Just to clear up any confusion.The thread is about creating backdrops. If you want to take pictures that is OK too !
Once Upon a time.........
My photobucket:
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/
I am a man of few words but lots of pics
I quit drinking beer because the download was taking longer than the upload !
Very nice.
OK, so how did you do it?
-Ed
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." -Aristotle
Building your own facades or backdrops are really easy things to do using materials that are usually available to most of us.They are quite cheap to build and require only hand tools to make.Glue,cardboard,tongue depressors , coffee stir sticks or small scale scale lumber is all you need.The core could be plywood ,cardboard or foamboard or whatever, as long as it is easy to cut,and does not warp with the use of water based materials like carpenters glue(white or yellow) and acrylic paint.You will need a flat surface to work on and lots of #11 Xacto blades (changed on a regular basis) and your basic core material to start with.You will want to be able to easily change your design as you go along ,if you wish to.Save all cutouts from doors or windows etc... to use as perfect patches if required.I just usually tape any mistakes over using the patches,because these basic shapes only act as a easily worked flexible core for any brick or wood sheathing.The actual strength will be in the sheathing material you put on or your basic framing.Before starting I will usually make a small scale complete structure,walls and roof etc ,using cardboard or thick paper.It doesn't have to be to any exact scale as it is only something that is used to stimulate your imagination or work out a final composition.If you want to build it to scale then that is OK too as you then will be able to take direct measurements for the scaled up version.I will be using lots of pics to illustrate how I do things and as little text as possible ,I find long texts can be boring .Well here goes ! I hope that you guys enjoy it.The thread will probably end up a little long so please just bypass it if you don't want to read it.Cheers ! John.
EDZ Very nice. OK, so how did you do it? -Ed
Thank you Ed,glad you like it. Cheers ! John.
I prefer to use industrial buildings on my ISL backdrops since-well-its suppose to be a industrialized area.
Like this:
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
JohnReid Building your own facades or backdrops are really easy things to do using materials that are usually available to most of us.They are quite cheap to build and require only hand tools to make.Glue,cardboard,tongue depressors , coffee stir sticks or small scale scale lumber is all you need.The core could be plywood ,cardboard or foamboard or whatever, as long as it is easy to cut,and does not warp with the use of water based materials like carpenters glue(white or yellow) and acrylic paint.
Building your own facades or backdrops are really easy things to do using materials that are usually available to most of us.They are quite cheap to build and require only hand tools to make.Glue,cardboard,tongue depressors , coffee stir sticks or small scale scale lumber is all you need.The core could be plywood ,cardboard or foamboard or whatever, as long as it is easy to cut,and does not warp with the use of water based materials like carpenters glue(white or yellow) and acrylic paint.
Just checking - you do actually know the difference between a backdrop and a background flat?
The former is a painting or photo, intended to convey a sense of the scene being much deeper than it actually is, the latter is a thin building.
Smile, Stein
Thank you for asking that question Stein, I was finding myself wondering the same thing.
On my last three layouts I painted my own backdrops (strictly paint on drywall/concrete/masonite) and was surprised at how a non-artist such as myself could come up with "passable" backdrops.
So when I saw this posting, I figured I would be able to take the knowledge / expertise / experience from an expert and really come up with something decent. But, I think its likely to be all about pasting building flats on a wall, rather than doing an honest to goodness backdrop.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Ma,n some of you people really amaze me. Some guy is trying to convey an idea of his methods to provide detailing to a layout.
Rather than just watching and maybe learning something, I hear whining and complaining about symantics of all things. If you can read and discern that this thread isn't about what you want.. then perhaps you should move on.. or better yet.. share YOUR techniques!
I think the discussion about the difference between a backdrop or background flat is pretty meaningless here..they BOTH are part of the background. Sheeesh...verbal rivet counters now.
Now..to get to the main point..what I'm going to do is to take some of my photos and use them as a background flat pretty much as described herein. There is/was something about using silos in a split form as well against the backdrop...I'm going to have ti get that done as well...I've got one long mill that takes up serious space ...
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
Without trying to derail the thread further, thread titles are important. I came here looking for information on how to make a backdrop, but the thread's about something entirely different. It's like coming to a thread titled 'How to model a caboose track" and the thread's actually about the cabooses. Doesn't diminish the content of the thread, but makes it harder to find. Hell, I was trying to figure out what was going on for the first two posts or so before I realized.
Anyway, on topic: Your flats are really great and convincing. and I think flats are some of the most important buildings on a model railway due to the depth they add!
Go here for my rail shots! http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=9296
Building the CPR Kootenay division in N scale, blog here: http://kootenaymodelrailway.wordpress.com/
Copied from an online dictionary:
backdrop [ˈbækËŒdrÉ’p]
Click on thumbnail for larger or more pics.
New pics in photobucket: See album Backdrops-Foamboard:I use 1/4" thick,draw on the planned look of the facade and check the scale using a figure.Note:foamboard can warp when gluing on your wood sheathing or brick.To cure put it on a flat surface and use clamps or weight.-The Frame:Basic wood frame using pine lumber.Avoid hard woods for ease of drilling etc..-Frame 5:The finished basic frame using 1/4" plywood.Please note:Also see my sub-albums for more pics not directly connected to this step-by-step "How.....".I have decided to post only the text here except for the occasional pic.
JohnReid Click on thumbnail for larger or more pics.
Guys, I don't know what the heck JR is talking about half the time, and I think his manner of expressing himself understandably annoys some people, but if you click on the link, and check out the third picture especially, you will see some fascinating modelling.
The St. Francis Consolidated Railroad of the Colorado Rockies
Denver, Colorado
St Francis Consolidated RR Guys, I don't know what the heck JR is talking about half the time, and I think his manner of expressing himself understandably annoys some people, but if you click on the link, and check out the third picture especially, you will see some fascinating modelling.
If you are talking about the use of LEDs, there is a pretty good thread on Putting Lighting in Structures.
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/p/198892/2173357.aspx#2173357
Rich
Alton Junction
....thanks, Rich, for the link (I missed that one)....I was thinking also of the general construction, the believability of the brickwork, and just the general high quality and thoughtfulness of the work as a whole.
This pic requires some text so I posted it here but it can also be found in my photobucket if required.Sorry about the quality of the pic but it will give you an idea of what I am talking about.Dimensions change a lot depending on the era that you are modeling.Doors,windows,ceiling heights,thickness of floors between each story will vary as well.All of this must be reflected in your facade for it to look correct.A little research on this may be in order.Be especially careful about sill and header heights above floor level.Victorian buildings had narrow doors and the windows, while in proportion, where very high.Because in this particular case it represents row housing, kitchen windows with the bathrooms above placed side by side with the next unit were designed for easy plumbing and electricity routes.Shared chimneys for stoves were also quite common.Here we are just providing for overall dimensions,styles of doors and windows will come later.
Cutouts: save all cutouts for patching if required.(We all change our mind on occasion) number each one and indicate the the inside or outside ,up or down for a perfect re-alignment.Glue in the patch or tape it over and start again.Framing of windows and doors:as you can see I have made lots of adjustments to get the framing of this window to line up properly.The width of the board you use will depend on the finished overall thickness of your wall and whether or not you want it flush with the outside.I usually leave the board a little bit above surface level and finish up by fitting the bricks around the frame of the door or window.
Here is a link to some background flats that I made, feel free to to copy these buildings for your own layout.
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/190349.aspx
Tomcat,
I missed these the first time around - and I'm glad you posted them again. These are really nice, and many are just perfect for my late '40s - '50s era.
Nice Job !!!!
tomkat-13 Here is a link to some background flats that I made, feel free to to copy these buildings for your own layout. http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/190349.aspx
WOW, I was away that week & what a miss!!!! I totally 'second the motion' of MobileMan44!
Those are incredible, tremendous artwork, & should be in stores near us!!! Thank you TomKat!!!!
tomkat, this is great stuff.
How about some urban skyscrapers, some downtown buildings from the 1950's?
Looks like someone is up against a brick wall! IMHO, I think a dirty white wash on the bricks would bring out the mortar lines. Also, that center stone is just a wee bit out of alignment. Otherwise, that's a good looking wall !
OK...now I am looking for a glue idea for ABS half cylinders and foamcore backdrops...what would work?
blownout cylinder OK...now I am looking for a glue idea for ABS half cylinders and foamcore backdrops...what would work?
What are ABS half cylinders?