The Little Rock Line

[Philip H]

Simple and convincing.  Win - win in N scale!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I like it. Is the topography really that jagged there (I admittedly don't know)?

One thought: you might want to mist some white spray paint on it to turn down the saturation a tiny bit to mimic the look of more distant hills.

[Bendtracker1]

Simple and convincing.  Win - win in N scale!

Thanks Philip!

I like it. Is the topography really that jagged there (I admittedly don't know)?

One thought: you might want to mist some white spray paint on it to turn down the saturation a tiny bit to mimic the look of more distant hills.

Thanks Ed!
I was down there years ago, so I'm going off of memory.  But I think you're right, it's truly not that jagged.
The Ouachita Mt range is W/NW of Little Rock and Malvern.   I took a little modelers licensing and made them a bit larger than what's probably the actual view, just so I had something on the backdrop other than a horizon that's only 2" tall.

In the end I'm sure I made them too tall.  One mistake (of many) I made was the edges of the distant hills are too vertical, they should be more level and rolling.

The distant hills are a touch too green, the color I used should have had more blue in it, according to the sample I picked out but it dried more green.  I did go back and spray a mist of white over the tops, but probably didn't get enough on them.  I figured when I painted the clouds, I would get more on there than I did.

Another mistake was I didn't fade the sky from bottom to top to start with.  It's only 11' tall and was hoping that the clouds would help with that but then I decided not have the clouds run the full length.  The next time I get the airbrush fired up I'll go back and mist more white over the hills and then try to mist the white upwards a bit more?

Oh well, live and learn...I'll see what I can do with the rest of the backdrop.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Thanks Philip!

Thanks Ed!
I was down there years ago, so I'm going off of memory.  But I think you're right, it's truly not that jagged.
The Ouachita Mt range is W/NW of Little Rock and Malvern.   I took a little modelers licensing and made them a bit larger than what's probably the actual view, just so I had something on the backdrop other than a horizon that's only 2" tall.

In the end I'm sure I made them too tall.  One mistake (of many) I made was the edges of the distant hills are too vertical, they should be more level and rolling.

The distant hills are a touch too green, the color I used should have had more blue in it, according to the sample I picked out but it dried more green.  I did go back and spray a mist of white over the tops, but probably didn't get enough on them.  I figured when I painted the clouds, I would get more on there than I did.

Another mistake was I didn't fade the sky from bottom to top to start with.  It's only 11' tall and was hoping that the clouds would help with that but then I decided not have the clouds run the full length.  The next time I get the airbrush fired up I'll go back and mist more white over the hills and then try to mist the white upwards a bit more?

Oh well, live and learn...I'll see what I can do with the rest of the backdrop.

One of the things that I really like for this type of research is Google Streetview!
https://goo.gl/maps/XH9AQnwatPo

I still think the fade and stuff is all doable.

[Bendtracker1]

One of the things that I really like for this type of research is Google Streetview!
https://goo.gl/maps/XH9AQnwatPo

I still think the fade and stuff is all doable.

Thats a good point Ed.
I have used the street view when looking for track plans, but haven't given much thought about researching it for the distant views?
I'll keep playing with it.
Thanks!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Thats a good point Ed.
I have used the street view when looking for track plans, but haven't given much thought about researching it for the distant views?
I'll keep playing with it.
Thanks!

Oh yeah. In fact, I've even used it for backgrounds!

The photo here is printed from Google.

[Bendtracker1]

Oh that's right, I forgot about you doing that, Hmmmm?
Thanks.

[chuck geiger]

Great work with clouds, backdrop and colors. Better than NEW LONDON INDUSTRIES stencils.

[Bendtracker1]

Great work with clouds, backdrop and colors. Better than NEW LONDON INDUSTRIES stencils.

Thanks Chuck!
Damn I looked all over the net for cloud stencils, to either buy or get some ideas from.
My searches never came up with those.

[chuck geiger]

Another vendor has the New London stuff. http://www.fiferhobby.com/all-scale-backdrop-stencils-by-new-london-industries/

[Bendtracker1]

Thanks Chuck, I'll keep that in mind.

[SAH]

Good work Allen.  I visited a vendor in Ft. Smith earlier this year.  First time visit to Arkansas.  Flew into Little Rock, drove to Ft. Smith and remember being surprised at how hilly the landscape was.  I think your "mountains" look fine.

Steve

[Bendtracker1]

Good work Allen.  I visited a vendor in Ft. Smith earlier this year.  First time visit to Arkansas.  Flew into Little Rock, drove to Ft. Smith and remember being surprised at how hilly the landscape was.  I think your "mountains" look fine.

Steve

Thanks for the kind words Steve!
Glad to see my memory is still working OK, lol.

[Bendtracker1]

I extended the backdrop from Fordyce through Calion, just north of the Ouachita River this evening.

Fordyce is to the left.


Looking north towards Calion.

[svedblen]

I extended the backdrop from Fordyce through Calion, just north of the Ouachita River this evening.

I'm normally not a big fan of painted backdrops, I'm more into the photos, but I must admit that these look great! You have applied some "trickery" that makes this really look convincing. I especially like the apparent "texture" of the foregrond hills.