Adventures in Perspective

[Gary S]

Well, spent alot of hours lately practicing painting single trees and groups of trees in the distance. I've been studying paintings of trees done in various techniques, read some about different techniques, then attempted the various techniques. biL told me that while it is fine to copy other's work just for practice, that I needed to develop my own style. So after all the little bits and pieces I've been doing, I decided to paint a long stretch, to see if I am making progress. This is a piece of masonite about 30" wide and painted my "horizon blue". I think it is good enough to move on to the backdrop trees now.

The 58" layout height is certainly a help. The horizon can be quite low, which eases all the depth and perspective issues considerably.

   

   

   

[nachoman]

Gary, very nice! Can you do me (and probably the rest of us) a favor and post a picture of the brushes, tools, and paints that you are using? You are getting much better results than I expect from craft paints - and I think some of us may be helped to know what your tools are.

[P5se Camelback]

Oh, BABY!

I am so knocked out! :o

You are screamin'!

That is so right ON!

I knew you could do it!

[Gary S]

Well, biL, I am giving you a lot of the credit. Your discussion of colors and shade and depth and light really got me to thinking deeply about the process. And your enthusiasm for the subject really encouraged me to put some serious effort into it. You've heard the saying "your enthusiasm is contagious"? Well, it was!

Kevin, I'll go out right now and take some photos.

[Gary S]

Kevin, the paints are the big bottles from Hobby Lobby and walmart. Hobby Lobby has "Anita's All Purpose Acrylic" paint and Walmart has Apple Barrel. The colors in the big bottles are pretty limited, so I bought a bunch of colors and then mixed my own shades, most notably olive greens which I made by mixing greens and browns. Of ocurse, light green with light brown yields a light olive, dark with dark makes dark. Also involved some yellow for making a "highlight" green, white added makes a muted pastel color, dark gray or black added makes dark colors, go sparingly on black because it goes a long way. I am also using regular latex wall paint left over from the sky, the dark shade from the top and the lightest shade from the bottom. The blues can be mixed with the olive greens to make a "far away" color for distant trees.

I spent several hours on mixing the colors I felt appropriate, pouring them into "lunch meat containers" to mix the paints, and used a funnel to put them back in the bottles. Now, when using these colors, I still mix them together on the pallet to get what I want, plus I am using probably 50% as washes, like if they were water colors, but undiluted, the paint is thick enough to use an "oil" technique.

Really, for me to get the most out of this as possible, I should by the acrylic tube paints, and mix the colors as I am painting. I did buy some tube acrylics just to play around with, and it was fun making greens by mixing yellows and blues.

The brushes shown are the main ones I am using. Fine point, round stippling, flat, these came from Hobby Lobby and come in a pack of four for 4 bucks. I really like these brushes, they hold their shape well, and the proice is right. They are "Crafter's Choice" by Royal Brush Company. This week, the brushes were on sale for half price, so I bought probably 25 packages of various types and sizes. Actually, I use these brushes and the craft paints for painting everything on my railroad... well, the occasional primer job from a Home Depot spray can.

The mechanical pencils and straight edges and level are used to draw straight lines were needed, on the bridge and the buildings. I do use the pencils to add tree trunks and limbs after the paint is done. They can even be used to add additional shading if needed. Now, the graphite does reflect if the light is at the right angle, but it isn't a problem with my layout. Check it out from all angles before using the pencils.

I gotta say again that biL has been a tremendous help and inspiration. He got me on the right track by making me think about what I was doing. And through him I discovered that painting is as much about rendering proper shadow and light as it is about color.

   

   

[Gary S]

Here is where I am on the backdrop at the bayou. Still have alot to do on the whole thing. Tomorrow, will work on the shadows below the trees and in the trees, will add bits and pieces of limbs and trunks. I have found that after doing the paint, a couple of very thin light blue washes makes the whole thing blend together into a whole, the colors mute out a bit, get hazy, just give an distant feel.

I haven't decided whether to put a building or just trees to the right by the 3D structure. Here are a couple photo-shopped photos, one with a drawn building, the other with trees from my practice board.

What would y'all suggest? Trees or building?

   

   

[faraway]

...What would y'all suggest? Trees or building?...

The building fits the overall scenery better

[SP1]

What would y'all suggest? Trees or building?

I vote for the trees. I like the falling/climbing tree top line. It emphasizes the depth of the scene more than the building does.

[doctorwayne]

I like the trees better, too, although a building that didn't extend so far out might work well also.

Wayne

[Gary S]

Using the trees certainly gives depth to the scene, and from an artistic point of view, I like it best. But I also like the building, because it makes the area seem more populated, more like a buisnes park instead of just the 3D structure out in the middle of the country.

One of the industrial areas I am basing the layout on is probably 1000 acres, with only 35% or so being used. The rest is mostly fields, with some treelines. So doing only trees wouldn't be too out of character.

On moving the building to the right, that is a possibility. I thought it might be wise to hide the end of the building behind the trees, but I'll go see how it looks.

[Gary S]

Here is a photoshop with the building "moved" to the right. I was worried about hiding the end, as viewers would expect to see the end change perspective when viewing from further left, but I think the 3D trees will still cover that.

   

[faraway]

Jep, that's it

[Sumpter250]

Wish I could stand in front of the layout, and view both backgrounds. I still like the trees only. They carry the eye into the distance, where the building....."defines the point where layout ends, and backdrop begins"....at least in the pictures.
In the final analysis, go with which ever you are most comfortable with.

[Gary S]

Thanks Reinhard and S-Two-fiddy. Again just thinking, the one with trees only gives a nice feel. The bayou is curving to the left and heading away from the viewer, the treeline is doing the same thing, it all fits for a nice illusion. On the other hand, it gives me the feeling that the 3D building to the right is sitting out in some huge field all by itself.

I really could live with either the trees only, or docWayne's suggestion of moving the building to the right. And therein lies my usual problem, I can't make a decision because I could live with either version. Yes, the wisdom says "it's your layout, do what you want." But I often find myself faced with multiple choices, with several of them being what I want!

Right now, I am leaning to having the building there, because I feel it still gives the illusion of the trees getting further away, but the 3D building is not out in a field.

S-two-Fiddy, I wish you could come see the layout too. Perhaps you could stay for a month and we'll make some serious progress!

[faraway]

I suggest to stay with at least one building in the background. While this industry area is only light populated only green in the background would be misleading. That would be the right touch for a single (industry) building in an otherwise unpopulated area.
I understand the background building in the same way as you use the faded colors at the backdrop. The faded colors are false but they give the right impression.