Backdrops

[speez]

       Going through the boards I notice some nice backdrops. We focus on the vehicle and never the background. Some of them are work of arts too. I had made mine because I wanted to take pictures to show my friends and was always looking for places to  take  pictures with make shift backdrops. After doing this I noticed that people not in the hobby were more impressed with my backdrop then the subject car. I think its do to, they don't understand the work that the vehicle has, as they see them in stores in box's already built, and they assumed I bought it and plopped it a backdrop. Those are the people that have no clue that there are plastic kits. So they look at the backdrop as the art as people have fascination on miniatures. Sorry, for my rambling on some times I get frustrated, lol. I don't know if backdrops are considered to be dioramas. 

How about showing a thread JUST on  backdrops, as they deserve some recognition too!!

 

Ill start with mine....

 

Edited June 8, 2020 by speez

[DrKerry]

Nice backdrop!! I've been wanting to make a couple for myself. I usually use a piece of white backer board or my workbench clutter.. Been wanting to bite the bullet and make a nice one like you have here. A street scene of the front of an old hot rod shop of some sort...

[Tom Geiger]

my backdrop is my backyard! I have a board I sprayed with Floquil model railroad asphalt. 

[SCRWDRVR]

I use a small garage I made, I plan to put some stuff on the walls and detail it up some more but just haven't gotten to that yet.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I've thought about making some sort of background for photographing models, but I'm not worth a BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH taking photographs anyway.

It's difficult for me to justify spending the time to make a back drop when I could be spending that time working on a build.

Too many projects, not enough time.

 

Like Tom, I use an area of my yard and a folding card table.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

Edited June 6, 2020 by StevenGuthmiller

[Nazz]

I hear you Steven, I am in the same boat. I do appreciate the backdrops that some modellers create though. If only there were more time in the day!

[speez]

Unfortunately, I live in a dense suburban area, so taking pictures of my neighbors houses or fences would be in the background. Truthfully getting away from high end paint jobs and more stressful modeling it's a nice break, working on something less stressful like backdrops. That's why I'm starting to get into weathered, used up, beaters you cant screw up the paint job!  ?

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

I've added some additional signage since this pic was taken. The base is a display case so it has a clear plastic cover that fits over it to keep it nice and clean.... -RRR

[StevenGuthmiller]

2 hours ago, Nazz said:

I hear you Steven, I am in the same boat. I do appreciate the backdrops that some modellers create though. If only there were more time in the day!

I hear you.

The backgrounds depicted here so far are very nice, but as you say, not enough time in the day.

It gives me heart palpitations to think that the weeks spent making a back drop could have been spent on working on one of my models.

 

But hats off to the guys who will take the time.

 

 

 

Steve

[Tom Geiger]

I have building a photo back drop on my long list of projects. I know I will enjoy doing it since a scratch build a lot of accessories already. 

[speez]

RRR, that's a great idea with display case. That way you can leave new builds inside without any dust.

       As for the others, saying about time taken away from building, I see it as part of the hobby to passing time building. Part of the fun is making stuff from scratch and figuring out how to do it. When I got better in the hobby I was able to build a car less then a week. For me it's about building, not about how many cars are in my display. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

5 hours ago, speez said:

RRR, that's a great idea with display case. That way you can leave new builds inside without any dust.

       As for the others, saying about time taken away from building, I see it as part of the hobby to passing time building. Part of the fun is making stuff from scratch and figuring out how to do it. When I got better in the hobby I was able to build a car less then a week. For me it's about building, not about how many cars are in my display. 

In my case, it has nothing to do with "how many cars are in my display case".

I build model cars because I have a passion for cars.

For me it's not about passing time.

I can go fishing to pass the time.

I suppose I could build a car in a week as well if I were just going to assemble what's in the box, but as you stated, a large part of the fun is scratch building and figuring out how to do it.

I just feel that effort, and my limited modeling time, is better directed at what I really enjoy doing.

 

As is often the case, modelers find themselves in slumps because they take on projects that they are not particularly interested in.

I rarely find myself in a slump because I am always looking forward to the next four wheeled project.

Making a background, at least for me, would be a task that I would only undertake for the end result.

There would be little enjoyment of the journey for me.

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

[Bills72sj]

I am currently building a diorama for a backdrop. When looking back at photos of my builds, where I took the photo is all over the place. Add in the variations in lighting and the results were hit and miss. Like you I have seen models displayed with nice back drops and like the added touch it brings. It makes viewing the subject more interesting.

[Tom Geiger]

16 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I just feel that effort, and my limited modeling time, is better directed at what I really enjoy doing.

As is often the case, modelers find themselves in slumps because they take on projects that they are not particularly interested in.

I rarely find myself in a slump because I am always looking forward to the next four wheeled project.

Making a background, at least for me, would be a task that I would only undertake for the end result.

There would be little enjoyment of the journey for me.

I totally get it. There are vehicles that I don’t have the slightest interest in that would be an unpleasant chore to work on. It’s a hobby, it’s supposed to be fun !

[StevenGuthmiller]

19 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

I totally get it. There are vehicles that I don’t have the slightest interest in that would be an unpleasant chore to work on. It’s a hobby, it’s supposed to be fun !

Precisely.

I'm fairly certain that I could build a NASCAR kit with reasonable proficiency, but with zero interest, I would probably enjoy it about as much as I would mowing my lawn.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[speez]

gentlemen, what I see is that the only thing we all have in common is we bought a model kit  in a box. As what we do to it is anything but common. This is what makes the hobby enjoyable. Everyone has there own expectations,skill. We all have something different we want from this hobby. Some people think its a wast of time and some don't,  The thread was about the art form sitting in back of the set vehicle. Everyone's journey, are all different.

[Gramps46]

I have posted over a thousand photos to the board and many of them include backgrounds either made by me, photographs, or "back yards".  I have always felt that the backgrounds can add perspective to the model.  I am doing fewer photos with backgrounds now since seeing criticism by modelers I respect who have said the backgrounds are distracting.  And now as Paul Harvey (you  younger folks can look him up) "the rest of the story".  To each his own.

[vamach1]

1 minute ago, Gramps46 said:

I have posted over a thousand photos to the board and many of them include backgrounds either made by me, photographs, or "back yards".  I have always felt that the backgrounds can add perspective to the model.  I am doing fewer photos with backgrounds now since seeing criticism by modelers I respect who have said the backgrounds are distracting.  And now as Paul Harvey (you  younger folks can look him up) "the rest of the story".  To each his own.

Keep up the backdrop pictures.  Surely they cannot be any worse than the real race tracks used in the Ford v. Ferraro movie. ?. I would love to do a 1/43 diormara of the Shelby facility with all the GT40's, Cobra's and Mustangs being prepared for races.  I get your point that someone might point out that a jack should be black and not red or something like that. 

[Tom Geiger]

The world’s worst backdrop! I was drawing ideas to create one and tested it out!

[Belugawrx]

On 6/6/2020 at 11:14 AM, Tom Geiger said:

my backdrop is my backyard! I have a board I sprayed with Floquil model railroad asphalt. 

I use my backyard too..

[speez]

4 hours ago, Gramps46 said:

I have posted over a thousand photos to the board and many of them include backgrounds either made by me, photographs, or "back yards".  I have always felt that the backgrounds can add perspective to the model.  I am doing fewer photos with backgrounds now since seeing criticism by modelers I respect who have said the backgrounds are distracting.  And now as Paul Harvey (you  younger folks can look him up) "the rest of the story".  To each his own.

Like you said, "backgrounds add perspective". because other people disagree about backgrounds, shouldn't change your ways. I find the picture you posted to make the model look more realistic with the backdrop.  I had made mine because I was tiered of make shift cardboard, cleaning the area to take a picture. I really think that some people have mastered the skill to make models, but lac the artistic touch to make backdrop and those people are the ones that shoot down the backdrops/ backgrounds. 

With or without anything behind it, that's a nice model.

[StevenGuthmiller]

8 hours ago, Gramps46 said:

I have posted over a thousand photos to the board and many of them include backgrounds either made by me, photographs, or "back yards".  I have always felt that the backgrounds can add perspective to the model.  I am doing fewer photos with backgrounds now since seeing criticism by modelers I respect who have said the backgrounds are distracting.  And now as Paul Harvey (you  younger folks can look him up) "the rest of the story".  To each his own.

I confess, I like the look of a background.

I can just never justify the time to make one.

 

Maybe one of these days, I'll pull out the old 90 minute quick set drywall mud that I worked with for 30 years and try to whip something up.

 

 

 

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 hours ago, speez said:

 I really think that some people have mastered the skill to make models, but lac the artistic touch to make backdrop and those people are the ones that shoot down the backdrops/ backgrounds.

That might be a little of a stretch.

That's a little like saying that guys that build rat rods and junkers do it because they don't know how to paint.

 

People have different interests and priorities.

That doesn't necessarily equate with a lack of an artistic touch.

 

I admire some of these back drops.

They are very interesting.

I don't avoid making one because I'm afraid of it.

It's just something I'm not particularly interested in doing.

 

 

Steve

 

Edited June 9, 2020 by StevenGuthmiller

[89AKurt]

Background vs. diorama, that's open for debate.  My icon picture is a diorama, average people love whatever I put in there.   I've done okay with photographs, blown up enough and mounted on foam core.  In this case, the time was a lake, the MINI is the reject for the Oldboatbile.

The first picture in the thread, should probably be called a stage (not to be confused for WRC stage).  I like the realistic dimensions and textures, more convincing to fake out the average person.

[speez]

Here's a picture with one of my models. I find the backdrop adds a nice perspective, realism to model. The best part is I plop my backdrop, outside on table and snap picture, use the sun for lighting. I don't need to clean tables or backgrounds, set up or nothing.  Mind you I can do that with 3 pieces of white cardboard glued together, LOL.