making it realistic - 1&1...

• Scenery - Making it Realistic Copyright © 2011-2013 Charlie Comstock

Scenery Making it realistic

Part 1. Hints for realistic scenery 7Part 2. Scenery Contour Construction 19Part 3. Scenery in Upper Bear Creek 25 Basic landform creation video 27Part 4. Scenery in Baynes Valley 36 Airbrushing clouds video 51Part 5. Scenery in Oakhill 58 Static Grass and bushes video 82

• Scenery - Making it Realistic Copyright © 2011-2013 Charlie Comstock ◀ ▶

Scenery

Making it realistic– Charlie Comstock

Version 5 - June 2013


Who is Charlie?

Charlie is•A model train photography nut•Superintendent of the Bear Creek & South Jackson Railway Co.•ContributingeditoratModelRailroadHobbyist magazine – mrhmag.com


Movingbeyondplywood ...


When is sceneryrealistic?


When it’s

plausible!


Part I. Hints for realistic scenery

Hint #1. Plan for scenery while you‘re developingyourtrackplan!

•If your landform contours don’t feel real, nothing else will either!

•Layouts designed without a scenery plan almost NEVER look realistic once scenery is installed.

•Copying landform contours from prototype photo-graphsormapsisNOTcheating!


Hint#2.Thegroundisalmostneverabsolutelyflat.MillBendisbuiltonplywood,butIaddedtinyplasterundulationssoitisn’tglass-flat.


Hint#3.Terrainshouldlooklikeitwastherefirstandthetrackwasbuilt through it. Takecarewithcutsandfills!


Hint#4.Sidingsareseldomthesameelevationasthemainline.Mainlinetrackusuallyhasmore(andbetter)ballastunderit.


Hint #5. Watchoutforoversizedtextureelements.A3/4”minusgravelroadshouldn’tlooklikeit’smadeof3”diameterrocks.


Hint#5(continued).Payattentiontoballastsize. Which track has morerealisticballast?


Hint #6. Outdoors is BIG. Try to allow as much space as possible for it.


Hint#6(continued).HowbigisBIG?TehachapiontheLaMesaclublayoutqualifiesasLARGE.


Hint #7. Userealisticallysized trees. A mature Douglasfirforestshouldbe more than 40’ tall!Some of the trees in this HOsceneare24”tall.


Hint #7. Useavarietyofgroundcovermaterials.Thisscenehasstatic-grass,Silflor®,fineleaffoliage,groundfoamandballast.


Hint #8. Detailscount–vegetation,railrack,automobile,detailedtreetrunk,differentballasttypes,staticgrass,rocks,king-postbridge,etc.


Other hints ...•Mostlymodelthecommonplace–justbecausethere’soneexampleofa200’tallrockspirebetweenariverandrailroadtrackdoesn’tmeanevery curveshouldhaveone.•Use appropriate structure types. East Coast brick industrial buildings are

not commonly found on the West Coast! Glass and granite skyscrapers don’t look right in an Old West prairie town.•Keepvegetationconsistent–massivecactidon’tbelongnexttoagiant

redwood tree.•Try to match backdrop colors with the colors in the modeled foreground•Avoidtheuseofgarishcolors–checkcolorsinyourtrainroomlight-ing.Don’tverifycolorsoutdoorsorinapaintstoreforasceneinyourbasement.


Part II. Scenery Contour Construction

DifferentmethodsI’veusedtocreatelandform contours:•Scenery on plywood

•Sceneryonpinkfoam(mayormaynotbeonplywood)

•Cardboard mesh topped with cheesecloth and painted with plaster–themeshmayshowthroughliketheribsofananorexicsupermodel.

•Cardboardmesh,coveredwithmaskingtape,andalayerofplas-ter/vermiculite–fast,easy,noribs,anda1/4”layerofplaster/ver-miculitemixisstrongbutcanbedrilledfortreespikes.


Setting the contours of your landforms!Regardless of the method used to produce landform contours, take care that:•Contours are plausible for the locale you are modeling.

•Clifffaceshavesufficientclearancefromtrackssothatadding1/2”ofartisticrockcarvingwon’tinterferewithpassingtrains–especiallyoncurves.

Useastrategicallyplacedcameratoverifylandformswilllookrealtotheweefolkswholiveonyourlayout.Don’trelysolelyonGiant-in-the-Aisleviewpointstoverifythis.Temporarilyaddingafewsce-nicelements(trees,buildings,cars,people)willhelp.


The camera I used to shoot these photos was small enough that it easilyfitinthesceneoronthetracks(photoontheright).

Q: What doesn’t look quite right?

A:(leftphoto)Thetopofthecuttotheleftofthetrainseemstoohigh compared with the top of the cut on the right.

NOWisthetimetomakechanges,notafterthesceneryisfinished!


Use your camera frequently as scenery progresses.

Ask yourself, “Where were the landform contours BEFORE the railroad came along?

Arethefillsandcutsplausible?

Whydidthetrackcurve?”


Part III. Scenery in Upper Bear Creek

Ienvisionedacreekflowingthroughthisareaofsteephillsides.Trackfollowsthecreektokeepthegradedownto2%.Rockcutsnexttothe creek and track are common. The track crosses the creek as it nearsOakhill(atthesummit).Thetrackmeanderedovertheply-woodjoistswhenIshotthesephotos.Notethecreekbedcutouts.


Istuffedplasticgroverybagswithwaddedupnewspaperstoapprox-imate land contours at the begin-ning of the Terraforming™ process.

These were later replaced with hot-glued cardboard mesh topped with masking tape.


VIDEO:BasiclandformcreationalongUpperBearCreek

Click here to play the

BasicLandformCreationvideo

https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D-bS8AMsjvOE


UpperBearCreek-afterrock-work,basicstaticgrass,andballast(1)


UpperBearCreek-firstvegetationandtracksidedebris


UpperBearCreek-roughedinwaterandmorevegetation


Upper Bear Creek - bridge scene basically complete


Upper Bear Creek - basic scenery completed


The creek bed prepped withpaversand,boul-ders, and logs. The dam clamped to the fascia keepstheEnvirotex™wa-teroffthefloor.

MixingtheEnvirotex™–useonlythrow-away tools for this.

UpperBearCreek-finishingthecreek


Apapercupmixing“bowl”ishandy for pouring. I carefully dribbletheEnvirotex™intothecreekbedtakingpainstoavoidgettingitonthescenery.Anoldchopstickworkstospreaditaround.


I used acrylic gloss medium to add some ripples to the water near rocks arewherethereare“rapids”.Itwillbecome clear when it sets.


Let the gloss medium and Envirotex™setcompletely!Before adding static grass I weathered the bridge piers with chalk and alcohol. Once the static grass is in place and the glue is dry add more scenery details.

Fine leaf foliage... Mossonthetopsoflogs...

Silflor™...


You may want to add some morerocks/gravelinstrategicplaces.Somejunkordiscard-edtiesmightfitrightinun-less the Sierra Club owns your railroad.Don’tforgettovacu-um up all stray scenery bits.

Ready for the frogs...


UpperBearCreek-finishedscene


Part IV. Scenery at Baynes Valley

I planned Baynes Valley to be in a an area of rolling hills between the MillBendflatlandsandmountainsfartherupthe2.7%gradeleadingtoOakhill.Thesceniccenterpiecewouldbeatimbertrestlecross-ingthevalleywithahighwaygoingunderit.Ialsowantedadirtfarmroadforcontrast.Thetrackswillpassthroughseveralcutsinthehills.


Baynes Valley area with landforms roughed in using plywood, pink foam, and cheesecloth methods.

Note the sheet of plywood under the future home of the bridge. I am obsessiveaboutbracingbothendsofmyroadbedBEFOREIcutoutapieceforabridge.IDON’Twantthebridgeendsmoving.Atall.

Theseviewssuggestwhattheareawilllooklikewhendone.


IslappedacoatofcheapinteriorlatexhousepaintoverthefoamtokilltheMaryKaylookandusedspackletosmoothouttheroadsur-faces.Thearearemainedinthisstateforseveralyears.


IfinallygotstartedbuildingthetrestleforBaynesValleyinDecember2008.ThetrestlewasreadyforinstallationinJanuary2009.


Ihateinstallingbridges.Theamountoffiddlyworkinvolveddrivesme nuts. I made this cardboard template to help me set terrain con-tours under the bridge and the heights of the piers.


Settingthebridgetemporarilyinplacetocheckforfitandlookforgrossproblemsintheheightsofthebents.Idiscoveredthatsome-how I’d managed to make the bridge too short.


Iinstalledfoundationsundereachofthebents,averyiterativepro-cess and one of the things I dislike about installing bridges. I also added a new bridge ‘abutment’ on the right.


Withthefoundationsyellowgluedtotheplywoodbase,it’stimetoaddterrainbetweenthem.Therearemanywaystodothis:paversand,pouringinaplaster/vermiculitemix,butIchosepinkfoam.


Anothertestfittingofthebridge.Itlookslikethedoublebentssup-portingthe30’plategirderwillneedsomeheightaugmentation.


TracksnearbyrunthroughacutnexttoBaynesValleyroad.Irippedsomescrappineinto8x8sandbuiltaretainingwall.Imodeledacou-pleofpillarswithscraprailinsteadof8x8swheretheyhadbeenhitbya piece of derailed rolling stock.


LotsofmaskingprotectsthetrackwhileIziptexturethegroundandcarvetheplasterrockcuts.


MorerockfacesincutscarvedfromUSGypsumNo.1CastingPlaster.ImixfineWoodlandScenicsballastwiththeplasterforagrittytexture...


Ipaint/sealtherockswith a gray base coat.

Once dried, I daub stains of highly diluted acrylic paints on the rocks.Ittakesalittlepracticesincetherockslighten as they dry.


Rockfaceswithcoloration.They’renotdryyetandwilllightenoverthenextfewhours.


Iairbrushedcloudsonthebackdrop,thenover-paintedrowsofdis-tanthillsusinginteriorlatexhousepaint.Readyforvegetation!


VIDEO:Backdroppainting–cloudsanddistanthills.


BackgroundPainting–Sky, Clouds, and Hills

video

https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DYHoScmxq6_0


Firstvegetationinstalled.Thelineofvegetationatthebackdropistooscanty–itdoesn’tdoagoodjobofhidingthejoint.


Abushierlineofvegetationatthebackdropdoesamuchbetterjobofhidingtheterraintobackgroundjoint.


Samescene,differentangle.Vegetationincludes:static-grass,groundfoam,Silflor®,ballast,Apacherock,fineleaffoliage,supertrees,etc.


BaynesValleybridgecompletedandwithadditionaldetailsaroundit.Theareastillisn’tquitecompletethough...


Differentlengthstatic-grass,airbrushedstatic-grass,roadsidegravel,rustyrails,dirtroadtinted.NOlargeareasofexactlythesamecolor.


Don’tbeafraidofsceneryexperiments–eventhoughtheydon’talwaysworkasanticipated.Forexampleoverdoingpaver-sandtrackdebris...


Part V. Scenery in Oakhill Oakhill prior to Terraforming™.


Scenery began with a hot-glued cardboard-strip mesh, a 1/4”plywoodroadupthehill,andcuttingoutthesubroadbedforSheffieldCreek.


Themeshwascoveredwithcheeseclothandpaintedwith3coatsofverythinplastertomakeahardshell.Afewbuildings,boxcars,andvehicleshelpsshowwhatitwilllooklikeinthefuture.


SheffieldCreekrunsunderthewyetrackandhasbeenlinedwithpink foam. The far side of the wye has been rough contoured with pinkfoam.Theliftupaccesshatch(yellowoutline)isunderthetree.


Thelifthatchraisesandlowersonball-bearingsteeldrawerslides.Thesceneryaroundthehatchreceivedacoatofdirtcoloredpaint.


Thelifthatchcoverwithplasterrockcarvingandspackletofillinthejointsbetweenthepiecesoffoam.

Carvingfoamtopreciselymatchthecontoursoftheadjacentlandformsisbothimportantandverytricky.Don’tbuildsomuchscen-ery/roadbedarounditthatyouhavetroublereachingthehatch–untilitscontouringisdone.Sigh...


Myfirsthand-carvedplasterrockface.Alsosomeofmyearlystaticgrassexperiments.ThisNochgrasswastoofluorescentformytaste.Thebackdropismyfirstattemptatatreelineusinglatexhousepaint.IdecidedIdidn’tlikethecolorandpaintedoveritlater.


Thefirstlayerofstaticgrass.It’sallmono-colored2mmflock.Notreallyterrific,butmuchnicerthanbrownbenchwork.


Where’stheliftuphatch?


Precisecontourmatchingandalignmentmakethehatchnearinvisible.


I’veover-paintedtheoldbackdrophillsandtreeswithnewones.Oakhill is ready for some serious scenery work.


ThefirstrealOakhillscenerywasatB.JosefGravel.Rockcarving,morestaticgrass,andtheroadthroughtowngotpavedwithspackle.


Thenewgrasslooksbetterthantheoldbutit’sstillwaytoouniform.Thehillinthebackgroundisstillbareasisthecreek.Moretodo...


Mixedgrasses–heightandcolor,boulders,morequarrydetails,debrisunderthetree,theroadhasastripeandthedistanthillisfinished.


IstartedworkontheSheffieldCreekareabytimberingthegradecrossings.TheMicroEngineeringtiesrequiredsomecontouringtofitsnugagainsttheoutsideoftherails.


Iwantedaone-lanehighwaybridgeacrossSheffieldCreek.Iused3rdPlanittoprintfullsizetemplatesforthetrusses,bottom,andrailings.Doublestickytapemakesiteasytoassemblethestripwoodcom-ponentsdirectlyonthetemplates.Iusedatoothpicktoapplytinydrops of yellow glue to hold it together.


ThekingpostbridgespanningSheffieldCreek.


StyrenebridgeabutmentsandPVCpipeculverts.


MaskoffEVERYTHINGbeforegettingoutthespackleandplaster.IusedACCtocementafoundationforaspeedershedinplace.


Homemadelatexrubberrockmolds.Iembeddedstripsoflinenfroma nearly dead pillow case in the rubber for strength.


Ziptexturing,spackleroads,castandtintedrocksonhillside,andtrack ballasted, mostly anyway – the game is afoot!


FinishedballastontheSheffieldCreekculvert.Thecreekisacrylicgreenpainttoppedwithmultiplelayersofacrylicglossmedium.


I planted this fairly large Canyon Creek Scenics cedar tree inside the OakhillwyealongwithSilflor®,staticgrass,stumps,cedardebris,smaller trees, rail stack, wood scraps, small rocks, shrubs and weeds.


Anotherviewofthecedarscene.Thestaticgrassreallysetsoffthescene along with the rusty rail color and two colors of ballast.


VIDEO:StaticGrassandbushinstallationalongSheffieldCreek.


AdvancedGreenery:Finishing a creek

video

https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DA1e39dSz5Ww


Completed creek scene.


Part V. Questions?


Thank You – The End

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