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2K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  MikeL 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

I now have three DCC-adapted locos running on my layout (one TH&B switcher and 2 CP Budds), and my CP GP will be ready next week.

I am very happy with my layout - the roadbed, track and wiring all are working to my expectations. I have to thank many of you for your advice and feedback.

I would now like to start on scenery. It has been a while (9 years) since I did any scenery and I don't have any innate artistic ability.

What would you suggest I start with?

Mike,
 
#2 ·
are you at the point of scenery?
or at the terrain forming stage?
for actual scenery I used house paint and glue mix, and then sprinkled sand / ground foam mix on while it was still wet, a decent starter, then add more ground foam, trees, etc ..
a _lot_ of different ways to do it .. pick one that feels comfortable to you :)
or if you find something you like in the user galleries on here, just ask how they did it,
 
#4 ·
Make realistic Earth colors and landscape

I always made most of my scenery and landscape with paper mache, with a plaster of paris overlayment.
Then I mixed colored pigment powder with plaster of paris powder, and finely sifted the dry colored mix over a water-sprayed landscape (use a fine mist spray bottle). I used a common small baker's sifter.
The colored plaster/pigment mix dries hard, and is astoundingly realistic... Earth tones and grass to die for. You can also mix 'n match to achieve different hues.
The beauty of it is, it dries with a 'texture' that's extremely visual.

The powders used to be available very cheap at hobby and craft stores, (they came in boxed cellophane packets) but I found it at the website below at somewhat higher prices -- although they go a long way. It doesn't take much pigment to color a lot of plaster of paris powder.

Mistakes are no problem. Just re-do. You'll get better with practice anyway.

http://www.earthpigments.com/natural-earth-ocher-pigments/

Brown Soil Cocoa solids Mineral Muscovado
 
#7 ·
I agree that "scenery" is generally too broad a topic to cover in a general "How do I do scenery" thread. Your best bet is to search these forums and the internet for more specific help: how do I make a mountain, river, forest, tree, etc. Just remember that there are just about as many ways to make scenery as their are hobbyists, and no one method is necessarily any better than any other. It's best to try several and then pick the one that works best for you. And as LateStarter says, don't be afraid to screw up. It's pretty easy to just rip it out and do it again.

Some thoughts to get you started.
Basic Terrain -- I use pieces of extruded foam board cut, stacked, and glued together, then shaped with a rasp, then covered with a thin layer of Sculptamold and painted with brown interior latex paint. I have tried various hardshell (papier mache / plaster cloth over a framework) and prefer my method. Big cliffs are made by shaping and carving Sculptamold with carving tools, smaller rock outcrops are plaster castings.

Ground Cover & Foliage -- a mix of ground foam products from both Woodland Scenics and Scenic Express.

Water -- Flat water (broad rivers and lakes) -- acrylic gloss medium poured over painted Sculptamold (dark green-black in the center, lighter at the edges). The edges are landscaped with rocks, dirt, sand, plants, and deadfall before adding the water. Running water -- acrylic gloss gel applied over a fully landscaped bottom.

Trees -- Armatures using Woodland Scenics, Supertrees, and dried sedum from my garden, covered with black poly fiber and assorted ground foam products. Some commercially produced trees. Some background hills have puffball trees.

Roads -- painted joint compound. Use masking tape to get a clean edge, and don't forget some crushed rock at the edges.

Backdrop -- painted foamcore. Blue sky oversprayed with white (more overspray closer to the ground), rolling hills "suggested" by green arcs. All done with an airbrush.

Others can provide alternate methods or amplification. If you'd like more details, just ask!
 
#9 ·
Thanks everyone.

I was purposely vague because I'm open to all ideas. My 10' X 6' HO layout (which was a victim of collateral damage from a sewer backup in one of our basement apartments - though the damage was very slight, the garage is now being used as staging area for the renovations) is mostly switching, industrial, yards, a small town.

I like the idea of starting with ground cover; I also need to work on the Woodland Scenic inclines /declines I used. I have several rolls of their plaster clothes that I'll use.

Mike
 
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