This is my preserved Milkweed Beetle that I staged for a focus stacking session. The experiment was to see if I could create a gradient pastel background using an Android Tablet placed behind the subject and this is the result as my first attempt.

I started with an Android Tablet that I seldom use anymore and created a gradient pattern using a paint program by smearing colors and blending them and saving the result as a JPEG image.

I staged the Milkweed Beetle and setup the camera with a reversed 28mm enlarger lens and I placed the Android Tablet behind the stage. It was a pain-in-the-butt getting the tablet to stand up and find the right angle and hoping that the screen did not "sleep" in the middle of the 20-minutes of camera shooting.

I found the result to be encouraging and I've learned a bit about the choice of colors and the depth of hue to use the next time.

As always, thanks in advance to all who view and for your comments, suggestions, questions and critique.