A report from inspiration point

I like thinking and visualizing abut how things are going to look. I consider myself an artist. After all, I went to art school for four years and spent most of my life as a graphic designer, either in a proper paid job or as the creator of The Micro Model Railway Dispatch. I think I’m able to look and see, and feel what’s right and what’s wrong in my work and what’s needed. When I place the layout on “inspiration point” and analyze it, that’s a great deal of fun for me, almost as much fun as looking at the finished layout.
Case in point, (and a pretty important point it my mind), is the exit to the fiddle yard on the right hand side. I outlined what I was thinking about in the previous video update. A “soft” foliage exit to contrast the hard building exit at the other end. 
I’ve studied and experienced the Plymouth industrial park for almost a quarter of a century,  from when I first arrived in Minnesota. To that extent, I really have a definite opinion on what I’m after with lush, green trees hiding and obstructing the view of the train as it enters the scene. These pictures show what I mean. The purpose is to entice the viewer into the scene, so that you lose sight of the small size of the layout. Peeking through and around the foliage. Like you’re there.

There you have it, I have a most definite vision in my mind’s eye of what I want to achieve. When you’re that convinced in your idea. It can be quite easy to visualize it. Visualizing is just getting the feel for what you want to achieve. I looked out some old dried twigs, and a big bag of lichen I had picked in the mountains of Oregon, that I had been using to experiment with tree construction, to see if I could get a feel for what I could see in my minds eye. Co-incidentally, the twigs actually came from a dead plant of some description lining the railroad tracks at Plymouth industrial park itself. After a little playing with the twig and lichen a “feel” started to coalesce out of the items.

Bingo! It certainly creates the feel I‘m after. I know I’m on to something here. Perhaps with a little strategic cutting and chopping, that twig might make a good basis for the trees here, otherwise it’s off to the electrical cable for the tried and tested tree construction method. 

Comments

Post a Comment