like the idea. I would use latex paint I think. AS mentioned I have seen tempura paint peeling. I don't see background as a major feature for the layout anyway...the layout itself is the "object of attention".
While I agreed with you at one point -- and still do that the layout should be the primary show -- I've come to believe that the lack of a backdrop of any sort spoils the suspension of disbelief. Looks lousy in photos, too.