Hi everyone!
This is the second small diorama I've ever done and I got a LOT of tips from this forum. Some of you may have seen my P-51 sans base when I posted it in the Aircraft section.
The tarmac part is sandpaper which I painted grey. I smudged a bunch of stuff on it to try to give it a very worn look. I used graphite, India ink, pastels, and dirty thinner to simulate stains and spills. For the seams I used Elmers glue mixed with a bit of Poly Scale black and applied with a fine point brush.
The groundwork is, well, ground. I got a bunch of it when they turned the field next to my house (where I used to do my RC flying) into a subdivision. I ran the dirt through a strainer then poured it into a mixture of water and white glue. The grass is the kind used in model railroad scenery and where you might see some lighter earth peeking through is, in fact, Nestle's hot chocolate powder mix. I was truly amazed at how closely this replicated the look of a picture of a similar setting I found in one of my reference books.
Anywho, I wanted to thank everyone in the forum for sharing their creativity which helped me make a nice little "snapshot" diorama. This one is going to my dad for Father's Day/his birthday in June.
Best wishes to all,
Eric