Helpful Hint - Best Leave Backdrops to the Pros

on

 Helpful Hint


Best Leave Backdrops to the Pros

Take a look at this tiny backdrop; a backdrop such as this draws in the viewer better than any model ever could. To its right is my scratch built Long Island City's* Arch Street Freight House. I relied on LIRR veterans to provide me with the proper color of the wood siding on my HO Scale Lower Montauk Branch - LIRR. The siding's lower section was believed to be green while the balance was a yellow. I numbered each door and left at least one open to depict activity. I even included some interior and boxes. A brick chimney was included as New York City can have quite harsh winters so some heating surely was required. A red forklift and a concrete area was intended to further the idea of an active area. Weathered darkroom tape is used to depict a rolled tar paper roof. I made sure to include some ground foam to depict weeds. A household move left me little time to correct some minor shortcomings of this scene.
Notice how my backdrop depicts the very ordinary and nearby - two wooden electrical posts (neither is perfectly upright, each has a bit of a tilt) and the wiring between them together with the spectacular skyline of Manhattan at a distance. Its artist even included some overgrown vegetation to suggest that we are peering through an overgrown lot - how else would we see the Manhattan skyline if this were not an empty lot? Structures would have obscured the view otherwise. Viewers must imagine the East River separating them. Also notice Poly's use of greenery to depict a disused urban lot. Of course, her choice of muted colors is superb - it suggests that the structures depicted are far away with the atmosphere making them a bit hazy.

My backdrops were painted by a professional artist who brought an assistant along. Sarah Poly is from Philadelphia and studied in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, with local and national artists; she evens teaches art. She is a member of The Oil Painters of America, The Washington Society of Landscape Painters, and the Salmagundi Club. She has been featured in International Artist, Plein Air, Southwest Art, and Elan magazines. My experience – never use an amateur painter for your clouds/backdrop; I tried it once and was unhappy with the experience.

 Sara Linda Poly - About the Artist (saralindapolystudio.com)

Two reasons for choosing a professional artist to paint your backdrop:

  1. The result from using an amateur will likely be mediocre
  2. An amateur is likely to charge you MORE money than a professional – this is not a typo. Amateurs often
    1. Over-value their work 
    2. Work inefficiently so they need more time (and charge accordingly) to achieve what could be poorer results. 
    3. The results will take more time.
Yes, I understand, what I wrote my hurt some feelings, but honesty is the best policy.

So, when you are ready for a backdrop, try investigating your nearest artist colony or art school or art show for leads on someone to paint your backdrop.

* Long Island City is a community in the Borough of Queens

Revised March 21, 2023
Revised April 6, 2023
May 2, 2023

Comments

Post a Comment