Having wrapped up its work on the LAJ’s Horn Lead, the local crosses District Blvd. on its way back to “B” Yard on my LAJ layout. The Foster & Kleiser Methyl billboards were a signature feature of LA during the early 1960s. It’s removable in the event I want to update to a modern era. […]
(Note: What follows is a copy of my December newsletter) The above image (taken in 2024) showing a quiet back street in Mankato, MN is about as unremarkable as they come. And….therein lies the point. It’s ordinary, it’s typical, it’s everyday. It’s what the eye is used to seeing when we’re out and about. The […]
When this image was taken over a half century ago, it’s unlikely the photographer had any inkling that others would benefit. But…through a chain of lucky circumstances the photo ended up being scanned, posted online, and labeled effectively, creating a form of immortality for the photographer if you will. Give some thought to doing the […]
Slow your role Dude….visually (sheen and saturation) I mean. In the November 15th blog I discussed the importance of understanding how atmosphere and distance de-saturate subjects and also remove any gloss. Vehicles are an important element of our scenes. However, out of the box they over the top in terms of gloss and saturation. We […]
Looking at the image above, note how quickly the colors lose saturation with distance. Note the high percentage of subdued colors such as gray, pale beige, and burnt umber. Awareness of this reality can go a long way towards improving the realism of our layouts. Two of the driving elements of visual impact are color […]