Backdrop Beginnings

I am trying to post a number of updates on my progress over the past few months and get caught up on the blog to where I currently am on the layout. I have the benchwork and the backdrop installed but I would like to cover where I am on one my favorite activities, painting.

While I considered multiple options for backdrops, I felt that my skill in painting was good enough to get the job done. Kudos to everyone who takes the time to do a photo backdrop but I wanted something that was less realistic and more loose. Plus, I wanted to keep the focus on the models instead of the backdrop.

To begin with, I would recommend that anyone looking to paint their own backdrop start with Mike Danneman's book on "Painting Backdrops for your Model Railroad." It is a great source for methods, technique and construction. https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/product/book/12425

Using this book and other sources,  I decided on creating a 16" x 10' backdrop made from a hardboard tempered panel. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hardboard-Tempered-Panel-Common-1-8-in-4-ft-x-8-ft-Actual-0-115-in-x-47-7-in-x-95-7-in-832777/202046928 The smooth surface turned out to be a great canvas for the acrylic paints that I am using and it is sturdy enough not to flex when attached to gypsum board and the wall behind it.

I wanted a typical blue sky with a light, hazy horizon. To accomplish this, I chose two colors for my sky. My two paint choices included Glidden 0824 "Blue Cornflower" for the darker, sky color and 0826 "Harvested Blue Pearl" for the lighter horizon color. Both colors looked very good under 3000K light and were more importantly, cheap. For two quarts, I spent less than ten dollars and I'm very happy with the results.

By laying both colors next to each other on the backdrop wet, I was able to go from a two-tone sky to a well-blended transition. I did this by taking a 5" brush and blending the two wet colors in broad brush strokes until I was happy with the results. This took some trial and error along with time for the paint to dry but it was incredibly easy to get right using my colors.

More pictures of my backdrop progress are coming soon!