How To: Backdrop Types: Painted, Photo, Backgrounds

[sillystringtheory]

I have reached the point on the building of my layout where I believe that I should consider installing backdrops along the walls of my mostly shelf style layout. Obviously, I would love to hear from members here who have some experience with Backdrop Warehouse.
Also was wondering what is the difference between a backdrop and a background?
My thinking is that it would be easier to let the backgrounds help to define the foreground than having the foreground mismatching the colors and details of the background.
Is this a good idea?
My layout is N scale and I would love to see some examples of backdrops in all scales but particularly N scale.

[watash]

Please refrain from having the Eiffel Tower on a backdrop behind the Empire State building in your background with a steam engine pulling a cattle train into the Fort Worth Stockyards in the foreground.

This practice has been suspected of giving some of our rivet counting purists, heart attacks, which tends to reduce the membership severely!

At least use a GG-1 pulling UP auto-racks, for better identification.

Thank you, "Office of Official Officers" dept. :D

[Caddy58]

I would prowl the Railimage pages for inspiration on backdrops.

I guess thewre are basically 3 choices:

Using photos as a backdrop: Pro: They tend to look very realistic. Cons: They might distract from the layout, color matching can be difficult and it can be hard to find a photo if you model an actual place / time

Handpaint a backdrop: Pro: You can match the layout colors, the backdrop can be "subdued" to not distract form the trains and you can mytch any place. Cons: Artisticly challenged people (like myself) might find the task daunting...

Just use a pale-blue backdrop: It is far, far better than no backdrop and easy to paint. If a photo becomes available of the artistic skills imptove you can fiull in the details later (though it can be hard on the back to lean over a layout to paint the backdrop...

A small "teaser" (though there are far superior backdrops to be found on Railimages);

http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/500/Z6_at_New_Stampede_Front.jpg

I mounted sheets of masonite (smooth side up) on the walls, curved corners and handpainted using acrylics.
The horizontal "parting line" is actually an access hatch to a window....

Cheers
Dirk

[watash]

Here is one site to look at:

http://www.realisticbackgrounds.com/

Here is another:

http://www.sheridanonline.me.uk/

This is an excellent site to study. You can learn a lot here!
Click on TRAINS, go to BLACKBURN 2005, then scroll over to 3rd photo on the right, then 3rd photo down showing the Garrett loco, and notice the back drop.
Try to prevent your room lights from casting shadows onto your backdrop, and also note the mismatch of pictures.
This is why some at least try to paint their own, see? For photography purposes, you can usually select a camera angle that will not show a mismatch.

[Pete Nolan]

I basically have five types of backdrops.

1. A 4 x 6-inch photo that I stretched to 12 x 96 inches, with lots of blur. A very good backdrop!

2. Two 200 mbyte photo panoramas stitched together from six sharp images of Homer Bay, Alaska and the Jemez Mountians here in NM. They are a bit too sharp, so I throw them out of focus a bit.

3. Pale blue skies--they work as well as anything.

4. My five-minute spray-bombed Jackson Pollard imitations--some work well, others not so well, but it takes only five minutes to repaint them.

5. Painted backdrops--NOT FOR ME! I'm an OK painter, but they look fake. I've replaced them all with five-minute backdrops.

[Ed M]

I basically have five types of backdrops.

1. A 4 x 6-inch photo that I stretched to 12 x 96 inches, with lots of blur. A very good backdrop!


How did you manage to print that, or did you have some shop do it?

I've seen lots of photos of your layout, but sometimes I lose track of which part is which. Could you post one showing this particular backdrop or just tell which scene is in the foreground so I can figure it out by going back through your album?

Thanks

Ed

[Mike Sheridan]

I've not seen (m)any photo backdrops that seemed OK to me. The only ones that came near were city scenes.

I think a very hazy painted backdrop, or just plain painted (maybe blue/grey or grey rather than blue, depending on modelled location and time of year) is better. After all what is the star of your show? What do you want people to look at? Do you ever see 'photo' backdrops at the theatre?

Just my pennyworth :)

[L Lee Davis]

I would have a good read at Backdrop Warehouse. They describe the difference between a backdrop and a background. A backgrouind is much sharper image which is good for things close up not far away. I would have thought of the backdrop from the beginning of building any layout as is one of the first things you do next to lighting and picture boxing. As to size; N scale should be about 18" high, HO scale should be about 24" high and O scale should be about 36" high. And as others have said you might try your hand at just a sky background, Remember to keep the horizon a darker color than the rest of it. It should be blended usealy one third down from the top a darker blue than the rest. Smooth side masionate makes a very good surface to work with. You can even try your hand at painting some clouds with a sponge or air brush. Take a look at my backdrop work it's really not that hard to do and it gives the illusion of deepth of field that we all are yearning for in our shelf layouts, Hope this helps out.
Lee

"Still Training After All These Years"

[mikelhh]

I can't say I'm a photo backscene fan because my own opinion is they can look more real than the layout, but it comes down to personal choice and I'd never suggest you shouldn't use one, and they are way better than none at all. Forum member TomBryant_TB has a very nice example of photo hills and scenery on a painted sky. I like Pete's idea of a very blurry photo too.

I hand painted my own. Here's a pic of an early version showing blue-mauve-grey sky and drab green low hills. Very simple to do.
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/553/Little_Glenmore_156.jpg

You can go make it more complex if you want - personal taste again, although here I really needed more buildings for the village look - but perspective of buildings needs to be kept simple.
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/737/Swanhurst_211resized.jpg

I've seen some lively debate elsewhere about backscenes. There's no single correct way to do it.

Mike
I should've mentioned this is OO scale

[Pete Nolan]

How did you manage to print that, or did you have some shop do it?

I've seen lots of photos of your layout, but sometimes I lose track of which part is which. Could you post one showing this particular backdrop or just tell which scene is in the foreground so I can figure it out by going back through your album?

Thanks

Ed

Ed, it's basically this one, on the old layout. It's been cut up on the new layout.

http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/570/36-ABB-H-3:4_REAR.jpg

I had a digital printer print it for me. About $100.

[Ed M]

Thanks Pete, I don't remember seeing that one before. I know things can look different in person, but in that overall photo the combination of the foreground scenery and the background looks great. Nice blending of colors, and as you say, the background has the right level of fuzziness to make it appear correctly distant.

Thanks again,

Ed