I have been worried about what to do with the backdrop on my new layout. I am leaning towards the photographic backdrops that I have seen on various layouts. I am some small amount of skill painting acrylic paintings of landscape. Several are hung in my home. However, they do not measure up to what I see in photos. I am going to model the fall season in the Blue Ridge Mountains of WV and VA. There are some backdrops like those from Sceniking that would seem to work. I might be able to make a trip to Bluefield, WV next fall for some photos. The problem is my lack of skill with computers and panoramic photography.
Suggests and examples of your layout backdrop would be great!!
Craig North Carolina
I look at backdrops or backgrounds as being made up of three distinct types of layers. Farthest away is a background that is indistinct. Next closest is a printed backdrop of specific scenes that can be made up of multiple commercial prints. The closest is the backdrop buildings that are plastic kits that are only 1/2, one, or two inches deep.I start with a light blue for the walls. Then my farthermost background is sponge painted and is just some hill shapes. (It was my first time doing something like that.) It is not the best, but acceptable to me. On the middle level using commericial photos or prints that I use, I always cut the sky portion off.Since you are a painter, it seems to me that you could do that really really well, then add some selected prints in front of it.Although not a very good modeling photo, the one below shows what I mean. (Scenery on the upper level hasn't started yet.)
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
Here's one I did of Philadelphia.
Doing a panaroma isn't hard at all. Just take several pictures using a tripod and the highest quality the camera can produce. Overlap the pictures about 30%. Then you do a panaroma or find someone to do it for you.
Once you have the finished product , take it to a sign shop and have them print it out. My wife now has a sign shop and can do 36 inch tall prints. The preferred material for me is Vinyl but there are other cheaper alternatives. Vinyl typically goes for 6-8 bucks a square foot when using your own photo.
Springfield PA
Here's a couple of pics in front of the backdrop
I'd like to encourage you to have a crack at painting it yourself. If you have some experience with paints, you owe it to yourself to have a go. Maybe start by doing a small portable backscene that you can use for photos.
Lots of members here have painted their own, and are justifiably proud of their efforts.
And no, I have no problem with photos or montages. Hamltnblue's is marvellous.
Mike
Modelling the UK in 00, and New England - MEC, B&M, D&H and Guilford - in H0
I'd like to encourage you to have a crack at painting it yourself.
Hiya Mike, how's things down under?....your layout is looking better than ever.
I would also encourage people to have a try at painting, and I would also like to add that there is no reason why, once your photograph is mounted on foam board or on the wall, you can't paint over the photograph itself. It isn't like we're trying to sell these backdrops in galleries as original art or anything.
Obviously, you can't get results painting over glossy photo paper, but who wants that on their layout anyway? I've used oils over photographs that I printed out on my wide-format printer on regular white bond paper and then mounted, but I think acrylics might work even better.
Anyway, for those of you who want to try painting but feel less than adequate when it comes to drawing or color and all....try modifying a photograph by painting over parts of it and get the feel of things that way.
You might be surprised by the quality of the results.
The St. Francis Consolidated Railroad of the Colorado Rockies
Denver, Colorado
Hamltnblue Here's one I did of Philadelphia. Doing a panaroma isn't hard at all. Just take several pictures using a tripod and the highest quality the camera can produce. Overlap the pictures about 30%. Then you do a panaroma or find someone to do it for you. Once you have the finished product , take it to a sign shop and have them print it out. My wife now has a sign shop and can do 36 inch tall prints. The preferred material for me is Vinyl but there are other cheaper alternatives. Vinyl typically goes for 6-8 bucks a square foot when using your own photo.
HB,
I like that city background a lot.
Are you saying that the background is from photos you took?
Rich
Alton Junction
I'd like to encourge you to NOT to paint them but use photographs. It is sad but in many cases painted backdrops other than outlines of hills, mountains and clouds look terrible. It is sad that some folks don't know their own ability. Very few people can paint a model railroad backdrop other than clouds and outlines of hills and mountains and do it successfully. I have artistitic ablity but at least I know my limits. Perhaps you do too. The other thing is that is easier to paint the backdrops before you put up the benchwork. But each to their own
I tend to agree with you about having already put up most of the benchwork (70%-at least the part that would have a backdrop painted on), it is too late for painting except a few clouds and some distant mountains. I am good with mountains, near and far, but only fair with clouds. I am thinking of trying my airbrush for clouds (this spring). Thanks!
Rich,
I learned how to take photos for my backdrops from Hamltnblue. All I did was use a tripod, took several pictures just rototing the camera left to right (using a cheap tripod). Then I got some help from him using photoshop to stitch the photos together for a panoramic photo.
Then I took it to my local print shop, and printed it on cheap matte finish photo paper. It was really easy.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
wabash2800 I'd like to encourge you to NOT to paint them but use photographs. It is sad but in many cases painted backdrops other than outlines of hills, mountains and clouds look terrible. It is sad that some folks don't know their own ability. Very few people can paint a model railroad backdrop other than clouds and outlines of hills and mountains and do it successfully. I have artistitic ablity but at least I know my limits. Perhaps you do too. The other thing is that is easier to paint the backdrops before you put up the benchwork. But each to their own
I hear you......Mike and I are both professional full time artists, including landscapes, so we have an advantage. My experience with students though is that they sometimes surprise themselves. That might be part of what Mike had in mind.
My high school biology teacher told the class once that there were two or three guys in the stands on any given day who could pitch better than Sandy Kolfax but didn't know it because they never tried!!!
(And, yes, I've seen some HIDEOUS background paintings too!)
I am NOT that great of a painter. I am thinking of trying one of the backdrops from Sceniking. Has anyone had any experience with this company.
I'd personally go with a photo backdrop.
However I'm not familar with your part of the country so perhaps a painted backdrop might be better. Our layout is primarily set in the California desert (Mojave) so a photo backdrop works well. But if there are a lot of trees in your area, I'm not sure how well a photo backdrop will look.
We purchased a backdrop from BackDrop Warehouse. A little pricey yes, but couldn't have been easier. And the most comments I get from people visiting our layout are all about the backdrop and how realistic it looks.
Again not being too familiar with your part of the country, here is a BackDrop Warehouse fall color backdrop set in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania that might work for you:
Here's another fall backdrop from Elkins, West Virginia that might be just what you're looking for:
Here's what our backdrop looks like:
Matt from Anaheim, CA and Bayfield, COClick Here for my model train photo website
I tried painting my own backdrop on masonite. I am not a fan of photographic backgrounds, as I believe that too much detail in the background detracts from the foreground model layout.
I had never painted a landscape before, but I figured I could try it and paint over it if I didn't like the results. I painted the entire 57 linear feet of backdrop in one 8 hour session using only 4 colors of paint. Sky blue latex, white primer for the clouds, using home made stencils, forest green craft paint mixed with some sky blue for distant hills, and straight up for closer hills. Some fields and details were added with tan craft paint.
Eric
http://housatonicnscale.blogspot.com/
The photo from Elkin, WV is exactly what I am looking for. I am modeling that area and the fall season. Thanks for the tip and website.