Painting Backdrops

Tom Lund, your host, is a life-long modeler and former Model Railroader art director. Tom’s techniques will bring your scenes to life no matter what era or region you model. Get started by adding cloud scenes to your backdrop. You’ll learn techniques for adding realistic cloud clusters and how to make a storm scene. Creating a sky scene is an accomplishment in itself. However, once you have mastered those techniques, you might want to try painting a more detailed scene. Before you say, “I’m not an artist.” Jump to Chapter 2, where Tom uses tracing paper, forced perspective, and a few other tricks to create a farm scene. You can use these tips to create any number of scenes for your layout.

Urban scenes can be a challenge because of space constraints. Tom uses several techniques to add depth to his urban scenes using little to no layout real estate. By following Tom’s tips you can create a detailed urban scene in an evening. And stay tuned to learn how to hide holes and make roads disappear into your backdrop. No matter what state your layout is in, there’s something new to learn! Chapter Topics:
* Getting Started: Adding Clouds to Your Backdrop
* Using Tracing Paper to Create a Detailed Scene
* Adding Buildings to an Urban Scene
* Making Roads Disappear Into Your Backdrop
* Blending Your Scenery Into Your Backdrop
* Hiding Holes in Your Backdrop