02-21-2011, 03:28 PM
First, appreciate everyone's quick responses. 
- Plenty of food for thought!
Russ, SP1, thanks for the comments. I could put a couple of model cars coming into the driveway right in front of the backdrop, and some parked like the model van is. I agree that anything that will block the backdrop/layout junction will help. The white truck is also parked across the street. I'll ponder the idea od leaving it out. For the dumpsters, those are across the street at the other building... and couldn't put model ones in right there because the model parking lot is the driveway coming into the bank. If I paint them on the actual backdrop, I need to make them smaller too. I can see now that I sized the photo too large, so everythng came out to big. That's a good thing learned though. If there are items near the front of the photo that the size is known, then size the photo so that those items are slightly smaller than HO scale.
Ralph, thanks for the compliments. I need to put some clouds in, but so far I have been afraid to try. Another one of those things where it is best to practice on a mock-up to get the technique down, then do it to the layout.
docWayne, thank you. I am using craft paints, HobbyLobby had them on sale for 59 cents the other day. I thinned them down a bit, and used two or three applications to get the more solid colors. A technique I read about in a MRC back issue was to use washes over the backdrop color, that way they come out a bit muted with the sky color showing through, giving the illusion of distance - lighter hazed out colors the further away they are. I also tried to mute the colors a bit by mixing with very light gray. And, putting a hazy wash over the painting after it has dried helps tie all the colors together and mesh them with the sky color.
- Plenty of food for thought!Russ, SP1, thanks for the comments. I could put a couple of model cars coming into the driveway right in front of the backdrop, and some parked like the model van is. I agree that anything that will block the backdrop/layout junction will help. The white truck is also parked across the street. I'll ponder the idea od leaving it out. For the dumpsters, those are across the street at the other building... and couldn't put model ones in right there because the model parking lot is the driveway coming into the bank. If I paint them on the actual backdrop, I need to make them smaller too. I can see now that I sized the photo too large, so everythng came out to big. That's a good thing learned though. If there are items near the front of the photo that the size is known, then size the photo so that those items are slightly smaller than HO scale.
Ralph, thanks for the compliments. I need to put some clouds in, but so far I have been afraid to try. Another one of those things where it is best to practice on a mock-up to get the technique down, then do it to the layout.
docWayne, thank you. I am using craft paints, HobbyLobby had them on sale for 59 cents the other day. I thinned them down a bit, and used two or three applications to get the more solid colors. A technique I read about in a MRC back issue was to use washes over the backdrop color, that way they come out a bit muted with the sky color showing through, giving the illusion of distance - lighter hazed out colors the further away they are. I also tried to mute the colors a bit by mixing with very light gray. And, putting a hazy wash over the painting after it has dried helps tie all the colors together and mesh them with the sky color.