Well -- the track is laid, the electronics wired and tested, decoders installed and trains are running. Buildings and scratch building are well underway but for whatever reason, I just can't pull the trigger on starting the scenery. I've attended the clinics, read the articles and looked for all sort of ideas, but the thought of actually putting scenery on the plywood plains frightens me. Sounds silly, but does anyone else suffer from this and have any ideas how to cure it?
Wow, you mean I'm not the only one suffering from this "disease"? My old layout got to exactly the same point as yours, and I left it that way for months, with no scenery, until I had to move. The thought of putting some down, then not liking it or screwing it up, then having to tear it all out and possibly messing up the track or something else, then having to rebuild that messed up area just makes me not even try. -Mike
Just start on the outlaying areas first, and leave your areas for town, and buildings.. it will give ya the incintive to move forward.. Ya cant go wrong with the nature part, with the exception of trying to make it perfect..Nature is not perfect, so that makes it easy to do..
There is just to much finality about scenery. It means you may actually finish the layout. Sounds crazy but I think we all are a bit worried that we will not be satisfied with our own creation and tear up all that work. Is what helps me is to think about the next steps in the hobby for me, such as super detailing small scenes and locos, cars, etc...Possibly replacing structures that are not exactly what I envisioned. The first time you have a visitor who sees it for the first time with scenery is a good acid test and is usually uplifting. Give it a shot, but leave room for corrections and be open minded.
Gee, scenery is easy, but laying track and wiring is HARRRRD! Oh well, One man's meet is another man's headon collision.
Um, er, well, I have not even done the wiring because then I would _have_ to do the scenery. Truth is "Only the artist knows where all of the mistakes are" Two options: Practice on a separate board Just do a small area like suggested and plan on redoing it as your skills increase. You will find once the momemtum starts you will be very pleased. At least put down a coat of light tan. It will be a HUGE improvement.
If you are like me, you will never be finished.. There is always something to do on them.. Micro detailing, or something.. removing one part to replace it with something else.. one of those never satified projects..
I agree with the others - jump right in expecting to fail the first time - or at least not do it as well as you would like. You think the guys in the mags are showing their first attempts? And, no matter what you do, it will look lots better than plywood. The good news is plenty for scenery. First, the faster and sloppier you go, the better it looks! Second, its cheap (unless you use storebought trees). Third, in most cases you can just add to it, even enough to cover over what you have done. Lastly, its easy enough to rip out. You can even save rock castings, trees, etc. Are you ready to go yet?
In the words of Bob Ross, "There is no wrongs in nature, just let those happy little accdents happen", and "trees live in happy little families of three". Bob was a happy guy, for those of us not old enough to remember his PBS shows. Just jump into it and don't try too hard to make it perfect, it allways seems that the harder I try with the scenery the worse it turns out. a little inspiration simple painted spackle rockface just ballast, groundfoam, spackle rockcut and WS conifers, nothing fancy.
I was entranced by Bob Ross. If you ever have bored minute look up his paintings, they aint cheap these days,...
" A layout is never finished!" Good words to remember when you are up to your elbows in plaster !...LOL. Like others have stated...just go for it. It can be covered over at the very least if not satisfied. You can easily enough rip it out and start again if you have to. Everyone started fresh at some point and made some messes...and also came away with some masterpieces ! You may have some hidden scenicing talent you never knew ya had. Lastly...the only one it all matters to...is you. The trains will run through crappy looking scenery as well as they will awesome scenery...they have no feelings. If they did...they would know ya did your best for them. Enjoy...and keep on chuggin....wooohooooo !!
At the risk of sounding like a Zen master: "Embrace the plaster. Be one with the plaster." OK, seriously, the suggestion of starting with a small area is a good one. Just pick one area and try out the plaster, ground foam, etc. Plant a tree here & there. For inspiration, just go out & see what's around you in nature. There are no passing & failing grades, and no jobs are on the line, so enjoy yourself. Once you work up that area, and it looks good to you, go to another area. Just keep working a spot at a time, and eventually you'll have the layout scenicked (I won't say done, because there's always something to add, change, etc). We all have to take that first step in learning a new skill, so have at it. :tb-biggrin:
Me, too. I first got into model trains about two years ago. I decided I wanted a layout but was worried about the scenery (my artistic talents are rated at about -5). I eventually just closed my eyes, held my nose, and jumped off the cliff. It's the only way to go. Everyone else is right. Pick small areas to do at one time. Try picking a 6 inch by 6 inch area. Picture in your mind how you want it to look. Do this for a week or two. Then assemble the stuff you need and just do it. You'll probably be surprised at the results. Don't try to do it all at once. Here's a small section of my layout. I did the park first. I knew what I wanted, did it, stared at it for a couple of weeks, and then added a few more trees and bushes. I like it. It was the first scenery that I'd even done. Dave.
Same here, still the plywood central IMHO the problem is that I have to do real big and messy work, like building and painting a backdrop, as the first steps. There are things like removable scenery parts that should be done first. And my time is limited, or I am just too slow with everything. Currently I started using an airbrush, and am in the "car building business". Sometimes I thing that building modules make life easier. But I had to optimize the use of my limited space, getting the widest curves and smallest grades. It was really a technical kind of layout. My old layout in H0, which I built back in 1975 in my parents' basement, also never had any scenery. My father was not at all interested in it, he just wanted to run some trains, did not even care even about switching. But I really want scenery, but just can't find the starting point.
Maybe do what I did - start by painting the basic layout (wood or foam insulation) a base color of tan or brown. Then sprinkle on a couple different colors of fine ground turf/foam on the paint while it's still wet. Grab a tree kit from Woodland scenics, make up a few trees and plant 'em (or buy the trees ready-made). Makes the whole layout look better - then when you're ready, you can start putting in some "real" scenery on top of what you have.
There are many different scenery techniques to accomplish the same scenery task. I like to build with Hydrocal and Molding plasters. Others like to styrofoam to support there scenery. The trick is keep trying different methods until you find one that works for you and allows you to get the results you want. If you attend regional NMRA conventions, the National NMRA convention, some NMRA division meetings, they will have clinics. Attend the ones on scenery to learn different techniques. Then go home and experiment. You might find one you like on the first try, or you may have to try several to hit the one that works for you. Even though I have been building scenery for 35 years, I occasionally try new techniques just to see if it works better than my current techniques. Glenn Samuel Mobile, AL Good Luck!
Scenery is not as hard as it seems. Follow the advice already given: start in a small, less important area. By the time you finish that area, you will have learned what works and what doesn't and be ready to move on to the rest of the layout. If it does not come out right, just keep working until it looks good. A tip: don't try to just make it up. Use photographs of the area you are modeling to guide you. Another tip: follow gravity. That's what forms real landscapes. Sprinkle your ground foam on and let it drop where it wants to go. Where it doesn't want to go, those are your bare rock faces. For a more advanced take on the same idea, drip a little excess water on your plaster as you're starting, watch where it wants to go, then carve your streambed there, and put the greener plant foliage there.
I have a difficult time staying with just one aspect of the hobby for long periods of time. I did the benchwork (until I got bored with it), then the roadbeds (until I got bored with it). Then I decided to install backdrops & paint some of them... and then add a bit of scenery... Haven't finished it, got bored with it. Moved on to constructing the yard trackage, and now I'm scared to death — I have to wire the damn thing!
