Before trying this on my backdrop, I decided to, at least, paint a piece of cardboard blue and try my hand at painting clouds on them using Krylon spray cans. Here, on the left,you can see my pathetic attempt at hand brushing clouds. I'm not giving up my day job yet. The two on the right were done with the spray cans. First a light coat was put on the boards and then, using short 'puffs', I tried cloud forms.
The cans do a credible job with the blended, soft edges that I like..
but I'm not crazy about the 'spatter' that the cans give, seen below in a close crop..
If I can overcome that and practice making them much smaller I think this might be a good way. OR.... buy and learn to use an airbrush? OR..... try it with natural sponges dipped in paint..?... OR practice with the brush til I learn to do it right.
What do you think?
JaRRell
jacon12 wrote:Before trying this on my backdrop, I decided to, at least, paint a piece of cardboard blue and try my hand at painting clouds on them using Krylon spray cans. Here, on the left,you can see my pathetic attempt at hand brushing clouds. I'm not giving up my day job yet. The two on the right were done with the spray cans. First a light coat was put on the boards and then, using short 'puffs', I tried cloud forms.The cans do a credible job with the blended, soft edges that I like..but I'm not crazy about the 'spatter' that the cans give, seen below in a close crop..If I can overcome that and practice making them much smaller I think this might be a good way. OR.... buy and learn to use an airbrush? OR..... try it with natural sponges dipped in paint..?... OR practice with the brush til I learn to do it right.What do you think?JaRRell
Try making or buying some cloud templates. To form the underside of the clouds, hold the template close to the backdrop to form a harder edge. For the tops of the clouds, hold the template further way from the backdrop to form a softer edge. I've seen that method done on a video and the results are excellent. (I think it was the first Dream Plan Build video but it may have been on Tracks Ahead or both.)
jacon12 wrote: Before trying this on my backdrop, I decided to, at least, paint a piece of cardboard blue and try my hand at painting clouds on them using Krylon spray cans. Here, on the left,you can see my pathetic attempt at hand brushing clouds. I'm not giving up my day job yet. The two on the right were done with the spray cans. First a light coat was put on the boards and then, using short 'puffs', I tried cloud forms.The cans do a credible job with the blended, soft edges that I like..but I'm not crazy about the 'spatter' that the cans give, seen below in a close crop..If I can overcome that and practice making them much smaller I think this might be a good way. OR.... buy and learn to use an airbrush? OR..... try it with natural sponges dipped in paint..?... OR practice with the brush til I learn to do it right.What do you think?JaRRell
Jarrell,
You seem to have the colors down, For better definition and control with the spray cans, cut yourself some card stock sheild/ stencils. You don't need the complete cloud, just shapes for masking as you spray the different tones.
If you keep wiping the spray nozzle you may stop some of the splatter. Most of the cans these days do have lousey ones. If you find one w/ a good pattern keep it for swapping out if the same.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
Pesonally I'm not a big fan of the sprayed clouds, but we're all different.
I wonder what size brush you used, because in the case of clouds bigger is better. Saves you from getting too particular and fussy. And have a few on hand so you can work quickly without having to stop and clean them. For my art work I like to use 2inch wide pastry brushes - cheap at any supermarket. Not the nylon ones though - get some with bristles. Also try something bigger again, such as might be used for applying wallpaper glue.
With digital cameras good cloud photos are so quick and easy to come by. Do you have a selection to work from?
You're going well, because you're not afraid to experiment. They'll be better again next time. Keep us posted!
Mike
Modelling the UK in 00, and New England - MEC, B&M, D&H and Guilford - in H0
Here's some of my hand-painted clouds.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Well I am no expert by far but , I used a few cans of flat white and a primer grey to do my clouds
There not great but i like the way they turned out and it was easy; Did them all the way around the room in probably 45 mins if that?
I have used the spray can method exclusively on my layout and I wouldn't try anything else. They do a good job of creating thin cirrus clouds with little effort or talent. If you want to paint in thick cumulus clouds, that is going to take some effort as well as artistic ability. Because cumulus clouds are thick, you need to create shadows on the clouds to make them look right. We're talking about a backdrop here. I am not a believer in creating WOW effects on the backdrop. I don't want anything detracting from the foreground scene. A backdrop should do nothing more than create the suggestion that the layout extends beyond the benchwork. It shouldn't draw the viewers eye. The spray can clouds do just that. I think the clouds you have painted look just fine. Very much like the ones on my layout. I have posted pictures of my layout and several people have asked how I create the clouds. Apparently I have impressed some people without even trying to do so.
I agree that any backdrop scenery effects should be SUBTLE. I was at a Narrow Gauge convention a few years ago. Arguably, the narrow gaugers had some of the finest layouts I have ever seen with regards to scenery. One layout I saw (I cannot remember its name) had a professionally painted backdrop, but the painter was not a model railroader. You could take portions of the backdrop, put it frames, and mount them in living areas. Your eyes would rest on the background and not notice the layout, beautifully weathered engines and rolling stock and structures that would win prizes at conventions. It was an important lesson for me and I share it with you.
Steve B.
Here is an example of the clouds on my layout. Below I will tell you how I make them.
I use a brushed, wet on wet technique. I paint a section of the backdrop (not more than about 6 feet at a time) with my blue sky color. I use a roller and put the paint on fairly thick. Then, while the blue is wet I use white in a 2 inch straight brush and paint over the blue and blend it in from the bottom up. This makes the lower 1/2 of the backdrop look hazy, which looks natural. When I'm satisfied wht the haziness, I use the same brush and white paint to stipple the clouds on. This means I get a small amount of paint just on the ends of the bristles and dab it onto the backdrop in a punching motion like stabbing it with the end of the brush bristles. I continue to do with until I am satisfied with the mix of blue, bright white, and mixed white in the cloud and the general shape. Finally, I blend the bottom of the cloud into the haze gently, as most clouds appear flat on the bottom.
A couple of hard and fast rules are 1) there are no hard and fast rules, 2) no two clouds look alike, 3) there are many different types of clouds and they can look like almost any shape, and 4) the harder you work to make them look "just right" often the less realistic they look (in other words, randomness, asemetry, and non-conformity are good in clouds). Hope this helps.
Ron
Owner and superintendant of the N scale Texas Colorado & Western Railway, a protolanced representaion of the BNSF from Fort Worth, TX through Wichita Falls TX and into Colorado.
Check out the TC&WRy on at https://www.facebook.com/TCWRy
Check out my MRR How-To YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/RonsTrainsNThings
I appreciate everybody's input. Ron, I really like the clouds you've done with the wet on wet technique. My backdrop is already painted blue, as you can see in the photo above, but I just may buy a can of blue paint and do some experimenting with the wet on wet. You say that you only do a short section at the time, do you have any problem with matching.... say.. the first section with the second and third? Did you have problems with the blue paint drying too fast before you could do the clouds?
jeffrey-wimberly wrote: Here's some of my hand-painted clouds.
Jrffrey,
Those clouds look like a photo backdrop, nice job.
Yeah, I'm thinking Jeffery oughta go on the road as a backdrop painter.
Here's some clouds I painted 'digitally' on the backdrop of a little diorama I'm working on. Boy, to me they sure add a lot.
If only I could do them that easily on the real thing!
steveb wrote: I agree that any backdrop scenery effects should be SUBTLE. I was at a Narrow Gauge convention a few years ago. ... One layout I saw had a professionally painted backdrop, but the painter was not a model railroader. You could take portions of the backdrop, put it frames, and mount them in living areas. Your eyes would rest on the background and not notice the layout, beautifully weathered engines and rolling stock and structures that would win prizes at conventions. It was an important lesson for me and I share it with you.
I agree that any backdrop scenery effects should be SUBTLE. I was at a Narrow Gauge convention a few years ago. ... One layout I saw had a professionally painted backdrop, but the painter was not a model railroader. You could take portions of the backdrop, put it frames, and mount them in living areas. Your eyes would rest on the background and not notice the layout, beautifully weathered engines and rolling stock and structures that would win prizes at conventions. It was an important lesson for me and I share it with you.
I happen to like cumulus clouds - remind me of nice summer days - however, I think it would be beyond me to paint "good" ones. And I agree that you don't want your background pulling the eye away from the trains, so I just go with blue, feathered into light gray at the base.
I might try a few stratus or altostratus with a spray can one of these days.
jacon12 wrote: I appreciate everybody's input. Ron, I really like the clouds you've done with the wet on wet technique. My backdrop is already painted blue, as you can see in the photo above, but I just may buy a can of blue paint and do some experimenting with the wet on wet. You say that you only do a short section at the time, do you have any problem with matching.... say.. the first section with the second and third? Did you have problems with the blue paint drying too fast before you could do the clouds?JaRRell
I have never had a matching problem because I 1) use the same can of flat, interrior blue latex paint all of the time and 2) paint blue about 18" beyond where I paint clouds. When I move on the the next section I paint over that area of blue again, but not in a straight stroke. Blending the white "haze" along this area helps too. Also, whenever possible, I stop at natural breaks--corners or areas where the scenery will help mask any difference in paint. I have had problems with paint drying too fast when I tried to do too much at once. When I first started about 4' was all I could do at a time. Gradually that extende to 6'. I have done 8' with experience, but this is pushing the drying time of the blue paint. I recommend keeping the sections short, especially at first.
Hi everyone, Each of the posts show a love for experimentation, to depict nature. My own experience with painting clouds, is to subdue the clouds, so that they do not "steal the show". One way to accomplish this, is to first gradeate the blue of the background sky from semi-intense blue at the top, to nearly white at the bottom. My layout is in the loft of a 24' x24' garage, with a hip roof on the two sides. The hip angle starts about 28" above the top of the layout.The white ceiling acoustic 2'x4' tiles angle down to the point where the hip angle meets the vertical wall. This provides a sharp definition between ceiling and backdrop painted sky, and creates the perspective illusion of great distance. I used three 28"x8' sheets of Luan that had been primed with white paint, for the backdrop, on each of the two side walls. Since the backdrop was already primed with white paint, I used a paint roller with sky blue paint, and gradually added water to the roller, to create a gradual transition from blue at the top, to nearly white at the bottom. I prefer to use a round headed brush to stipple on the shape of the cloud. I started with a faint grey at bottom, and without cleaning the brush, dabbed the brush into white on the pallet, to create faint cumulus clouds, with faint edges of grey. One can then use a spray can to create the whispy edges of the clouds. For Cirrus clouds, I used the dry brush technique, with horizontal strokes with a fuzzy old 1/2" brush, and very faint grey on the pallet. Bob
Ok Ron, thanks. I guess I just have to keep practicing and experimenting.
n2mopac wrote: jacon12 wrote: I appreciate everybody's input. Ron, I really like the clouds you've done with the wet on wet technique. My backdrop is already painted blue, as you can see in the photo above, but I just may buy a can of blue paint and do some experimenting with the wet on wet. You say that you only do a short section at the time, do you have any problem with matching.... say.. the first section with the second and third? Did you have problems with the blue paint drying too fast before you could do the clouds?JaRRellI have never had a matching problem because I 1) use the same can of flat, interrior blue latex paint all of the time and 2) paint blue about 18" beyond where I paint clouds. When I move on the the next section I paint over that area of blue again, but not in a straight stroke. Blending the white "haze" along this area helps too. Also, whenever possible, I stop at natural breaks--corners or areas where the scenery will help mask any difference in paint. I have had problems with paint drying too fast when I tried to do too much at once. When I first started about 4' was all I could do at a time. Gradually that extende to 6'. I have done 8' with experience, but this is pushing the drying time of the blue paint. I recommend keeping the sections short, especially at first.Ron
Bob, thanks for the suggestions. Experimenting is about all I've gotten accomplished so far on this backdrop. I may wind up leaving it blue, but graduated to near white at the bottom, since I'm evidently not good at painting clouds.
Jarrell
HHPATH56 wrote: Hi everyone, Each of the posts show a love for experimentation, to depict nature. My own experience with painting clouds, is to subdue the clouds, so that they do not "steal the show". One way to accomplish this, is to first gradeate the blue of the background sky from semi-intense blue at the top, to nearly white at the bottom. My layout is in the loft of a 24' x24' garage, with a hip roof on the two sides. The hip angle starts about 28" above the top of the layout.The white ceiling acoustic 2'x4' tiles angle down to the point where the hip angle meets the vertical wall. This provides a sharp definition between ceiling and backdrop painted sky, and creates the perspective illusion of great distance. I used three 28"x8' sheets of Luan that had been primed with white paint, for the backdrop, on each of the two side walls. Since the backdrop was already primed with white paint, I used a paint roller with sky blue paint, and gradually added water to the roller, to create a gradual transition from blue at the top, to nearly white at the bottom. I prefer to use a round headed brush to stipple on the shape of the cloud. I started with a faint grey at bottom, and without cleaning the brush, dabbed the brush into white on the pallet, to create faint cumulus clouds, with faint edges of grey. One can then use a spray can to create the whispy edges of the clouds. For Cirrus clouds, I used the dry brush technique, with horizontal strokes with a fuzzy old 1/2" brush, and very faint grey on the pallet. Bob
Personally I like the first example of painted clouds that you've done. My own backdrop has a dark blue sky with clouds first painted in a very light blue and finished off with white highlights for the edges of the clouds. (See below)
Ian
JaRRell,
I personaly like the first set of clouds. They are distinct, and very depictive of natural cloud formations. Though you prefer soft edges, in a backdrop sense, creating the presense of clouds can be favored by the scene. I would have to say, that of your trials, use your techniques of cloud painting, to accomodate the scene. You have an artistic hand. I could replicate your spray can clouds, but could not replicate your hand painted ones!
Jeremy