Q: My light blue-gray walls look fine to the naked eye, but not so good in photos. Are there some tried and true formulas for the major paint brands that are a reliable “sky blue” for model railroad backgrounds? — David Provost
A: Model railroaders have long asked “What color is sky blue?” when painting backdrops. To answer your question, I turned to Painting Backdrops for Your Model Railroad by Mike Danneman (Kalmbach Books, 2008). His N scale Denver & Rio Grande Western layout has been featured in MR and on our website many times over the years. Here’s what Mike, a professional artist, had to say picking a blue for your backdrop.
“To pick my sky color, I took home every paint swatch from the paint store that I thought looked reasonably like sky blue. I then laid all of them out on the benchwork surface to see if I could find one that was just right. It’s best to do this under your layout’s lighting conditions since this is where you’ll see it. It isn’t easy, and I ended up picking three shades for my layout.”
Later in chapter three, Mike continued, “The important thing is to get the right color and tone of sky blue latex for the area you are modeling. If anything, favor a shade of sky slightly lighter than you think you might need. Remember, latex paint tends to dry slightly darker. Why use latex instead of enamel or other oil-based paints? I prefer latex because it mixes perfectly with artist’s acrylic paints. It also tends to dry to a flatter sheen, which is perfect for sky and scenery on a backdrop.”
For another perspective on the question “What color is sky blue?” check out Gerry Leone’s article “Big sky, little trouble” in the September 2015 issue of Model Railroader. In the four-page story, the popular magazine and video contributor shares tips on selecting blue paint, adding atmospheric haze, and blending backdrop seams.
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