Foreground, Middle Ground, Background

[SAH]

I've been playing with ways to create visual depth in a shallow space, say 1" - 2" deep.  Here's what I tried yesterday afternoon.  I'm modeling late Sept, northern Ohio and a RR running through flat farm land.  What do you think?



Steve

[tom mann]

that scene is 1-2 inches deep??

[Glenn Poole]

I think that looks great!  Could you tell us what you used to make the plants?  Also, how about a picture looking down the tracks from the end so we can really see that the backdrop is right there?

I think one key is that one has to hide the line where the backdrop meets the table top.  You have done that very well.

[SAH]

that scene is 1-2 inches deep??

The entire scene is deeper than 1 - 2 inches of course.  I'm referring to the distance from the rear track's rear ballast shoulder to the backdrop face.  That distance is 3" at the left side of the photo, 2" behind the freight cars and 1" at the  point where the foliage ends in the photo below.  Also shows my attempted method of creating the middle ground (of the 3-D backdrop so to speak).



Steve

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm suitably "tricked".

What are those trees on the right? Please tell me they're not just painted on the backdrop, because I want some!

[SAH]

I think that looks great!  Could you tell us what you used to make the plants?  Also, how about a picture looking down the tracks from the end so we can really see that the backdrop is right there?

I think one key is that one has to hide the line where the backdrop meets the table top.  You have done that very well.

The trees are caspia basil Glenn.  Not the ends with the flowers.  The stuff near the base looks better.  You have to cull the plant to get straight tree like pieces.  Caspia basil is sold dried at most any big box craft store I suspect.  I got mine at Michael's.  Burnt green coarse turf applied with hair spray.  Then dusted with yellow turf applied with hair spray after the trees were planted. 

Here's what I'm shooting for.  Imagine the trees in the photo with leaves.



Steve

[tom mann]

Yes, the depth trick works for me, too.

[SAH]

I'm suitably "tricked".

What are those trees on the right? Please tell me they're not just painted on the backdrop, because I want some!

If I've tricked Ed then I've accomplished something. 

The horizon line is painted on the backdrop.  Just blobs of grayed green and brown to represent farm fields and a thin black wash above that applied with vertical strokes and a wide (1/4") artists brush to get a distant tree line.  I'm no artist that's for sure.

"those trees on the right" are not painted on the backdrop.  I'm not that ambitious.  I use the computer whenever possible to cheat.  With tracing paper I traced the trees in the proto photo in my recent reply.  Scan the tracing, resize the image as necessary, print it out on transparency stock, spray it with matte finish and cut out the image.  There are multiple images place next to one another, held just off the backdrop if room allows.  That's how I was hoping to create a middle ground.  Screen the point where the 3-D scenery meets the backdrop and use the matte finish to "haze" the backdrop. 

Steve

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Damn, I was hoping you had found a plant that looked that good!

And I'm just going to be the devil on your shoulder and say "leaves are for weenies"  ;D

[Chris333]

Steve, Your layout looks great! Trees too.

Do you have a file for what you print to transparency, and could you share? I have the film here for etch artwork.

Thanks

[Robbman]

Message deleted

[wm3798]

Nicely done.  The transparency trick is especially effective.  Provides more dimension than simply painting lines on the backdrop.

Lee

[Sokramiketes]

How come the foreground trees have foliage and the backdrop trees don't?

[SAH]

How come the foreground trees have foliage and the backdrop trees don't?

I tried a transparency with leaves on the branches but it didn't let any light through to the back drop.  Not the effect I was after. 

As an aside, on the inside of the curve in the photo I'm going to try my hand at planting a field of Skibbe corn.   ;D

Steve

[SAH]

Steve, Your layout looks great! Trees too.

Do you have a file for what you print to transparency, and could you share? I have the film here for etch artwork.

Thanks

Thanks Chris.  An etched thicket would probably be ideal.  I'd make the artwork less dense and stagger the planting in rows.  Might be kind of fragile though.  Sure you can look at the file.  What format do you want?  They files are pretty large as the stand right now.  Might be able to reduce the size some.

Steve