Adventures in Perspective

[Sumpter250]

Let's keep our fingers crossed that I can pull this off.

Pulling it off ?, that's the easy part........Painting it on, aye, now there's the rub!

[Gary S]

You're right S-two-fiddy, putting it on is gonna be the issue! But, I dove in tonight. Still have a ton of work to make this look right, basically this is all the first wash application on all the areas. I figured I would post this sequence in case it turns out okay and someone else wants to try the technique.

I drew some vague lines at the treeline and where the trees meet the ground. Then I drew in some distant houses as in the photo, and painted them. From there the ground got a first coat of wash, then the same for the treeline. The grass and trees are in no way finished, this is just the first wash application. I'll add color variations and some vague tree trunks and limbs. Also, their should be more of a difference in color between the grass and the trees. I'll study the photo to see what to do.

   

From there, began working on the bridge and water. Still have a lot more to do.

   

[Gary S]

Forgot to mention... the one most important thing that prompted me to even attempt this is the leftover half gallon of light blue paint from the lower section of the backdrop.

[Sumpter250]

Well, without a doubt, that's off to a good start !

[mountaingoatgreg]

Gary,

This is really really good, just like everything else you do. I think the addition of the bridge really disguises the fact that there is a backdrop there. With a few trees, power lines and other details this bayou will just blend together. Keep up the great work and I look forward to more progress along the layout.

[P5se Camelback]

Gary ... question.

The paint that you are using ... is it opaque, translucent or does that all depend on how much it is thinned?

The reason I ask is that the trick to use on the distant tree line is to lay in a slightly darker shade of green (with just a little gray added) for depth and then dab the lighter green shade (grayed-out a smidge) that you are using now on top. The lighter color will necessarily have to be a bit more towards the opaque side of the equation for the color to read as on top and "closer to the viewer." That will put the "leaves that are getting sunlight" appearing closer than those on the far side of the trees that are in shadow, and the trees will have depth and still recede as they do in the photos, if the colors used are more and more muted as the objects get farther and farther away, as, in the photo, the trees on the right appear to be closer than the ones on the left, and the ones you "planted" on the left in the foreground of the mock-up appear closer than the ones in the treeline in the photo.

Look again at the photos for guidance.

[Gary S]

S-250 and Greg, although I am not convinced that this will turn out good, I am hoping that somebody will get some good out of this. If it turns out well, we'll be aware of a decent mehtod to do a backdrop. If it isn't so great, we'll all know what not to do! And we'll slap some of the sky color over it and start over.

biL, the craft paints when taken straight from the bottle are somewhat on the opaque side. When diluted, they are transparent. The method used in an article I had read discussed using the thinned paint over the backdrop blue, which only tints the sky color to a greener color. This gives the effect of a distant hazy treeline which blends and matches with the sky. Unfortunately the article didn't talk about a technique for somewhat closer trees. I should have tried painting some treelines on a mock-up, but decided to just go for it (because of the aforementioned leftover sky blue paint!).

I thank you for your explanation of using darker and lighter colors. I was not sure how to continue on the trees on the right which are closer to the viewer. My feeling is that they are close enough that there should be a bit of detail to them, and your technique of a darker color first and then a lighter color stippled over that seems to be exactly what is needed. I also think there should be a hint of some abstract branches and trunks put in here and there. So perhaps, in order, a darker color first, then some trunks and branches, then a lighter color dotted over that. On the stippled lighter color, I am thinking that it should not extend all the way to the ground in most places, so the ground/treeline junction will appear to be in shade.

The trees on the left at the little buildings will be just a hazy lighter color to make them appear distant as you mention. I'm not happy with the color of those trees though, they seem too bright. I used light tan to lighten the green, where I should have used a light gray-blue or maybe even a light purple? Of course, the color now is only a first wash, and I knew I would have to do some additional washes. The first wash was really just to define the areas, and to give me something to look at and develop a game plan.

I think the craft paints will be very forgiving. On the buildings I did earlier, I was able to use the thinned sky color over the painted buildings to lighten them up and give a hazy muted look. As for the most distant trees, I'm sure that a thin gray wash or blue wash or even purple will help them appear more distant.

Again, the heavily thinned paints mostly just give a tint to the color underneath, which allows plenty of room for adjustment with additional washes. The drawback is that it takes longer to do. But on the tinting, I have found it is important to start too light rather than too dark, because trying to tint a darker color lighter isn't as effective. A lighter wash over a darker wash certainly has its place as mentioned above, but only as a final adjustment.

Again, thanks for the tips, and by all means keep them coming!

[P5se Camelback]

Just remember ... the tops of the trees on the south side (the viewed side in this instance) will be the lightest, as they are getting the most light. The color gets just a bit darker as the form of the tree "turns the corner" and begins to "fall away" from the light. Just make sure the "light source" is consistant across each vignette!

You're getting it just fine! Your progress is remarkable, especially for someone who claims no artistic talent and has never attemped a painted backdrop before! This backdrop is going to be a bigger success than you are willing to expect that you are capable of producing! I have no such doubts! Keep working ... it gets better with every revelation!

[You'd be surprized at how many "layers" there are in a visually convincing painting ... or even one of my product marker renderings, for that matter! They don't "just happen" in ten minutes ... they take hours!]

[Gary S]

Just remember ... the tops of the trees on the south side (the viewed side in this instance) will be the lightest, as they are getting the most light. The color gets just a bit darker as the form of the tree "turns the corner" and begins to "fall away" from the light. Just make sure the "light source" is consistant across each vignette!

I haven't been considering all these little things. I never realized how much I would be learning from this backdrop, and I must tell you I really am enjoying it. The looking at nature, taking photos, studying them, trying out all the mock-ups, discovering how the colors work together, and the hours spent have been rewarding. On the trees that were painted in front of the Walgreens store, I remember intuitively putting some light over dark, but I didn't really think about why that would be. But as with anything, knowing the "why" is what opens all the doors. Your insights are like light bulbs going off in my head.

You're getting it just fine! Your progress is remarkable, especially for someone who claims no artistic talent and has never attemped a painted backdrop before! This backdrop is going to be a bigger success than you are willing to expect that you are capable of producing! I have no such doubts! Keep working ... it gets better with every revelation!

Thanks biL. Up until now, I had always considered art to be an inate characteristic, that some have it and some don't. I hadn't really looked at art as being a subject that one could learn, and since I didn't have it, there wasn't much point in trying. I had even considered hiring an artist to do the backdrop. But reading the old article made it seem at least plausible, so I jumped in. And I tell you, I am darned lucky to have your knowledge and experiences to draw from!

Your remembrances of your time in class, and your discussion about technique have led me to believe that "art" can be learned. I really should have realized this before. Ten years ago I decided to take up mountainbike racing. I was a middle to back of the pack "intermediate class" racer, and I had come to believe that I just wasn't athletic enough to do any better. Now, I was lucky enough to have a good and wise friend in the sport who was an expert class racer. Some philosophical discussions with him convinced me that it wasn't a lack of athletic ability that held me back, it was a lack of desire. He convinced me that if I wanted it, I would do what it took to get it. And that "doing what it took to get it" involved 16 to 20 hours a week on the bike practicing and building up endurance. I had to think, eat, and sleep biking.

Well, I decided that I did want it, and I fell in love with the sport, and after half a year or so of highly motivated effort, I was kicking a$$! A 40 year old guy routinely whipping some 25 year old butt! It was quite amazing and I experienced many epiphanies and revelations along the way. Alas, my perpetually bad knees got the best of me and it was time for a new hobby, and here I am.

So back to the backdrop: With practice and adjustment, it will get easier and better. I'm very much in to this right now, even to the point of laying in bed at night thinking of how I should tackle the next step. Keep all the insights coming!

[You'd be surprized at how many "layers" there are in a visually convincing painting ... or even one of my product marker renderings, for that matter! They don't "just happen" in ten minutes ... they take hours!]

And that insight let's me know that I need to be patient, slowly put on the layers, and have fun knowing that the results will be worth the effort. Thanks biL!

[P5se Camelback]

Believe me ... I'm having just as much fun with this as you are!

It just tickles me to say a few things about observation and "looking at something to see it" or indicating depth or distance and then sitting back and watching you discover and apply!

... it's great fun!!!

I haven't really told you how to do anything, Gary! You've discovered it all on your own ... i just caused you to look and to think ... the rest you did yourself!

[Sumpter250]

Actually, Gary, painting a background scene is almost exactly like building a foreground model.
Both require the same "imagination" and eye for detail. You're just using different materials, and, therefore, different techniques.

"Up until now, I had always considered art to be an innate characteristic, that some have it and some don't. I hadn't really looked at art as being a subject that one could learn. "

Art, is a talent. Your modelbuilding shows you have that talent. it's the painting that is the learned skill, and that is simply building a model with paint, and shading, and color, instead of styrene, cardstock, and glue. Either one, both, take some time, to develop the techniques, to produce a convincing "model".
The "teacher" never says " that's wrong!.
The "teacher" says, " maybe you should try adding this, or using more of that, and see what you think of the difference.
I think that's what we're all doing, I think it's working quite well, and I think you will know when you've got it, "just right".

[P5se Camelback]

BINGO, Pete!

EXACTLY!

[Gary S]

S-two-fiddy, that gives me another way to look at it. Thanks for explaining it like that. It is all modeling, just using different mediums.

Painting the background buildings was not that difficult, just like building a model structure isn't that hard either. The buildings seem more like a "science" in that there are striaght lines and geometric shapes which are easy to reproduce. But for me, at least right now, painting a tree isn't quite so easy. It seems like painting a tree is more "art" than "science." The absence of straight lines and geometric shapes is the issue. It is easier to visualize and reproduce the nuances of a building than to do the same with a tree.

Now, I have made a bunch of 3D trees, and they came out good (http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic...=53&t=1845). Painting a tree is altogether different. But as S-two-fiddy metions, it is just a matter of learning the techniques. I have been doing some studying of the subject on the net. Have found ome good videos on painting trees. And I learned that when using transparent paints, you have to work from light to dark, but with opaque paints, you have to work from dark to light. Both of these techniques have their place for backdrop painting.

[Sumpter250]

Painting a tree is altogether different. But as S-two-fiddy metions, it is just a matter of learning the techniques. I have been doing some studying of the subject on the net. Have found ome good videos on painting trees. And I learned that when using transparent paints, you have to work from light to dark, but with opaque paints, you have to work from dark to light. Both of these techniques have their place for backdrop painting.

The up-side? ...you can paint trees on scraps of backboard material, until you feel confident enough to go to the actual backboard, and paint the final versions.......and you can try out all the different paints and techniques.

[Gary S]

Another good point. It is very easy and non-time-consuming to experiment and practice with paint. Not so much for 3d models.