# My new project, in-progress pics



## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

This may not be a model but it is model related, this is my new backdrop I will be using when I take pictures of my models.

This pic shows the very start of painting my new backdrop, I used a spray can of light blue Testors model paint to paint the blue 'sky'. You can get a good idea of the size of this backdrop when comparing it to the spray can.









Here the clouds have been added, I put them in now so I can overlay the mountains on some of the distant clouds near the horizon.









This is a pic of the old backdrop I painted last year next to my new backdrop I am now working on, the clouds on the old one are pretty bad!









Agentsmith


----------



## Parts Pit Mike (Jan 3, 2001)

Wasn't it Willie Nelson who sings "Blue Skies" ?

Looks good!


----------



## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks Mike!

After this backdrop is finished I can't wait to get some new models completed to see how it will look in my airfield pictures.

Agentsmith


----------



## The-Nightsky (May 10, 2005)

You are very talented.Those new clouds look real.Cant wait to see some pictures.


----------



## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks for the comments Nightsky!

New pics should be posted this next weekend.

Agentsmith


----------



## Jafo (Apr 22, 2005)

thats great work


----------



## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thank you Jafo!

Here are more in-progress pics of what has been so far today...

Some mountains were added...









Now the tree covered hills are painted on...









And a close up of the work posted above...its not yet finished, I have to paint the bottom grass land and add a tiny bit of snow to the mountain peaks.









Agentsmith


----------



## paulhelfrich (May 11, 2009)

That is really nice! Should make a very effective backdrop. I'm really impressed with how you painted the clouds and mountains - not something I could do!


----------



## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks paulhelfrich!

My goal was to complete the backdrop on Sunday but I failed to do so before running out of time. Plus it did not help matters when I dropped the spray nozzle to my Iwata Revolution BR, I lost about an hour looking for it and still can't find it.

Below is one more in-progress pic and two test shots, the backdrop is not yet finished I have a few more things to do to it yet.



























Agentsmith


----------



## The-Nightsky (May 10, 2005)

Agentsmith, You sir are truly an artist!!!


----------



## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thank you Nightsky!

This thing is almost done, look for new pics in a day or so.

Agentsmith


----------



## Cro-Magnon Man (Jun 11, 2001)

Parts Pit Mike said:


> Wasn't it Willie Nelson who sings "Blue Skies" ?
> 
> Looks good!


And I remember a wrestler on TV in the 1990's called 'Big Sky'!

Yes, great work, very attractive.


----------



## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks Cro-Magnon Man!

The backdrop is now finished and I will post pics of it Friday.

Agentsmith


----------



## Jafo (Apr 22, 2005)

beautiful!


----------



## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks Jafo!

This 'model' is now finished.

Agentsmith


----------



## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

That's a great backdrop painting!

I've tried doing those before and have only had so-so luck at it. Your work is GREAT and inspires me to have another go at it! :thumbsup:


----------



## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thank you PerfesserCoffee!

Painting these things are fun but not quite as fun as painting my models. If I do another one of these backdrops I intend to paint in some airfield buildings like a hanger or two in the background, this will be very hard for me to do and have it look okay but will make for some interesting looking pictures of my models.

Agentsmith


----------



## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

When it comes to buildings, I'd be tempted to print out photos of buildings from the era and attach them to the painting.


----------



## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

:thumbsup::thumbsup: rr


----------



## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks roadrner!

PerfesserCoffee,
Thats a good idea to print out photos of actual buildings and attach them to the backdrop after its painted, I have seen some model RR layouts use that method with success but for my purposes it would not work as well. For one thing there are few photographs of German airfields that show just the buildings clear enough to blow up and use with my backdrop, also most photographs of that era are B/W and cutouts of them pasted on my backdrop would not match very well unless all the pics of my models were converted to B/W.
But for those who model more modern aircraft subjects your idea for adding printed photos of buildings to a backdrop would work very well.

Agentsmith


----------



## Cro-Magnon Man (Jun 11, 2001)

PerfesserCoffee said:


> When it comes to buildings, I'd be tempted to print out photos of buildings from the era and attach them to the painting.


I was just thinking that, as there are or were several Airfix 'airfield buildings' kits which had a box art picture of a control tower or other facilties, and depending on their size they might go well printed off and incorporated into your painting.


----------



## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

agentsmith said:


> Thanks roadrner!
> 
> PerfesserCoffee,
> Thats a good idea to print out photos of actual buildings and attach them to the backdrop after its painted, I have seen some model RR layouts use that method with success but for my purposes it would not work as well. For one thing there are few photographs of German airfields that show just the buildings clear enough to blow up and use with my backdrop, also most photographs of that era are B/W and cutouts of them pasted on my backdrop would not match very well unless all the pics of my models were converted to B/W.
> ...


Good points! I'm used to colorizing BW photos when I need to so I hadn't thought of the color thing but the scarcity of photographs would definitely be a strike against that method. 

Let us know how you do it and how the research goes:wave:


----------



## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks again PerfesserCoffee,
Maybe someone will read this thread and your idea will help them out.

I have purchased two aircraft hanger kits from Bachmann, I found these kits in a Walthers catalog last year, they are not very good kits (very toylike) but with some reworking, careful painting, and weathering they might look okay in the background of my pictures. I might build one of the hangers with some damage to the roof to represent damage from allied fighter bombers.

I am in the planning stages for making a new backdrop for next year...not sure if I will try painting hangers in that painting or not. There are a lot of pictures to look at before I decide what might work.

Agentsmith


----------

