Painting the backdrop

[jacon12]

Well, if I had it to do again I would,
1- make darned sure all the screw heads were countersunk real good. Almost below level don't get it.
2- I'd buy a small paint spray gun so that the light and darker colors would blend perfectly (almost anyway). Latex paint dries pretty quickly and it's not the easiest thing in the world to blend it with a brush.
That said, how do you think it looks boys and girls?

I may redo it yet! Or maybe not..[:p]
Jarrell

[Anonymous]

Now, I'm not to the step you're at yet, and I've never painted a backdrop before, so this is totally just a suggestion to try if you decide you don't like it... the white stands out a bit much at the bottom in my opinion, so maybe you could mix some of the blue with just a touch of white in a separate container, then very lightly feather the thinned blue into the white area down another three or four inches with a wide brush. Don't know if that will work or not, just looks like there's alot of blue, a very small amount of fade, and then alot of white to me. Hopefully some others will weigh in who've done it before. I'll probably wind up redoing mine when I get to that step three or four times before I'm satisfied with it.

Good luck!

[grandeman]

Looking good. Are you having fun yet? [:D]

[cheese3]

I would try what jshrade said. It is looking pretty good though [^]

[jacon12]

There is something about it I'm not satisfied with. Jshrade,I think I will mix some lighter blue, using the white. I wish I had an airbru***o feather it with, doing it with a brush isn't easy especially with the bright white and the blue. A lighter blue should blend better than the white. I also think I'll get my wife to help me with it, let her run the blue along and then me come right behind with the lighter blue. While they're still nice and wet they should blend a lot better.
I hope.
Thanks for the encouragement guys!
Jarrell

[grandeman]

Jerrell, I thought you might like this pic I swiped off an ebay auction. Talk about "putting a backdrop together"! [:D] Check out the upper right hand corner... Nice rolling stock though.

[selector]

Jarrell, you are doing really well. That is the first thing you need to know. Secondly, it DOES look like a fog bank or low clouds as opposed to a blended sky. But that is okay, because you are half-way there. All you have left to do is to do that narrow blended band between the two colours (plus clouds?). I would mix the two colours to get a tweenie shade, and then do light vertical stokes with an almost dry brush where the white and blue seem to meet. This will require patience, persistence, and determination from you. You may have to do it over two or three sessions (GET THAT GLAZED LOOK OFF'N YER MUGG, SOLJER!!). It will be worth all the hassle, tho, so have at 'er.

[jacon12]

QUOTE: Originally posted by grande man

Jerrell, I thought you might like this pic I swiped off an ebay auction. Talk about "putting a backdrop together"! [:D] Check out the upper right hand corner... Nice rolling stock though.

LOL... is that real?! I don't think I've ever even heard of doing that.
Jarrell

[jacon12]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

Jarrell, you are doing really well. That is the first thing you need to know. Secondly, it DOES look like a fog bank or low clouds as opposed to a blended sky. But that is okay, because you are half-way there. All you have left to do is to do that narrow blended band between the two colours (plus clouds?). I would mix the two colours to get a tweenie shade, and then do light vertical stokes with an almost dry brush where the white and blue seem to meet. This will require patience, persistence, and determination from you. You may have to do it over two or three sessions (GET THAT GLAZED LOOK OFF'N YER MUGG, SOLJER!!). It will be worth all the hassle, tho, so have at 'er.

Selector, I'm going to do it again this afternoon if I have time. I just came back from the train room and as I was closing the door I thought, danged if that don't look like a fog bank rolling in.
Jarrell

[bogp40]

If you have trouble w/ acryic/latex paint drying to fast while blending the backdrop sky colors, try using a paint conditioner. I use Floetrol, gives more working time and brush marks should level out. It does not affect the properties of the paint when used as directed. Also any horizon areas that will have forground trees etc, it is a good time to fog some additional haze before even painting any forground objects. Airbrush is recommended for this (light gray-white) This gives a great effect of depth once the scenery is completed.
Bob K.

[jacon12]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Robert Knapp

If you have trouble w/ acryic/latex paint drying to fast while blending the backdrop sky colors, try using a paint conditioner. I use Floetrol, gives more working time and brush marks should level out. It does not affect the properties of the paint when used as directed. Also any horizon areas that will have forground trees etc, it is a good time to fog some additional haze before even painting any forground objects. Airbrush is recommended for this (light gray-white) This gives a great effect of depth once the scenery is completed.
Bob K.

Bob, I have seen the airbrushed foreground objects, like hills or trees, and I'll agree they sure add a lot of depth. Some of them look like you could just walk right into the backdrop. I wish I was that talented.
I'm headed up to Ace hdwre now to pick up something so I'll see if they've got the Floetrol, it sure would be a big help as the paint is drying so fast on me.
Thanks for the tips,
Jarrell

[jacon12]

Since I don't have a good airbrush and I've found I'm not that good at blending with a regular paint brush, I redid it in mostly blue. It looks like this now..

I added the Floetrol and it helped alot. What have I learned?
This technique takes some practice to get it right. You've got to have the right amount of paint up there to blend it. Too little... or the amount you'd normally use when you're just painting, won't work well. Too much is just too much. Using the Floetrol will at least give you time to do something with fast drying latex paint.
As Joe Fugate said in one of his tutorials, the airbrush is really the way to go, that is if you've practiced with one of those.
Maybe next time I'll buy a big 1,000,000 piece scenic puzzle.. :)
Now to find some 2 inch extruded foam which isn't easy to do in the Deep South.
Jarrell

[cheese3]

That looks really good!!!! Excelent work! [^]

[bogp40]

Jarrel,
Looks great now, glad the Floetrol helped.
Bob K.

[selector]

Yeesssss!! I think you have it perfectly, Jarrell.

Did you do a jig?[^][tup][bow]

[jacon12]

Thanks Adam. At least now it doesn't look like a fog bank rolling in. Bob, the Floetrol did the trick, gives you that extra time you need. Latex paint dries pretty darned fast!
Crandell, this was about the 4th coat I put on it, I was all jigged out!
Jarrell