Basil posted:That diorama is fantastic. It's amazing how you transformed scraps into that scene. What skill! Did you take the pictures of the trees on your backdrop? Can you give us some specifics on how you made the backdrop? From the choice of sky color to the addition of the trees, perhaps?
Hi Basil. There are many ways to do a backdrop, but I went pretty simple. It's not perfect but serves as a good background to enhance the subject (display track). The backdrop is a simple 24x48 inch sheet of 1/8th inch masonite (hardboard). The first step is to prime the surface. I painted the entire (smooth side) surface with white latex house paint I had on hand, applied with a roller. You could also use a true primer like Kilz. after it was dry I painted the surface again with the sky color. These are the two "blues" I used:
I thinned the paint slightly with water and again used a foam 4 inch roller to paint the sky. Use the full strength blue at the top and painted the white toward the bottom (horizon), blending the two as you go.
After that dried, I drew some cloud shapes onto some poster board and then used a exacto knife to cut out the clouds. The poster board was laid over the sky and the clouds were painted on using a cheap rattle can white spray paint.
The trees are simply some panoramic photos I took along a highway near my home. I imported the photos into a word document and printed them out. I cut out the sky portion of the photo leaving only the foliage. I then sprayed the back of the photos with spray adhesive and pressed them into place on the backdrop.
I did spray the entire photo scene with a clear matte finish to tone down any reflective shine the photos may have had. Then I simply screwed the backdrop to the diorama from behind. And there you have it. Hope this helps.
