HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Hal here is a link to a topic,on RMweb, you may like,just up your street, ............basic painting sky and cloud. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/93937-backscene/ I nearly bit! But had a look anyway. There is ALWAYS something to learn, no matter how professionally skilled, talented and described as a genius by one's peers, , etc, etc. Feck! Blue skies and fluffy white clouds :puke: Although my layout is set in the summer, it's been raining for a fortnight and the temperature is unseasonally low, hences smoke is belching out of hundreds of thousands of chimneys, to add to the belching chimneys of industrial Tyneside. So the sky is grey with a dark pall overhead, all to add to the squalor of Byker, Walker and the West End of Newcastle. I was fortunate to be born in Whitley Bay. The coastline was immaculate. Of course I'd been to Newcastle city as a child but it wasn't until I passed the 11+ and went to a Newcastle Grammar school that I became familiar with the areas above. To say they were Dickensian would be kind. But no matter how proud and hard-working the householders were, the filth was encrusted in sooty layers that you could smell. Lovely! Hal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chubber Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Hal,Thank you for your post in the backscenes thread, I am no artist, I would never have made a living from it. I so admire the strength of the atmosphere in your painting.On atmosphere-I had the great pleasure of spending a day loosely in the company of David Shepherd as he gathered material for his bucolic harvest series of paintings at my friends farm where I helped with wooden wagon repairs and driving the dray during my leaves from the Navy.I asked him how he set about injecting atmosphere into his finished paintings, given that he was doing quick sketches of the family posed in groups, of various bits of machinary and horses that we led out for him for him to complete in the studio elsewhere, no camera in sight.He replied in a puzzled tone words to the effect 'I don't know, I just do it...' Not satisfied, or rather, amazed, I pressed him further 'The Africa series, that I so admire, how do you make it all feel "hot and smelly" and again he replied to the effect 'I just think "hot and smelly" when I do it..'.At the end of the long day he was kind enough to give me a signed print of a rhino and baby now a treasured possession.On 'hands'-An artist I so enjoy, Renoir, was grieviously affected by arthritis by the late 1800s.Here, in about 1910 he is photographed showing his fingers by then entirely inacapable of manipulating a brush.Beforehand he had been capable of great and powerful delicacy as in 'The Amazon' of 1872.Later, Mme Renoir would bind his fists with tapes, and by means of brushes stuck between his knuckles he produced work of almost palpable softness like 'Bathers' of 1918. Having read your thread this morning, and re-appraised how comparatively fortunate and blessed my life is, I respectfully suggest you consider combining your love for steam locomotion and your artistic talent in quick pen, ink and colour wash railway subjects, think of its advantages...Little financial layout, pick it up, put it down, a wealth of subject here, no great working up from cartoons, an A4 cartridge pad as a ground and our favourite locos, stations, scenes whatever captured on the forum for us 'a la Hal'!Well, this has been a right old ramble through the waffle-fields, I hope at least it has given you some diversion,Best wishesDoug Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Hal, Thank you for your post in the backscenes thread, I am no artist, I would never have made a living from it. I so admire the strength of the atmosphere in your painting. On atmosphere- I had the great pleasure of spending a day loosely in the company of David Shepherd as he gathered material for his bucolic harvest series of paintings at my friends farm where I helped with wooden wagon repairs and driving the dray during my leaves from the Navy. I asked him how he set about injecting atmosphere into his finished paintings, given that he was doing quick sketches of the family posed in groups, of various bits of machinary and horses that we led out for him for him to complete in the studio elsewhere, no camera in sight. He replied in a puzzled tone words to the effect 'I don't know, I just do it...' Not satisfied, or rather, amazed, I pressed him further 'The Africa series, that I so admire, how do you make it all feel "hot and smelly" and again he replied to the effect 'I just think "hot and smelly" when I do it..'. At the end of the long day he was kind enough to give me a signed print of a rhino and baby now a treasured possession. On 'hands'- An artist I so enjoy, Renoir, was grieviously affected by arthritis by the late 1800s. Here, in about 1910 he is photographed showing his fingers by then entirely inacapable of manipulating a brush. Renoir001.jpg Beforehand he had been capable of great and powerful delicacy as in 'The Amazon' of 1872. Renoir002.jpg Later, Mme Renoir would bind his fists with tapes, and by means of brushes stuck between his knuckles he produced work of almost palpable softness like 'Bathers' of 1918. Renoir003.jpg Having read your thread this morning, and re-appraised how comparatively fortunate and blessed my life is, I respectfully suggest you consider combining your love for steam locomotion and your artistic talent in quick pen, ink and colour wash railway subjects, think of its advantages... Little financial layout, pick it up, put it down, a wealth of subject here, no great working up from cartoons, an A4 cartridge pad as a ground and our favourite locos, stations, scenes whatever captured on the forum for us 'a la Hal'! Well, this has been a right old ramble through the waffle-fields, I hope at least it has given you some diversion, Best wishes Doug Thanks, Doug, No waffle whatsoever. Everything of interest. I've always been a fan of Shepherd's work, especially the African which are certainly atmospheric. Truth to tell, most of my work came from writing and illustration. I worked for Marshall Cavendish in the eighties, working on their Story Teller partwork. It was a magazine with a number of pictorial stories in each issue. It came with a cassette-tape so that children could listen whilst looking at the pictures, connecting the written word with the voice. I've been told that there's some of my work on Youtube, above the caption of, "Tony King, a Geordie Fireman - Waldorf's Adventures," which was true. My main income was from the Fire Service at the time, as I freelanced on the side. Happy days! Coincidentally, however, for long while I've been thinking of doing exactly what you say; as though I was a 1:1 artist working in the area that my layout covers. It'll be interesting because my main fault is that my work is so "tight." Cuneo was the man as far as I'm concerned, and if you look at his work it is wonderfully loose. It would provide a rather different view of a layout which I think my Followers would like. (Time and health permitting!!!) I must catch up on the card-work, at which I know you excell. My favourite constructional material is Wills sheet, which I'm currently struggling to cut with the dodgy digits. It is the latter issue that should help me to loosen up art-wise, and will dictate my model-building I think. Thanks for the input, Doug, Hal. PS: I notice you mentioned Navy. It was an ex HMRN colleague in the Fire Service that pointed me in the right direction to get the 'Cleo job, as I wasn't well known for that type of work. It would have made a bloody good start in this hard-to-get area, if circumstances hadn't dictated otherwise. PPS: I can tell by your line and your eye - you could have made a living if so inclined. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Into eight pages, with precious little RM! Must be a record... A record that must be broken! Hal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Hal. I gave you a like for post 166 for two reasons. First because of your open willingness to share this subject shows friendship. A trouble shared is a trouble halved mate! Second for that very atmospheric picture of the Deltic which makes me want to watch "Get Carter"!! My head is full of that weird music now. (Thanks). Regards Shaun. PS. Have had my own problems with big black dogs in the past. If I ever get a sniff of that devil (which happens from time to time) I takes lots of vitamin D and go do something different, like climb a mountain. Helps put things back into perspective. SHENSTON ROAD. My favourite urban layout. I PMd the thread days ago, asking if I could use some of his images, but I've received no reply. Still, as they are RMweb, it advertises his topic. EDIT: I have permission now. I need to check back on the details which I'll post with the next Sheston image. Hi Shaun, I've always known I can rely on you to say the right thing. I have been very uncomfortable with that post, as the EDITs show. I still am. People are kind enough not to object but I don't doubt there are many who think it's OTT. It would be easy to delete it but thanks to yourself and others, it stays. Now, everyone knows everything. I can always ask new followers to go back to these posts (!!! ) to familiarise themselves. Otherwise, I'm getting more drawn to diesels. 1:1 steam locos will always be my main love, but in model terms I'm finding steam locos just a little bit lacking. The more realistic the background the more obvious the lack of the controlled explosions that a steam loco is. I know I'm virtually alone in this. Way back, when I had a cash rush after selling some Ltd ed. prints, I bought four sound steam locos. At first I enjoyed them, but then found I was using them with the sound off most of the time. I finally realised that the sound underlined the lack of exhaust, etc. I find diesel start-up and sound much better. Someone suggested, on another Topic, that diesels sound tinny. I think that depends to a degree upon where they are heard. They certainly do sound tinny in an exhibition hall with a loud background rumble of folk. My railway-room is about 16'x12' and there is nothing – not even a picture – above baseboard level. Hence there is an echo. As you know, Joan bought me a Bachmann sound 40 for Christmas. (Must have saved all year, bless her) Given the default volume it arrives in, believe me, it sounds decent enough, including the bass. Having said which. Sound is like vision. When viewed from 300' away does a real diesel sound so bass? Whatever the feeling, though, I do operate with sound off most of the time. It is too tiring. But... and everyone will disagree, I still find diesel operation the most realistic overall. Regarding the Black Dog, you are quite right about fresh air and exercise. A brisk walk can blow the cobwebs away and cleanse the mind. I have a neighbour who is bi-polar(sp?) When he is down you can't drag him out of the house. I believe that is common amongst depressives; not me! J Hal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaz Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 In the meantime INTERLUDE 15670822874_17b063bb85_k.jpg 16107087549_cba5ca9028_k.jpg 15670797314_7991962e25_k.jpg Some things I made earlier. Taken with my £199.00 Nikon Coolpix 520 set at automatic. All hand-held and taken very quickly, and it shows! I did post one elsewhere but had the sense to remove it. There is a reason for this. More anon. Hal I think we should have a side topic allowing us to put up our Citadel figures etc. Nice painting technique. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 I think we should have a side topic allowing us to put up our Citadel figures etc. Nice painting technique. Thanks Jaz, I particularly appreciate that from you. If I'd gone on to explain that post, before the current, pathetic Hissy Fit, I was going to explain proper dry-brushing, then raise the idea of a Fantasy Railway: Emit/Hobbit/whatever. I'm really keen on the idea. Otherwise, unless people complain of not enough train, or Followers cease to follow. it's up to the thread owner I think. I think RMweb wouldn't allow a separate category. Bandwidth wasted on such un-publishable types, etc. They are looking for magazine fodder ALL the time, which is understandable. Hal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Todd Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Into eight pages, with precious little RM! Must be a record... A record that must be broken! Hal What !, don't think you will surpass.............Andy P ... even with no grass laid.......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Anotheran Posted January 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 24, 2015 ... then raise the idea of a Fantasy Railway: Emit/Hobbit/whatever. I'm really keen on the idea. Hi Hal, Have you ever seen this one... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/35993-hobbiton-end/ It's got some really nice modelling and hobbits! Kind regards, Neil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Hi Hal, Have you ever seen this one... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/35993-hobbiton-end/ It's got some really nice modelling and hobbits! Kind regards, Neil I have seen it, Neil, and it's really nice. I'f I'm honest I'm thinking of something nasty: slave mines with robotic overseers, and monstrous guards. Very dark. Like i've got time! Hal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Hell's Teeth I'm up to 23! Gotta do something to justify your kindness... Hal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted January 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 24, 2015 Nasty mines, I understand that : http://forum.mtimag.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=714 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Nasty mines, I understand that : http://forum.mtimag.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=714 I really like that, Stu! It's got my head buzzing... Sigh... Can't do everything... It would be good to do SOMEthing! And I am doing something. Simple as it is it's taking longer than I thought.... NeverMINED Don't go there... Hal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaz Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Thanks Jaz, I particularly appreciate that from you. If I'd gone on to explain that post, before the current, pathetic Hissy Fit, I was going to explain proper dry-brushing, then raise the idea of a Fantasy Railway: Emit/Hobbit/whatever. I'm really keen on the idea. Otherwise, unless people complain of not enough train, or Followers cease to follow. it's up to the thread owner I think. I think RMweb wouldn't allow a separate category. Bandwidth wasted on such un-publishable types, etc. They are looking for magazine fodder ALL the time, which is understandable. Hal Your too late an RMwebber has already done one.......Hobbiton end....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Your too late an RMwebber has already done one.......Hobbiton end....... see post #185 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Todd Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I nearly bit! But had a look anyway. There is ALWAYS something to learn, no matter how professionally skilled, talented and described as a genius by one's peers, , etc, etc. Feck! Blue skies and fluffy white clouds :puke: Although my layout is set in the summer, it's been raining for a fortnight and the temperature is unseasonally low, hences smoke is belching out of hundreds of thousands of chimneys, to add to the belching chimneys of industrial Tyneside. So the sky is grey with a dark pall overhead, all to add to the squalor of Byker, Walker and the West End of Newcastle. I was fortunate to be born in Whitley Bay. The coastline was immaculate. Of course I'd been to Newcastle city as a child but it wasn't until I passed the 11+ and went to a Newcastle Grammar school that I became familiar with the areas above. To say they were Dickensian would be kind. But no matter how proud and hard-working the householders were, the filth was encrusted in sooty layers that you could smell. Lovely! Hal. At the age of 11.year's, I would have thought, you would be "oversized", to work in chimney flues. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 At the age of 11.year's, I would have thought, you would be "oversized", to work in chimney flues. Not at at all. I was small, pale, underfed, with blisters on my feet from the enthusiasm-generating glows below. My father said: "Right ye little b#gger, if you have ti go to that fancy school, ye'll have ti work (pronounced walk) ti pay ya train fair!" And so it continued. The priests who taught us weren't bother about my blisters, burns and belt-marks, rather they thought I was being correctly disciplined at home, which was a good thing. Talking of which, I used to dream a lot, about living under the sea, disciplined by a sultry witch called, "Mrs-do-as-you-would-be-done-to." She wore a black basque and stockings, and was surrounded by a school of trained kippers who used to bite my - (more to come) Hal 'o the Water Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaz Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I have seen it, Neil, and it's really nice. I'f I'm honest I'm thinking of something nasty: slave mines with robotic overseers, and monstrous guards. Very dark. Like i've got time! Hal Are you sure your not a secret World of Warcraft player? now wheres that minecart go........... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 "Get behind me, Witch!" I know I said my thread was elastic but that is stretching things too, too far! (The truth is, I wouldn't dare play World of Warcraft. Her Ladyship would never get fed and watered and I'd grow a beard. She hates my beard. It's all black and white patches like a mangey dog. Anyway, we need light and and life in our lives, not her dark poison ) We need a counter image. SHENSTON ROAD SHENSTON ROAD is a layout that inspires me with its meticulous urbanity. Owned by Greg Brookes (D 1047) who built 98% of the stock, and photographed by Paul J who takes the photographs and who was (very!) largely involved with the design and building; it is a masterpiece IM less-than HO. I know it is unusual to post other layouts in one's threads, but this layout inspires me a lot. If you like urban grit - take a look Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 SCOTSWARD ROAD some images to be getting on with. But first, I made the sort of error my default-idiocy is always responsible for, in #166 quote: -But this conversation should end, now. end quote. First off, who am I to dictate what my wonder-filled people post??? Secondly, it's as though "my stuff" was suddenly ended and all was now OK, Of course it isn't, nor will be this side of the grave. My smiley-mask is bound to slip off from time to time, but now I'm very fortunate in having the occasional outlet. Back to the pictures. Over the years I've picked up the odd Skaledale Terrace building, thinking they'd be useful place-keepers, giving me a sense of space, etc. I also thought that a touch of paint might easily make them more acceptable to my eye. What I didn't take into account was the very shallow depth of the brick-moulding; just enough to allow for the simple mortar-wash that is factory applied, but very difficult indeed for detailed painting. Anyway, I experimented with some basic mortar-washes and the results are below. As usual I'll stress these are mock-ups, not final placement, but they do give an idea of place. Personally, I think the washes aren't too bad as they stand; at least they give a sense of distance. The original dark-red is too strong for my liking. What will have to be done is some brick detail followed by painted stone-work, modified windows, plus curtains, etc. Oh, yes, and backyards with coal-houses and privies will need adding. All in all, quite a lot of work for place-keepers! There you go. Nothing to get excited over but might help pass the time till "The First Job" is completed Hal EDIT: The images were a teeny bit over 1mb so it wouldn't take them! The options it took are too small. But Mick has given me viable option for the future, so... EDIT: Nothing like a picture to remind you of your faults. Forgetting the terraces, the corner wall needs painting (nicotine yellow behind some twenty-year-old bookcases) and that nasty strip of Gaugemaster photographic industrial backscene (blue?) needs ripping down. EDIT: Oh, yes, and I hate taking photographs under the layout's fluorescents! They end up flat as a frat! (typo) But the available light is poor, so... ??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornbyandbf3fan Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Are you sure your not a secret World of Warcraft player? now wheres that minecart go........... Not a scratch on my baby And to stop my first contribution to this thread being completely off topic, I really do like the layout, lots of track and proper locos! What more could you want! I'll definitely keep popping in to take a look! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donington Road Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 EDIT: The images were a teeny bit over 1mb so it would't take them! The options it took are too small. One of the main reasons I stick with RMweb is the images. All the other forums do little ones... Now, so does RMweb Hal, try this method of resizing photos before posting them. First download and install this free piece of software, it contains no advertising or unwanted crap and is very small and uses no resources. http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm click on the DOWNLOAD [2.9MB .zip] file and save it. Open the zip file and run the setup.exe file to install. Once installed, open the program to make sure its ok then close again. You now need to make two new folders somewhere in windows explorer so you can remember where they are. I would suggest the following names for the folders to start with so they will stay together in your folder list. Include the numbers. 1 Photos to reduce 2 Photos resized What you do is COPY your original photo file or any number of files (try about 3 or 4 to start with) to the “ 1 Photos to reduce “ folder that you want to be resized. Doing this then keeps your original files safe in the folders you have already stored them in. When you do the resizing operation the resized files will then be stored in the “ 2 Photos resized “ folder. Now open the Pixresizer program. Click on the “Work with multiple files” tab. It does not matter if you are resizing one file or many files, you always use this tab. Click the “Source” button, find the “1 Photos to reduce” folder, highlight it and click OK. Click the “Destination” button, find the “2 Photos resized” folder, highlight it and click OK The program will remember these folders in the future. On the lower right hand side, click to set the buttons for Top Left and Landscape. Under the Select new size, move the slider or double click the number and set it to 1200. This will be the left to right size and the top to bottom will be automatically produced as you are in landscape mode. It is always the longest side of the photo which you are choosing, so in portrait mode you would be setting top to bottom. Choose JPEG under Select file format. Click on Save Pictures Now go in windows explorer to the “2 Photos resized” folder and your reduced files will be there. If you want to try doing other sizes just delete the reduced ones and start again by altering the slider and click Save Pictures. Before you choose another set of files to resize I always delete the ones that you copied to the “1 Photos to reduce” folder, otherwise you will keep reducing the same files over and over. You will still have the originals in their own folders. For your info: a pixel size of 1800x1350 just about fills a 23 inch screen, 1200x900 is about right in my opinion. Photos from a digital camera are usually more pronounced in the landscape mode, i.e., if you set at 1200 they are usually 800 top to bottom. Experiment!, 1500 wide is not a bad size. Posting on RMweb: I always use the Advanced Uploader. That way you can insert the photo then add more text, then add another photo then more text and so on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Hal, try this method of resizing photos before posting them. Mick, You've been so very helpful. (I did check out and follow some of your last list) and I appreciate it more than you can know. I tried for ages getting to grips with Paint but even when I got the size right the copies were so tiny! So then I did what lots do and used Flickr. What happened this time is that "large" was a tiny bit too big, and medium is what you see. Anyway, you thoroughly deserve that I should give yours ago so I will. At 67 last birthday, I get "senior moments" in the ordinary world - and I've never been PC savvy as is obvious, but your instructions are very simple, so... I promise I'll stick with it till I've got it! Regards, Hal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL 'O THE WYND Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Not a scratch on my baby shot_012.jpg And to stop my first contribution to this thread being completely off topic, I really do like the layout, lots of track and proper locos! What more could you want! I'll definitely keep popping in to take a look! You are very welcome any time. It's great to have some youthful input! Also, if I did play a game it would be Battle, or one of the warplane options - both worlds I'm more familiar with! Cheers, Hal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornbyandbf3fan Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 You are very welcome any time. It's great to have some youthful input! Also, if I did play a game it would be Battle, or one of the warplane options - both worlds I'm more familiar with! Cheers, Hal Thanks and World of Tanks is a lot of fun Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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