Some pics of my old backdrop and its replacement.

This is the old backdrop leaning against the new one. In the lower left hand corner you can see my first attempt at airbrushing some trees, not very good!

This pic is of the new backdrop I finished last Friday, this time I did a better job airbrushing those trees, these actually look like trees.


This last picture is of the backdrop being used as it was designed.


Matrixone

WHOA, that's incredible !

KoSprueOne,

Thank you!

One thing that worked out well was how the trees I airbrushed blends in with the trees that are mounted on the photobase.
The left side of the pic of the Do 335B shows this well.

Matrixone

Hey Les

I'm not saying this just to blow smoke, but that is truely amazing. I'm very interrested in finding out more about this process so I can make one for myself.
If you don't mind I have a few questions.
1. Is that a canvas you're painting on or posterboard?
2. Is the entire scene airbrushed?
3. Are you using enamel, acrylic, or something else?
4. How did you add the planes in the background? Photo edit on your PC or what?

Again, that is awsome
Hermon

Good questions, VonCuda, I'd like to know those too. My jaw was still stuck open and my chin was pressing the space bar continuously......

Truly excellent job there Les.

In fact the horizon reminds me of Frankfurt Airport.
Which probably influences me to think the backdrop really does look "German" in feel and atmosphere to the extent that if you took away the aircraft it would still look Germanesque.

I love the way the base merges seamlessly with the sky and treeline behind. Plus all the shadow/highlights look pukka.

I also would like to know what medium it is done with?

N i c e...

Cheers
Peter
:-)

That is a stunning backdrop. I'll be watching this thread carefully.

WOW.....

Please please tell more

Wonderful......I just wish that my airbrush artistry came up even to the level of your 'not happy' with piece.

I wonder if you should consider having your great background copied and then offer them for sale as I would imagine that they would get snapped up, by some of your fellows.

Regards,

John

Hi Les

How about getting a proper "How-To..." article together? - this would make a superb Feature! I've always been fascinated by how you achieve such outstanding photographic results.

All the best

Rowan

Incredible, fantastic. Congratulations.
The How-To article would be great.

Very nice work Les,
I second Merlin's suggestion.

Thanks everybody for the kind words!

My first backdrop was made out of poster paper and was just too flimsy to work very well, too many ripples began to appear when placed in the sunlight.

The new backdrop is made from foam board and like the old one it was painted with Model Master enamels, I used a rattle can of Sky blue for the deeper looking blue of the sky and near the horizon I used RLM65 blended softly with the darker blue.
I airbrushed everything except the deeper sky blue color.
The tree line in the distance was painted with medium blue/gray and the trees in the lower left hand corner was painted with several colors custom mixed starting with olive green mixed with black, then medium green, light green, and German Panzer dark yellow for a few highlights. I live in the U.S.A. in the state of Oregon and simply looked at the trees near my house to get the ideas for the colors needed for painting those trees.

All the models in the pic with the Do 335B are placed in the background and not added with photoshop.

I have no experience writing articles and really don't know where to start!

Matrixone

In that case I hope we can influence you to give it a try. I'm sure someone around here could get you headed in the right direction if you are interested. You have some serious talent coming out of that airbrush of yours and it would be great if some of the airbrush idiots (like myself) could learn from you.
Even if I can never produce something as awsome as what you've done here I'm at least happy that you have shared it with us.

Hermon

Hi Les
I agree with everyone else....you should do a step by step feature.
There are a multitude of good articles here on site to use as a guide on how to write, construct and illustrate one.

If you do have a go...please, please pretty please...there are a number of the more experienced on site to offer advise.
Even me... :-)
You have a great talent well worth sharing.

Cheers
Peter
:-)

Hi Les!

That's a fantastic job! I like the "atmospheric perspective" wich gives a sense of depth.( I don't know if I use the right words! ) This is very inspiring and would be a perfect subject for an article... but others already said that to you!

Jean-Luc

Hey Les,
Know what would really be cool? Picture a night backdrop with a few stars.......a couple of shiny P-51's or even a flock of B-17's.......with the moonlight (from highlighting lamp) reflecting off the upper surfaces, flying in formation.

Yeah, I know I'm no where near good enough to do it but I'll bet you could pull it off.

Hermon

Thanks Hermon, Peter, and Jean-Luc!

All I can say is WOW!, I never expected this much interest on this subject.

I suppose I could paint a smaller version of my latest backdrop and shoot pictures of each step along the way and explain what I am doing.

Who would I contact about doing this sort of thing?
Where would I send the pictures and text?

Hermon,
I have planned on building a couple P-51 Mustangs wheels up and suspending them in mid air over my photobase using invisable thread and taking pics of them in poses like they were attacking my airfield.
The main problem with doing something like this is not having enough time!

Another pic of the new backdrop in use...


Matrixone

Hi Les
what I usually do when I send in the profile articles is...

Collect the pics you want to include and name them...i.e. Pic1 ( jpg's of course) and have it correspond to text...
i.e. "bla bla bla (picture 1)."
Do the text in word.

Then bundle it all together and zip it up with for example DropStuff and upload in the features module on site.

Then, in my case, Merlin scratches his head and does wonders putting it all together as a pukka article.

Hope it helps.

Cheers
Peter

PS Can't wait.
:-)

Thanks Peter,

I can't do this right away since I will need to purchase more stuff to do another backdrop...plus I need to get my courage up!

Matrixone