Same thing, Mark. Great tips everyone. I read somewhere (it may have been here on TB) to use wispy clouds rather than a structured cloud. Sorry, I can't recall the reasoning.
Wispy clouds are good because they're easier to do and do not distract from the main interest, the trains and foreground scene. I've seen some beautiful cloud painting on backdrops, but they overwhelmed or competed with everything else for your attention. I've never minded background hills without detail - they're there, they're boring and you can easily ignore them for the rest of the scene. OTOH, if you had a long run of bare-looking desert or plain prairie, maybe massive thunderheads are what you want - it's what catches your attention when you're out there.
Great tips...I hope to start my backdrop soon. I went to Sherwin-Williams, they don't have the ethereal blue anymore. anyone esle have an easy brand/ color to buy? I also like Chaya's picture. That is a color that would be hard to replicate.
If you have a PorterPaints in your area, they have a pure blue paint on card #80. I settled on Porter's Blue Isle, which is nothing but blue in a white base. Most companies have other colors in their "blue" paint, but Porter's has only blue. Even the ethereal blue had some greenish tint I've been told. I've put up the first coat of the Porter blue and I'm very pleased with the color. I'll post a pic after I have the second coat. I plan on misting white over the clouds & hills to get that fade to white that is so important in mid-eastern skies. Check out my website for progress on my new layout.
Just wanted to point out that in many areas--like the Southwest, but others as well--the fade has a light blue tint. Paul, your layout is both gorgeous and inspiring. The Union Station and the shed are both awesome. Even your website is great, and I look forward to your getting the "projects" area up and running. How did you make that rose window for the station?
The station is still standing in Louisville at the corner of 10th & Broadway. So, on a sunny day from inside the station, I took a picture of the window. The sunlight shinning through the window insured that it was properly lit. I then printed it on acetate. I also printed a black & white version of the image and trimmed away all of the panes to leave only the frame. This was glued to the back of the acetate to give it a little more definition. The stonework around the window is styrene. I'm glad you like the station. Thanks for the comments.
I believe backdrops to be a very strong and profound element in our modeling. They determine the relative elevation of the 3D scenery and the viewers place in it. Often I notice instances where the backdrop positions the viewer at a level totally out of balance with the modeled foreground area. Having a strong blue sky on the backdrop forces a bright sun on the layout. That spells strong shadows which leads to very difficult modeling. Because of my links to the Northwest, a cloudy sky is very common, and painted on a backdrop makes for much easier and realistic diffused lighting on the layout. Lighting "HOT SPOTS" to highlight specific scenes then become more significant also. So I believe a very light hazy blue, if not an "overcast" gray, makes for a perfect backdrop that complements anything in the foreground. Once in a while, I even like it stormy...
Then there is always Floquil Great Northern "Big Sky Blue" LOL "Hmm... I prefer a nice banana yellow sky..."
Thanks for the tip Paul, unfortunately there is only one Porter paint store in Ca. it's an eight hour drive. I'll try to match something at Wal-mart or Lowes.
