Backdrop Know-how

Backdrop Know-how

tttrains welcomes you to Backdrop Know-how!

I have taught Backdrop Know-how in clinic form many times. Most modelers who have attended are pleasantly surprised at their innate ability to create a soft, rolling hills background.

The following tips and ideas will lead you through the process. The beginning section addresses backdrop construction and preparation, which often is something overlooked. Next, are painting techniques, discussion of color, and some advice that will help your background compliment your layout.

I encourage plenty of practice before you tackle your walls in the layout room. Once you are familiar with the techniques and have made decisions about time of year, location of your RR, type of foliage, you are all set to proceed.

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Successful Backdrops:

Give the illusion of space
Compliment the 3-d foreground
Do not overpower or detract attention from your layout
Blend 3-D into 2-D, without an abrupt horizon line
Can be viewed from all positions, without regard for perspective (do not paint building on your backdrop)
Are planned early on in layout design, not treated as an afterthought

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Construction:

Plan the backdrop before bench work, unless the backdrop is connected to the bench work. Good quality wallboard, sheet rock, or masonite may be used for the foundation of your background painting. Corner Construction

Round off corners in your room:

Cut three identical arcs of 3/4 plywood. The front edges of the triangles must have identical smooth curves.
Mount the arcs in the corners of the room.. ( see diagram) Use the plywood arcs at the ceiling ( three inches from the ceiling), mid-way and bottom of the backdrop. Support the arcs with 1x2's screwwed into studs.

View From Above

Fit the masonite, mark seams Blend the edges of masonite and wallboard, by scoring the wallboard and making an 1/8th indentation in the wallboard, in order to get a flat joint.
Screw masonite into the 3/4 plywood arcs triangles, using wallboard screws, sinking screw heads
Apply joint compound, tape seams and fill screw head divots.

I have even bent masonite around lolly columns, wetting and soaking it first., bending the masonite gradually.
Use caution with masonite: try not to scratch the smooth side out toward the room. Priming seals the masonite from moisture and prevents the dark color from showing through
Hint: from ClarkKooning, MMR: try using Formica type counter material for the backdrop surface., have the backside of the product out toward the room, the light weight makes it easy to work with and the thinness make seams easier to work. Attach with good quality contact cement. Thank you, Clarke!
Hint: from Dick Lord: use brass screws (on masonite) so that there would never be any discoloring through the paint.

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Preparation for painting backdrop:

The most important step!!
Fill any gouges, screw holes and feather seams using joint compound
Make sure the wall or surface is sanded and primed two coats
Paint sky color with high quality latex wall paint
A good color is Sherwin William's #SW1787 Baby Blue or #BM 33-4 Universe Blue
Avoid any blue that is greenish or purplish
Paint clouds (see clouds - my previous tips page)

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Deb's and others' Tips (and opinion):

Avoid the use of commercial murals. I have found that people have run into trouble, when these paper backdrops are used in any high humidity area. They look great until the first hot humid day, then you will have to live with thousands of small buckles. I suppose that they are useful in the desert or in a limited area on a smaller layout.

Another drawback is that commercial murals are TOO realistic and they detract from your layout. After all, a modeler wants the viewers attention on the total layout and on operation.

Deb's favorite Tips and Techniques:

Hide the meeting line or the backdrop (trees, hills, buildings, bridges) note above: 3-d scenery ends with the darker green
Soften (lighten or gray them) the colors in the distance
Soften the detail in the distance, for example, less detail on the painted tree above, adjust scale (trees, roads, telephone poles)

Roll the 3-D scenery, join the scenery on the down side of hills
Use promontory of roads or rivers to hide the joint line (see above: promontory points of the receding road)
Float the back drop, so that there is no joining line where 3-d scenery meets 2-d
Practice the below techniques on poster board until you find your comfort zone

From Dan ( an experienced Backdrop painter)

Backdrop sky should be a FLAT paint. It should not have any brush marks. I found it best to use an 8" long lambswool roller. I use EZKARE Latex Flat Enamel (a True Value Hardware store paint) E4Y20 & >J1Y12 color mix as the truest match to open sky under my basement lighting. I use track lighting with halogen bulbs which is close to natural noontime sun light.
Wait at least a week before painting clouds. Then I use spray cans of flat white with templates held 2 - 4 inches away from the blue wall. The bottoms of clouds are spray painted using flat aluminum. This is a beautiful and realistic effect.
Before painting mountains, get some white chalk and outline the mountains on the wall. Then paint over the chalk. The chalk lines will disappear and you will have mountains and hills that are realistic. I went so far as to take slide photos of the mountains in the area I was modelling (eastern Oregon), projected them on the backdrop walls, outlined them with chalk, painted the snowcapped peaks, et cetera, and ended up with a person who lived in eastern Oregon recognizing the mountains!
Just be sure to do the installation and painting of backdrops under the lighting the railroad will be operated under and do it before building the railroad. You know, the prototype had it easy. They didn't have to build the world and sky before laying track.

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Make some Decisions:

Finish clouds (see Skies and Cloud Stenciling)
Consult an artist friend or FORGE AHEAD !
Yes, you can paint a beautiful, simple background that will compliment your layout.
Decide what terrain ( the best for beginners is soft rolling hills)
Decide on colors: the trick is to match your ground foam material with background colors.

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Colors:

Purchasing paints:

Purchase several packets of ground foam and make comparisons when you select your paint
Expensive artist acrylics are not necessary
Try craft shops, (fabric stores) and look for craft acrylics sold in 4 oz.-12 oz. bottles, some brands are Cermacraft, Applebarrel
Purchase a variety of greens, browns, one yellow, one brown, one black and a large, large white

Choosing colors:

Pick a spectrum of greens that reflect the colors of the ground foam products that you have already purchased at your favorite hobby shop.
Pick colors appropriate for your railroad.
Research photos are the best source
If you have hills with conifers pick tones of dark forest green (bluish green)
If your hills are eastern with deciduous trees, keep to the clear greens( not Kelly green ), with touches of yellow green
If your RR is western: pick brownish greens.
Time of year is important! Spring brings more yellow greens, Fall brings colors to the eastern RR, but usually only yellows to western hills (retain the dark conifer greens). Winter hills represent the most challenge, since there is no foliage to hide things. However, hills done in grays, can be very effective. (Send me your, Photos!)

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Painting: Some different Techniques

Sponge Printing:

Buy natural sponges for the best irregular texture.
Frequently change the angle/side of the sponge

Overlap shapes, change greens frequently see procedure below
Dabbing, by repeated frequent stamping ( but not smearing!!) - this can be very effective giving a soft feeling of distance
For foliage that is closer the sponge can be one of coarser texture and use stronger colors, sponge printing allows the foliage to remain airy and leaves holes for the sky to peek through.
Distance hills can also be done with sponge painting- keeping the texture small and close together

Wide, Flat Brush Painting:

A good quality wide (2" is ideal) brush with stiff, natural bristles is needed- (available at paint stores)
Keep brush dry :Load the paint by squishing the brush onto the palette, keeping the paint brush "dry"
Using horizontal strokes fill in the lightest colored hill, furthest "away"
Adding stronger pigment, work your way down the landscape until you have softly shaped hills
Turn the Brush vertical and stamp tiny feathered trees onto some hills

Have fun and experiment!

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Procedure:

Make a palette (tear-off disposable palette paper is good, but a flat pan will suffice) of a variety of greens that will blend with your ground foam and add a large amount of white

Lightly sketch soft rolling hills 6-8 inches above your 3-D scenery
Sketch some lower larger hills
Using a wide brush or sponge, lighten a soft green with white, mixing while you paint, paint the further hills, add a lit more green where the hills meet. remember to keep your brush filled with paint, but not wet with paint.
After the furthest hills are in a variety of soft pale greens, mix in more green and begin the lower hills with the more intense greens.
A good area to work would be 18-24 inches at a time
If you want, apply painted foliage after the hills are dry- This foliage belongs to trees that are behind your 3-d trees (could be done with the sponge technique)
Keeping it SIMPLE, will keep your backdrop EFFECTIVE!!!!!

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