Time to beef up yard security and head to the paint shop!
- Thread starter Ralph
- Start date
F
Fred_M
Ralph, from what I have seen in the photos that 3-phase pointed out. You have a real good start. Keep up the good work!
Ralph: do prototype grafitti artists have practice cars?
Yours look as horrible as some I've seen.
Yours look as horrible as some I've seen.
I dunno, Ralph, normally I use decals but I'm gonna give them pens a whirl based on your results. :thumb:
Ralph excellent representation of graffitti, are you sure you werent a tagger in a former life? 
Pat
Pat
Talent like that does not happen over night
Looks good to me Ralph!!! One of the reasons I sometimes wish I were modelling modern.
3phase, those are great links! Thanks for posting.
Val
3phase, those are great links! Thanks for posting.
Val
Looks great Ralph. Try this link, you can make all the graffitti you want.
http://www.mindgem.nu/graffiti.html Jim :thumb:
I agree, the work there looks realistic. :thumb:
Personal rant, unrelated to the quality of modelling above...
I won't model graffitti (not really a problem in my transition age era, but if I were doing modern...). I live in what was a fairly rural and conservative area. In the last 20 or so years, a non-English speaking element has moved into the area in record numbers, bringing with it a lot of crime, visual decline of the city and, yep, graffitti. Graffitti is something I never saw before unless I travelled to Philadelphia or some other metropolitan area. To me, it's ugliness and a barometer of the decline my locale is experiencing. It's a bit too much realism to carry over into "the world I play God in", my modelling. Since I have ultimate power over my fantasy world, graffitti doesn't exist.
I love weathered cars, but can't get excited about graffitti. However, I can appreciate the modelling workmanship it took to create the above (anybody can just buy decals).
Personal rant, unrelated to the quality of modelling above...
I won't model graffitti (not really a problem in my transition age era, but if I were doing modern...). I live in what was a fairly rural and conservative area. In the last 20 or so years, a non-English speaking element has moved into the area in record numbers, bringing with it a lot of crime, visual decline of the city and, yep, graffitti. Graffitti is something I never saw before unless I travelled to Philadelphia or some other metropolitan area. To me, it's ugliness and a barometer of the decline my locale is experiencing. It's a bit too much realism to carry over into "the world I play God in", my modelling. Since I have ultimate power over my fantasy world, graffitti doesn't exist.
I love weathered cars, but can't get excited about graffitti. However, I can appreciate the modelling workmanship it took to create the above (anybody can just buy decals).
Thanks for the compliments everyone. I realize that grafitti isn't for everyone and yes, in the real world it does tend to suggest a deterioration of society in a way. No matter how artistic it may be its still vandalism. Nevertheless, the era I model and my memories of scenes as a kid in the 70's make marked up freight cars a part of the overall presentation. I only plan to "tag" a smattering of cars and building sides so as not to overdo it and depress anyone visiting the railroad. Thanks to those who provided links and photos of real world grafitti as a reference. As for the gel pens, I recommend them except to say I wish I could find one with a finer line for edging.
Keep those cars rolling, clean or marked!
Ralph
Thanks to those who provided links and photos of real world grafitti as a reference. As for the gel pens, I recommend them except to say I wish I could find one with a finer line for edging.Keep those cars rolling, clean or marked!
Ralph
Ralph said:
That's one of two reasons why I do it on mine. While it is vandalism, some of it is quite striking. As I grew up around it in Baltimore, it's a scenic element that's hard not to include. The other reason I do it is that it's the "hook" that gets a younger generation to take "playing with trains" a little more seriously. Just as hobo signs and steam whistles appeal to those older ones among us because it's what we grew up with, graffitti and five chime Lesly air horns are what they've grown up with. It's a element of everyday railroading that they can relate to. Who knows, maybe seeing good model work "marred" by an LPB tagger as it makes its rounds on a layout might bring some perspective to a real life tagger and the effect their work has. One can always hope...
The grafitti debate pops up every once in awhile. It definitely is a symbol of urban decay, but then again so is rust, junk, busted skids and all that other stuff we try so hard to emulate. If I were modelling modern I would have to have grafitti, but that's just my personal taste. As someone who teaches about such things as "found typography" for a living I look at grafitti as a cool art form.
But the most important thing is that a model railroad is your fantasy world, a place to get away to - and as such, no one can tell you how it should look.
Val
But the most important thing is that a model railroad is your fantasy world, a place to get away to - and as such, no one can tell you how it should look.
Val
Ralf,
I think it may be time to put a police station on your RR. they might just catch the grafitti tagger thats (decorating you cars and buildings) make the fines high, and you can get that new ????? what ever you want....
Good job, well done:thumb: :thumb: :thumb: ....have a good one...steve
I think it may be time to put a police station on your RR. they might just catch the grafitti tagger thats (decorating you cars and buildings) make the fines high, and you can get that new ????? what ever you want....
Good job, well done:thumb: :thumb: :thumb: ....have a good one...steve