Best Of UP's N Scale Canyon Division Layout Build....

[Sumner]

continuing on.....
 


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I was going to Spackle and paint the foam rock work here but think I’ll continue painting some or the rest of the backdrops (3) before going to the rock work painting. If I wait to long I’ll forget how I was mixing paints for the clouds and other backdrop scenes.

A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[Sumner]

Bears Ears Summit Backdrop -- Part 1

Next backdrop to be pained is on the opposite side of the backdrop from the sawmill scene. The upper level scene here is suppose to represent the mainline summit on the way to the sawmill.

I’ve tried to model scenes that are in the surrounding area and this backdrop scene is another example of this. The Bears Ears are two small peaks about 25 miles west of us that we can see out the living room window. They are on the top of a high mesa and you can see them from over 80 miles away in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. There are over 1000 year old Anasazi ruins near them and spectacular views down 2000 feet into canyons by them. The area there and in a large part of our county that is Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and Wilderness was designated as the Bears Ears National Monument in 2016.

I can see the Bears Ears from the house but wanted to get pictures of them from a little further to the north so drove north a few miles by one of our reservoirs and took a series of photos of them and also the South and North Long Point ridges running to the south and north of them along with Milk Ranch Point (ridge) in front of them.

 

I ended up with a number of photos and used paint.net to crop them and position them closer together (above). I also printed the final image to about 6 inches high which was about how high I want them to be above the foam scenery on the layout.

The following images should tell the rest of the story. If you need more just ask.

 

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Hope to finish the above in an hour or two and move onto the clouds. They will be easier to do comfort wise as I’ll be painting further up and more in front of myself vs. painting just above my feet. I never looked forward to painting in this area or doing foam work there but they are both coming to an end. Track should be easier (roadbed is in).

The foam you see on the upper level her lifts off/out so I can Spackle/paint it off the layout. A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[Sumner]

Finishing up the non-cloud part of the backdrop.

 

I’ve worked a lot on the scenery the past 6 months wanting to get it done while I still can and also before the track goes down. I knew this backdrop was going to be hard to paint from the start but wanted the scene so much that I went ahead with it and glad that I did.

 

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Wilson Arch is 45 miles to the north of us south of Moab, Utah. The other landmarks on the backdrop are 20-25 miles west of us and can be seen from the house. We are on a 6000 ft mesa here and can see a long ways, 30 miles past Monument Valley (80 miles) to the mountains by Telluride, Co. (100 miles) and 180 miles of desert and mountain landscape between them.

 

I’m glad that I made the scenery removable where my feet had to go. The scenery below and to the sides of the new backdrop scene is also removable.

 

Next up ……….. Clouds. A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[Sumner]

Thanks for checking in on what I've been doing guys.

I started the clouds with …....



 …… the cloud bank at the right. Tried to use a picture I’d taken a week before but couldn’t get it right. It wasn’t terrible but I didn’t really like it nor did Dottie.

 

When I originally painted the backdrop ( HERE ) I used two shades of blue. A darker one for the top and a slightly lighter shade for the bottom and blended them about 2/3’s of the way down. I took the lighter blue and divided the lower cloud into two by painting over the middle of it. Then touched up the two clouds by …..

 

….. blending the 4 colors I’ve been using for the clouds. All of the clouds to this point have been painted by blending white, black, upper darker blue and the lower lighter shade of blue shown in the cottage cheese lid above. I like using these lids as palettes as they are small and easy to clean up in the shop sink with the small scrub brush. Normally I keep the colors I’m working with in one lid and then mix and blend in the other lid. Did this also painting the mountains in the backdrop but used a third lid since I also needed a few other colors.

I’ve been using some cheap brushes I got online. The Filbert brushes with the flat rounded tip in 3 sizes shown above have been my go to brushes in most of the painting I’ve done on the backdrops.

 

After painting the clouds on the right I moved up on the layout and used my milk crate on the platform I’d built (bottom center above). I didn’t have to spend near the time up there for the clouds as I had for the mountain scene. Then painted the clouds to the left off the layout but up on one of the platforms I use to stand on.

I’ve found that if I can use pictures of clouds I’ve taken or found on the internet it is easier to avoid getting into a rut making the same shaped cloud over and over (which I did on the first backdrop I painted ( HERE ), which I plan on repainting). Using an inexpensive Android tablet to view them has worked out well. I can take it up on the layout and see clouds via the internet on the tablet’s fairly large display. I don’t try and paint them exactly how they are shown but use the images more for the shape of the cloud.

 

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I’ll leave the platform in a little longer as it might make it easier to Spackle and paint some of the rock work just to the right of it. Otherwise it would be a long reach in from the right side over the foam there. The rock face missing in the dark area where the text is in the image is done and will be replaced when the platform is removed. Also all of the foam scenery on the upper level in front of the backdrop lifts off for painting.

Next I’ll probably return to the first backdrop I painted and paint over all the clouds and some of the mountains there and redo them.

A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[Sumner]

Manti La Sal Mts Backdrop...

Was going to move to a backdrop I had worked on at first but then decide to work on the one above the large yard/engine facility.

 

I’m continuing on by using part of the Manti La Sal mountain range north of us at Moab, Ut.. I sold my computer store in Wyoming in 1990 and moved to Moab. Built a house on the edge of BLM land where the Manti La Sal’s were pretty much right out the bedroom and living room windows. After a couple years there saw that we didn’t have near enough money put aside to retire so sold the house and moved 70 miles south to Blanding and built the Purple Sage Trading Post and went back to work until I could collect social security and actually retire.

I’m hoping to paint the mountains somewhat like above. The first large snow has dumped on the mountains but not very far down.

 

I found the image above with the view angled more like what they look like from Moab vs. from Arches National Part a short ways to the north. The outline will be used but most of the lower elevation will be minus the snow. The picture was cropped and enlarged to an actual 30 inches long by a little over 5 inches tall. It was then printed on three 8.5 x 11” pieces of paper and they were taped together. Then the print was cut right along the skyline.


 

On the layout it looked really nice and might of used it but didn’t want the snow down so far. I also decide to reshape the top of the rock work to show more of the mountains further down.

 

With the rock face reshaped and the print in place I traced along the top of the mountains and then removed the print and traced along the rock face so it would be evident where there needed to be paint.

 

I set up the ladder so that I could get up on the layout and not have to reach in from the side. I ended up painting from both positions but mostly sitting on the layout. The problem there is that my head is quite a ways above the painting so it is easy to get the perspective off vs. looking at it straight ahead while standing on one of my portable platforms on the floor.

 

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Two hours or so is about max for my body. I’ll work in the morning and then again after lunch. Above is a day’s work and hope two more days sees it done.

A link to this whole build ( HERE ) .

Sumner

[Sumner]

Finished the mountain part ....



..... part of the backdrop the next day (about 3-4 hours).

 

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If I would of laid track in this area it would have been a nightmare painting the backdrop.

 

Next up will probably be the clouds for this long backdrop and then finish the one on the other side of the divider.

A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[Sumner]

Valley of the Gods Backdrop...

Still need to put clouds on the last backdrop but decided to move onto an area I’d painted a scene on the backdrop earlier this year but wanted to change the scene.

 

I wanted to try using a scene from Valley of the Gods which is about 40 miles south of town and near Monument Valley. It is on the north side of the San Juan River where Monument Valley is on the south side of the river. Scenery is similar but instead of way over a 1000 people a day for Monument Valley during tourist season there might be 100-200 or less. It is an area we usually take visitors to and the road is dirt so a high clearance vehicle is recommended.

I found the image above and cropped it and sized it to 20 inches which came out to about the height I wanted (6 inches) and allowed it to be printed on two pieces of paper.

 

The two prints were taped together and cut along the skyline like what I did on the last backdrop. Above you can see there was going to be parts of the old back drop showing and I didn’t want that so painted anything behind the print that showed sky color. I might end up painting all of the old skyline blue and repainting it also.

 

The print was taped in place and the outline was penciled in. A real artist would probably sketch it in and not track the skyline, but I’ll cheat a little. I then did sketch in the foreground outlines in the bet I could. Then started on the far background (right side) and moved to the foreground (not sure if this is recommended or not?).

 

Then started painting towards the left.

 

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Even though I was in a more comfortable painting position I wore out after a few hours. Still had to stand the whole time and reach in some. More in a day or so…...

A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[Bob]

You are doing a really nice job with your background - thanks for posting so many photos.  The finished layout is going to be spectacular!

[Sumner]

The next scenes are the finished work.
 


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Even though I was in a more comfortable painting position I was still standing the whole time and reaching in some. I would wear out after a few hours and need a break.

 

The colors above are the ones I used for the scene. Three of them are what I use to paint the rockwork and the other three came from the craft section at the local Ace Hardware.

Clouds are up next for the last two backdrop scenes that were just painted.

A link to this whole build ( HERE ) .

Sumner

[Lemosteam]

Beautiful paintings alongside the scenery on the layout @Sumner

[Sumner]

Clouds Over Main Yard & Engine Facilities....

Getting started painting clouds on the long backdrop above the main yard and engine facility.

 

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Continuing on soon…....

A link to this whole build ( HERE ) .

Sumner

[Sumner]

Continuing on.....
 


It is really easy to get repetitive on the cloud shapes. Over the last year I’ve taken a number of pictures of clouds at home. I have those and ones I’ve found on the internet downloaded onto a SamSung tablet and use those to help me in using different shapes. Most of the clouds I use are also the same type cloud.

 

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Maybe I can finish this side in two days. That would be nice.

Continuing on soon….... A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[Sumner]

Procrastinated some not really looking forward to painting sitting on the top of the layout but made some progress. Maybe I can finish this side in one more day now. That would be nice.

A link to this whole build ( HERE ).

Sumner

[NorthWestGN]

The backdrop looks great!

Your are in Beast mode on this build, so much progress,

Brent

[Sumner]

Thanks Brent....but still a long ways from laying more track.  Have to get the rockwork Spackled and painted.

Later in the day…..

 

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…. finished the clouds and re-blended the top of the backdrop.

Time to do the last backdrop to go on the other side of this one.

A link to this whole build ( HERE )
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Sumner