I decided to try Scenic Express backgrounds on the new extension that I built for my layout. They are 13"x38" photo prints of actual scenes on card stock and are really nice, but (Yeah, there is always a but.) the sky color tones vary quite a bit from one poster to another.
I am looking for suggestions on how to get a good color transition between the posters. I have thought about an air brush and trying to match a common color, but I’m not sure if this is the best way or if I would be able to keep from spraying the buildings. My skills at air brushing are ok for general painting, but far from being an expert.
I’m curious myself Rex. I was wondering about the same problem using different backdrops and came to the conclusion that the only sure-fire way of matching them up is to use the same brand and same color sky. I found this site that actually has tons of backdrops and even uses a code for sky so you can match them up. Check it out:
Hi Rex,
I’ve used several of the Scenic Express backdrops, along with several others and my own and found them to be great. However, I don’t think you should try to match skies in different backdrops.
Here’s what I did:
I bought some 1/4" foam board, available at craft stores…I think it comes in 20" by 30" pieces for a couple of bucks. It has paper on both sides with “foam” in the middle. I roughly cut out the pictures in the Scenic Express backdrops and then, using a large glue stick, I adhered the pictures to the foam board. Use plenty of glue stick and rest assured that it won’t bleed through your photos. Elmer’s and other white glues will bleed through. Then, using a very sharp and new #11 X-acto blade, I cut around the pictures precicely, cutting through the photo and foam board, being sure to remove all the sky and leaving just the building. Then, you end up with a sturdy and more importantly, moveable backdrop that can be set wherever it fits best.
By afixing your backdrop to foam board, you end up with a somewhat 3-dimensional look to the building. If you buy white foam board, it’s a good idea to paint the edges, after you’ve trimmed off the sky, with black paint. However, for a little bit more money, you can buy black foam board (I found it at Wal-Mart), where not only the surface paper is black but so is the foam. Then, obviously, you won’t have to paint the edges.
With the city scene from Scenic Express, I cut the various individual buildings from the photo, thus creating individual building backdrops that could be placed where needed. You’re going to find that as you buy additional backdrop scenes, or as in my case, photograph buildings with my digital camera and print them on matte paper, that you’re going to want to rearrange your backdrops to make the most of them, sometimes even overlapping them. I probably have over 60 different backdrops around my layout, especially in the back of my city, and am constantly adding and rearr
Surfstud31: I took a look at the site you posted and they are very nice backdrops/backgrounds. However, they cost a bit more than I want to put into this particular area of about 30 feet length. I had built the layout extension to improve operations and I didn’t originally plan to do much with the scenery…however…uh…you know how that goes.[:D]
Mondo: Thank you so much for all good the information. Unfortunately, I had jumped the gun and now have them (8) glued in place and don’t have a choice but to try to paint all the sky or tear it up and start all over (probably start all over). Heck! I don’t even know if acrylic paint will stay on the slicky surface.
I have used your method with Walthers cutouts and almost did with these, but I thought I could handle it and that the seams could easily be hidden. Wrong![:(]
I will send you an email.
As Mondo suggested, cutting away the sky completely and just employing the scenery (hills, buildings, whatever) attached to a backdrop sky of your own making is generally the best approach. It’s what I did, very effectively, using the Scenic Express city scene backdrops. Attempting to blend unevenly colored skies from panel to panel is an all but hopeless task unless you are and artist.
Yeah, I am very far from being an artist so the painting is out of the question. I have bit the bullet and reordered some more backgrounds. I tried to pull the others off, but I used a very, very, g-o-o-o-o-d glue and they tore.[xx(] (Glue recommended by Scenic Ex.)
I should have the new ones in a couple of days and will use Mondo’s method. I really like the flexibility that you have by being able to move, trim, and group different parts if desired. I hated to do all this again, but I knew it would be staring at me shouting "I’m ugly! Help!) [:D]
If any of you have some photos of background posters/cutouts, I sure wi***hat you would post them or give me a link to them.