My Shadowbox Background Project
- Thread starter euromomtx
- Start date
euromomtx
New member
I was thinking of getting one of these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBh6FyDpFS0&feature=player_embedded
But this thing is really cool too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBh6FyDpFS0&feature=player_embedded
euromomtx
New member
Sharpie I think you are right on. I'd have to use a brush because unless you have very defined lines the things look more like clouds than ripples and even if I paint them with a brush the whole thing will be diffused by the steel-wooled acrylic, probably softening it too much to look good.
Good point. Thanks!
Good point. Thanks!
euromomtx
New member
couple of pics from today:
new hardboard painted and fake rocks in place
blue acrylic in front:
not sure that I like the rocks. I may simplify even further and just go without rocks...
Or paint rocks onto the background
Or switch from blue acrylic to clear but heavier frosted...
Not sure
new hardboard painted and fake rocks in place
blue acrylic in front:
not sure that I like the rocks. I may simplify even further and just go without rocks...
Or paint rocks onto the background
Or switch from blue acrylic to clear but heavier frosted...
Not sure
euromomtx
New member
Ah see the reason I have time to mess with this is that I am still waiting on my tank!
It should arrive in the next couple of weeks though.
It's a 215g eurobraced tank. Dimensions are 72"x24"29".
There will be a 7" DSB for a small colony of jawfish. It will have a Caribbean theme with tons of gorgonians swaying in the Vortech wave.
Really since gorgos tend to take up a lot of space and show such wonderful movement I may be overthinking the background thing and just a plain back-lit background might be just fine.
I am using dry rock as my rock and bolted the main pieces together already. There will be some small adjustments so all three structures won't be the same height and of course the size of the gorgonians will fill it up quite a bit.
Here's a pictures of the (still to be refined) rockscape:
I might not be able to recreate that wonderful background from the first post but I already like this better than the typical black painted look expecially after reading Fatherree's info on backgrounds affecting light in reef aquariums.
I'll know more tomorrow when the light gets here since I assume it will change how things look a lot. I can make adjustments from there...
It should arrive in the next couple of weeks though.
It's a 215g eurobraced tank. Dimensions are 72"x24"29".
There will be a 7" DSB for a small colony of jawfish. It will have a Caribbean theme with tons of gorgonians swaying in the Vortech wave.
Really since gorgos tend to take up a lot of space and show such wonderful movement I may be overthinking the background thing and just a plain back-lit background might be just fine.
I am using dry rock as my rock and bolted the main pieces together already. There will be some small adjustments so all three structures won't be the same height and of course the size of the gorgonians will fill it up quite a bit.
Here's a pictures of the (still to be refined) rockscape:
I might not be able to recreate that wonderful background from the first post but I already like this better than the typical black painted look expecially after reading Fatherree's info on backgrounds affecting light in reef aquariums.
I'll know more tomorrow when the light gets here since I assume it will change how things look a lot. I can make adjustments from there...
) that I will be setting up and stocking soon and I love the look of that rock.
kcress
New member
Yeah those rocks were heinous.. LOL These now.. They look great!
May I suggest that you just shot them with a camera. White background. If the white matches the actual white background you can then just print out nice color prints and mount them to the back ground. Because it's all through the scratched blue the photo qualities can be horrid and still do the trick perfectly. Then you can blow up or reduce the shots at will until you have exactly what you want.
This would also allow easy future modifications. Just change the pictures. You can even use pictures you find on the web.
If you really need a big picture you can take a USB key drive to your local printing service bureau and they will spew you out a picture any size you want. It can be on plain paper even. It doesn't have to be glossy photo paper since, again, the blue scratch deliberately hides all the detail.
FedEx Kinko's type places can even do it.
May I suggest that you just shot them with a camera. White background. If the white matches the actual white background you can then just print out nice color prints and mount them to the back ground. Because it's all through the scratched blue the photo qualities can be horrid and still do the trick perfectly. Then you can blow up or reduce the shots at will until you have exactly what you want.
This would also allow easy future modifications. Just change the pictures. You can even use pictures you find on the web.
If you really need a big picture you can take a USB key drive to your local printing service bureau and they will spew you out a picture any size you want. It can be on plain paper even. It doesn't have to be glossy photo paper since, again, the blue scratch deliberately hides all the detail.
FedEx Kinko's type places can even do it.
NanoReefWanabe
Active member
i dont think you are going to get a feel for the actual effect until you view it through 24" of water...cause the water and the refraction of the water will diffuse the look even more...
i think you have to try to emulate a silhouette on the front of the box rather then a picture stuck to the back of it...i think the colour you have for your background looks perfect though...
i think you have to try to emulate a silhouette on the front of the box rather then a picture stuck to the back of it...i think the colour you have for your background looks perfect though...
euromomtx
New member
I took the ugly fake rocks out and -voila-lovely background. I can always add something later on when the tank is set up from the top but for right now I am just going for 'deep' looking background without any rocks/pics/etc.
My dry rock is pukani. BulkreefSupply calls it Pukani. Marcos Rocks calls it Signature Fiji.
But you'd find it as Pukani online if both of those are out of it.
TOMORROW: Light!
My dry rock is pukani. BulkreefSupply calls it Pukani. Marcos Rocks calls it Signature Fiji.
But you'd find it as Pukani online if both of those are out of it.
TOMORROW: Light!
euromomtx
New member
lights on!
blue bulb:
white bulb:
feeling kind of silly for trying so hard to paint gradient since the light is so adjustable thanks to the bulb mounted reflector.
I'll repaint the board tomorrow -again- in the solid color I now have towards the bottom (Krylon Bahama Sea).
I am actually liking the white bulb really well -shows of the greenish blue of the bahama sea better...
blue bulb:
white bulb:
feeling kind of silly for trying so hard to paint gradient since the light is so adjustable thanks to the bulb mounted reflector.
I'll repaint the board tomorrow -again- in the solid color I now have towards the bottom (Krylon Bahama Sea).
I am actually liking the white bulb really well -shows of the greenish blue of the bahama sea better...
stugray
Premium Member
But this thing is really cool too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBh6FyDpFS0&feature=player_embedded
OK, now I am really tired of other people doing my inventions before I get around to it! Oh, that might be because I am really slow ;-)
Since I saw the robo pool cleaner, I thought of that very thing, but my idea has even more cool features.
Stu
Last edited:
usefulidiot213
Bryan H.
This is pretty cool :thumbsup:
kcress
New member
lights on!
blue bulb:
white bulb:
feeling kind of silly for trying so hard to paint gradient since the light is so adjustable thanks to the bulb mounted reflector.
I'll repaint the board tomorrow -again- in the solid color I now have towards the bottom (Krylon Bahama Sea).
I am actually liking the white bulb really well -shows of the greenish blue of the bahama sea better...
Me too. Looks really good. Believable too.
Mr Coffee
New member
Wow and this could actually go between a bean style overflow. That would be pretty amazing. VERY COOL design.
I like this look a whole lot. Could you some how get frags in there.... or a RDSB and a Frag setup? IE you could have a skinny acrylic tank back there with a RDSB and a frag setup but having the frosted blue would give you the depth that you were looking for. You could also make it be a part of your overflow. OK perhaps this is a little more involved than you were looking for but would be a truly interesting idea. Kudos on the start. You could have the overflow on the main tank be a coast to coast at an angle using just one piece of glass. Ok not all of my ideas are good ones but I do like your look a lot. Good luck I think it will turn out very nice.
I like this look a whole lot. Could you some how get frags in there.... or a RDSB and a Frag setup? IE you could have a skinny acrylic tank back there with a RDSB and a frag setup but having the frosted blue would give you the depth that you were looking for. You could also make it be a part of your overflow. OK perhaps this is a little more involved than you were looking for but would be a truly interesting idea. Kudos on the start. You could have the overflow on the main tank be a coast to coast at an angle using just one piece of glass. Ok not all of my ideas are good ones but I do like your look a lot. Good luck I think it will turn out very nice.
euromomtx
New member
Thanks. Yes that might be a little more involved than I wanted.
I am posting my trial and error stuff though with the intent that somebody may use a few things from it and create their totally own idea.
If so I'd totally welcome anybody posting their interpretation of a shadowbox to this thread!
Today it was raining all day so I cut out some random shapes of my hardboard remnants.
Can't paint them yet because of the rain of course but I do like the shapes:
I am posting my trial and error stuff though with the intent that somebody may use a few things from it and create their totally own idea.
If so I'd totally welcome anybody posting their interpretation of a shadowbox to this thread!
Today it was raining all day so I cut out some random shapes of my hardboard remnants.
Can't paint them yet because of the rain of course but I do like the shapes:
::PixelFish::
New member
That looks really good. Can't wait to see the end result.
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