Backdrop and Clouds in the Jersey Subdivision
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This was a good learning exercise on painting backdrops and clouds for the scenery crew. Below is a set of steps on how I painted the clouds and backdrop for the Jersey Subdivision.
The backdrop was painted a light blue over 1/8" hardboard. 1/8" was used because it would bend in the corners.
Next I attempted to use a cloud kit from Home Depot. The product is manufactured by Woolie. Step 1 involved mixing the glaze with water and the darker paint in a ratio of 2:1:1 . The idea is to paint on a strip of darker blue pint, water and glaze mix, then use the Woolie to soften it up and blend it to the lighter paint below. They call it color washing.
Step 2 was the same mixture but with the lighter paint. Step 1 started at the top of the backdrop and came down in order to have the darker sky at the top. Step 2 started right where the dark and light came together in order to reduce the contrast and allow the two colors to transition better.
Step 3 was a repeat of Step 2 to improve blending and Step 4 was a first attempt at clouds.
Step 3
Step 5 was a touch up of the clouds.
In step 6 I went back to the acrylic paint and touched up the clouds again. If I were to do it again, I wouldn't use the Woolie to paint the clouds. I'd use the brush and acrylic paints. Just a simple Titanium White and Natural Gray for darkening the bottom. Just brush lightly and dab the paint. Don't paint heavily.
