Layout Sky, Moon or Stars

Well, you could get some glow paint to paint on some starts.  The best on the market is europium water based paint sold through united nuclear scientific supplies.

Doug Murphy posted:

A recent thread on firework displays, projectors made me think again about improving the blue banquet tablecloth that makes up most of my layout 'sky.'  Do you have any ideas to enhance the illusion of being in the 'top left-hand corner of Wales?'

Do you mean up by Newgale or Haverfordwest?  

The best illusion I have seen was a ceramic village display at one of the local garden centers.  It had a very dark blue flat finish background with a few small stars that seem to be painted on with a pearl white paint.

There was a video of night operations on an HO layout I saw sometime back done with blue LEDs but it didn't cut it.

Lou N  

A theater/tv technique is to use scrim. I don't know if it's available in dark blue. You can get in black. On the ceiling and perhaps hanging down and attached to the layout edge. Small lights behind it. One can project light behind it or on to it. It's available in opaque or transparent. Use gobos, filters, patterns

Anyway, theatrical lighting techniques. You'll have be serious...saying theatrical is like saying marine when talking about parts and supplies...it automatically triples the cost. 

pennytrains posted:

Well, you could get some glow paint to paint on some starts.  The best on the market is europium water based paint sold through united nuclear scientific supplies.

I use europium water to clean my cast unobtanium trains.

Thank you all for sharing your wisdom. Thinking theatrically is good. Paint and scrim... That would be Llaniog and Grumbly Town, Lou. . .  

Doug Murphy posted:

Thank you all for sharing your wisdom. Thinking theatrically is good. Paint and scrim... That would be Llaniog and Grumbly Town, Lou. . .  

I was a bit further south.  What beautiful countryside.  I had the opportunity to visit Peter Jones in Simpson Cross to see his Compton Down 16mm Railway in his back yard. 

Regards,

Lou

Yes, Mark. Ivor the Engine (a former Lionel Percy) lives!

I use light blue seamless paper from a photo shop. You can get it in long rolls. I airbrush clouds right on the paper. I'm going to put LED strip flexible lights all around and just behind my mountains. I can change from red, to orange or any other combination with a remote. These lights are very cheap and work great. They can be cut to almost any length. Don