Garden Railroad: Movie Magic

For Phipps Conservatory’s Garden Railroad: Movie Magic, miniature backdrops were created to transform tiny train scenes into cinematic worlds. Each backdrop was created as a hand-drawn illustration made with colored pencil on Tyvek paper, a material chosen for its durability, flexibility, and resistance to moisture. The drawings depicted movie-set environments, such as a spaceship in outer space, a blue sky with white puffy clouds, a deserted island with a pirate ship in the distance and more. Once completed, the illustrations were installed within miniature movie sets, where they functioned like classic studio backdrops. The result was an immersive experience in which trains traveled through a film-inspired landscape.