Layouts and layout building

kcole4001 wrote:

but artist's work, like mikelhh's for example, take it to another level! Beautiful work.

Yep. Makes me want to spit on mine.

  Thanks fellas for the comments.  Painting is my only strong suit. When it comes to tracklaying, layout design, benchwork, electrics [aaaarrrgghhh] etc  you have it all over me!

 Anyway I thought I might post a couple of step by step pics of how I go about it. Maybe someone will find it helpful.

 My materials - cheap brushes, cheapish tube acrylics and a very fine mist sprayer [old pump action air freshener]

 Blue high sky [blue + white] and paler and warmer low sky about to be blended.

 For the low sky I started with a big puddle of white [acrylic primer works well] and carefully added tiny amounts of yellow and red to it.

 If the blue has dried before you're ready to blend the two, you give it a good spray of clean water with the mist sprayer. I can't get by without it when using acrylics.  Blend the two together with a soft big brush

 Mix up some slightly stronger warm colour and add vague clouds down low, with maybe some whiter edges

 Blend the edges away, using a soft brush - the one I used for this job was about 1 inch wide - and using more fine mist if needed. Fingers do a good job too, but as I said earlier, wash ASAP.

 Last job on the sky was to reintroduce some blue back into the clouds. This helps them to settle down into the sky because they share the same colour.

 Seeing as this thread is about sky I'll stop there. For what it's worth, when I get around to painting my backscene for my New England layout I might post a step by step in case someone finds it useful.

 Mike

 Mike, that's some great work and it's always helpful when 'how to' pictures are included.

Thanks for taking the time to do that!

Jarrell

Thanks for the tutorial, Mike! I've bookmarked this thread for reference.

Jim

What great cloud examples on this thread!

One thing I might add -- if you're not artistic (like me), don't let it scare you off.  Work from a picture of some simple sky shots, and grab a brush or spray can, and JUST DO IT.  I was astounded when I finished that it didn't come out half bad -- and if it does, paint over 'em with your blue and JUST DO IT again.  So much of this hobby comes down to just getting in there and getting your hands dirty.

I use regular whit paper and rip the bottom to look like clouds.  I then keep the template about 2" away for bacdrop and spry 1.00 white flat spry paint for, yes Walmart.   Fip th template over and spry a bit under the cloud to create depth.

loathar wrote:

kcole4001 wrote:    but artist's work, like mikelhh's for example, take it to another level! Beautiful work. Yep. Makes me want to spit on mine.

Yours look pretty darn good, too! I certainly didn't mean to knock anyone's work, just pointing out that professional-level artists will be able to outshine the rest of us easily. I have next to zero artistic talent, all I can do is try to copy someone else's technique until I can achieve an 'OK' result.

The variety of approaches is very interesting, all do seem to have merit.

The step by step how-to's are very insightful, so keep 'em coming.

Just like others have said on this thread and subject of clouds. Don,t be afraid to try even if you can,t draw a stick figure. When I first tried to draw a cloud it was awful. I tried brush, sponge, spray can, stencils, air brush, you name it. my combination of colors were wrong as well as shapes and sizes. I studied the clouds when ever we had some out here in the desert to look at. I bought a few art books and read everything I could find on how to make clouds. I found that whats behind your clouds is very important. Just keep practicing and it will come to you.

This is where I am now. This backdrop only has 3 colors in it . blue, off white, and white. All done with brushes. I am not an artist, I paint houses for a living. all I did was practice. 

glenn