Backdrop at Mason Park Bridge

[MasonJar]

Gary,

Re: red arrow - I wouldn't do anything. It looks right, and it helps to fool the eye about where the transition from modelled to painted landscape really is.

Re: Black arrow - I don't know. On the one hand I looked at it as an extension of the white line above, so I thought "sandy riverbank". If you want to make it look more like the prototype, note that it is not continuous, but as biL mentions, there are interruptions by reflected trees that throw dark verticals across the nearly white horizontal.


Andrew

[Steamtrains]

Gary...It's the line under the black arrow. If you continue the thin white line (red arrow), and bring the grassy area down, it would help...(I think...). On the other hand, don't take this "fix" as gospel truth, since my artistic abilities are waaayyy down on my list of attributes....

[Gary S]

I'm glad you guys are looking. In my tunnelvision, I was thinking that the lighter area of the water was indicating distance. Obviously that was incorrect. Let me see what I can do.

[Gary S]

Again, just so we are all talking about the same thing, the area below the dashed white line is all water. I was thinking that by making the water lighter, it would seem further away. So, I'll darken the water up to the white dashed line. Now, the tiny white line at the red arrow actually does extend all the way along bank/water junction to the right, it is just too small to be seen in the photos.

   

[Steamtrains]

OK...I was so focused on that whitish feature I didn't see the continuation of the shore line.
I think the problem is that the color transition occurs right at the foreground/background junction. So you got two choices...Bring the light color into the foreground, or continue the foreground color into the backdrop. I favor the second...

I still can't get over those trees...You might consider a career change once you're finished with the layout....

[Gary S]

I moved the "water" color up to the bank, then picked up the painiting supplies, unscrewed the 2x4 frame from the layout edge, cleaned the layout a bit, and took some photos. I'm by no means finished. I just thought it wise to get a "real life" view of what we have so far. The framework came down in one piece, so it can be put back for any changes needed. On that note, KEEP THE SUGGESTIONS COMING!!!!

I haven't done the light blue wash as I said I would, but at this point, I am considering not doing it.

The 3D trees still show as very dark in the photos. As mentioned before, I may mist them from above with some light green spray paint.

   

   

   

   

[faraway]

Gary, the transition of the green grass on the left side is perfect. Do you have a chance to get the same color match for the water?

ps. You know we are know at Rembrandt and Van Gogh level discussing things and have by far left model railroad backdrop painting....

[Gary S]

Gary, the transition of the green grass on the left side is perfect. Do you have a chance to get the same color match for the water?

On the grass, it wasn't matching up as Gus had said, so I put a tan wash over the painted shoreline, then used some of the original green and washed it into the model terrain and grass. On the water, when I did the actual bridge awhile back, I saved the mixed paint that was used for the water. That is what I used on the backdrop. I think the difference comes from having put gel medium on the water and then a gloss varnish which is reflecting light, making it less dark. The backdrop paint right now is flat, which isn't reflecting light, so it looks too dark. I will put a gloss coat on it, but not sure if the vertical plane gloss versus the horizontal plane gloss will be the same. I may have to add a small amount of white to the paint for the backdrop water.

ps. You know we are know at Rembrandt and Van Gogh level discussing things and have by far left model railroad backdrop painting....

Thanks!

[P5se Camelback]

Bingo!


I think we have a winner!

[Gary S]

biL, do you feel there should be more contrast in the trees? More dark towards the bottom and more light near the top?

[P5se Camelback]

You might give that a try ... it would enhance the appearance of light and shadow, but do so subtlely. You might also consider darkening the first tree on the left of the backdrop a bit to more closely resemble the saturated color of the 3-dimensional trees right at the backdrop, and then darkening the next tree also, although not quite as much.

As for the water ... the problem appears to be that the "water" on the horizontal plane, although a darkish color, reflects a considerable amount of light due to the gloss coating on its surface, much as real water does. The same does not happen on the vertical "water" on the backdrop.

Because of the two intersecting perpendicular planes, the chances of getting a reflection from the vertical plane to appear the same as the reflection off the horizontal plane is like hoping for snow in July. [You might have a chance if you live in Independence Pass, CO.]

I think that a possible solution, though it may be a daunting task, might be to attempt to mix a color similar to the color of the "reflected light" color of the water on the horizontal surface. (Try it on a piece of paper first.)

[Gary S]

biL, I am thinking I will add some more "shadow and light" to the leftmost trees. Because they are closer than the rest, there should be more contrast there than further to the right. Also, your suggestion of making the leftmost trees darker is a good one.

Would you suggest mixing some white into the water color to lighten it a bit? Some experimentation should yield a satisfactory result I would think. I'll paint several different mixes on a piece of hardboard, then gloss coat it, and see which one is the best.

Also, I think I need to do the "thin blue wash" starting a bit to the right of the middle, and moving right, to create a more distant "hazy" look.

[Sumpter250]

WOW !!!! That's looking better all the time !
I'm thinking ( yeah I know, you can smell the wood burning ), one of the reasons your 3D trees look so much darker, is that the backdrop trees, immediately behind them, are too light, in addition to the darkness of the 3D trees. The transition is too abrupt, especially on the left hand side. On the right, the horizon, and background trees "change of color with distance", happens behind the bank of the bayou.
The left side needs more of a f ade from dark to lighter, to even lighter yet, to lightest.........kind of like that, as the distance increases.
The perspective, at least as seen in photographs, is excellent !!!

[Sumpter250]

   

or....darken from the shade of the tree to the right-behind, the RH tall tree in the center, left, to the shade of the 3D tree and I'd say only the front row of backdrop trees, and gradually higher up each tree as you get to the far left side.
Maybe kind of like this:

   

[Paulman]

I concur. Maybe up the contrast (color intensity, as well as darken shadows) on the left, and mist the far lake with a light blue:

You might also mist the tops of the 3D trees with a lighter green as well, to ease the transition.

Looks fantastic as-is, though!