Olympia & Sand Creek, Episode 20 | Painting the backdrop – Part 3

As Jay Smith, former illustrator (ret.) for Kalmbach Media, continues is his backdrop painting efforts on David Popp’s Olympia & Sand Creek On30 display layout, you’ll see several subtle techniques Jay employees to create lighting effects and enhance the detailed appearance of even the most distant landform and structures he paints. Be sure to explore […]

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Olympia & Sand Creek, Episode 18 | Painting the backdrop – Part 1

In this episode, professional help is on the way! Jay Smith, former illustrator (ret.) for Kalmbach Media, heads for the basement to help make realistic mountains materialize on the backdrop of the On30 display layout. Guided by David’s practice painting, pretty pictures, and temporary placement of key structures, Jay shares his specific techniques for turning […]

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Olympia & Sand Creek, Episode 17 | Mirrors and clouds

Feather canyons everywhere! David looks at clouds that way. If you really don’t know how to paint clouds at all, then you’ll want to follow David as he demonstrates his techniques for adding realistic skies to his On30 display backdrop. But that’s not the only illusion recalls! David also shows how easy it is look […]

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Olympia & Sand Creek, Sidetrack Ep. 6 | Harnesses and reins

In this concluding video of the Olympia & Sand Creek Sidetrack Series, host David Popp finalizes the assembly of the horses, mules, and wagons. Follow along as he shares techniques for hitching the ponies to the carts, before he gets back to working on the On30 model railroad! Be sure to explore the entire Olympia […]

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Olympia & Sand Creek, Sidetrack Ep. 5 | Painting a horse figure

As the Sidetrack Series trots along, David shares his technique for painting the ponies. But following his savvy advice, he begins by decorating the details (harness, hitch, etc.). After painting the body and other fine features, David then demonstrates how to give the steed a suitable, well-weathered appearance. But don’t hitch your horse to this […]

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Olympia & Sand Creek, Sidetrack Ep. 4 | A horse apiece

Back on the sidetrack, David resumes construction of the drivers, plus the horses and mules used to pull the various wagons and carts he’ll place into his On30 layout scenes. Initial efforts in this episode involve the basic material prep and assembly of all the white metal parts and pieces in the selected kits. By […]

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Olympia & Sand Creek, Sidetrack Ep. 3 | Horse Drawn Wagons

In this episode, David turns to a new construction technique as he forms the body of a wagon using resin impregnated paper. In his initial attempt with this material, David finds that it cuts, shapes, and assembles in manner similar to styrene. Follow along as he walks through the working limits and shares his valuable […]

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