Two paths diverges in the woods, and I...
Amazing treeline. How do you paint your trees on your backdrop?
I know climbing that barn ramp might require helpers.
The backdrops are hobby acrylics over latex. The basic hills side shapes and treelines come first with the latex paint which is generally a forest green mixed with sky blue as the hills recede and flat black as they come forward. Basic tree line shapes. Often near black where the backdrop meets the physical scenery but not in this case where I was trying to paint a fall field of dead straw. I paint right out onto the unfinished sculptamold scenery.
I paint the "detailed" trees and backdrop at the scenery joint in after the latex has dried. Sometimes before basic ground cover goes in (as in this case) but normally after. Having a few trees around that will be planted in the scene is helpful to try and match colours and the heights/shapes of the trees on the backdrop.
I mix up some grey and burnt umber or burnt sienna acrylic and using a thin brush draw vertical lines where I want the tree trunks to be (conifers) or spider webby branches for treeless deciduous. The thinned paint means the trunks are a bit translucent and not too prominent on the backdrop. I add a bit of grey and highlight the edges of the larger or more dominant trunks along one side. Maybe a bit of white too if I really want the trunk to stand out. This goes fast as not much detail is needed and as I am just tryignt o get the tree positins and heights established. Most of this work ends up covered anyways.
I then go back and add forest green and black splotches in "coniferous shapes" to the vertical lines, broader at bottom and narrower at top of course. Add more green to the mix and highlight the tops of the splotches on trees that are nearer to the viewer and on the sunlit side. Repeat.
Hope that helps. I find it really hard to describe how backdrops are painted...videos are better but I am no the expert to create those. I recall I once asked Mike Danneman through email how he created his *stunning* snow covered backdrops, specifically how he added the snow to the trees. His kind and prompt reply: "I paint on the trees and then I paint snow on them!"
His reply did come with many detailed photos from which I attempted to replicate - not very successfully - what he did but I have to admit that reply made me laugh.
md
