How I build Dioramas part 2.

I will build up in wood the small upper attic window which was probably used for ventilation more than anything else.Small sloping roof rooms on the upper floors were also common in those days.I will shutter the window or board it up,there will be no glass to attract the viewers eye.
These walls look much more natural if you don't attempt to make them too perfect.A queen's castle is something different but for your ordinary turn of the century building you may have to even force yourself to screw it up just a little here and there to give it an increased sense of authenticity.
Example. The bricked up window has very subtle errors built into it like the slightly different horizontal level between the stone and brick wall.
The key here is be be very subtle about it so that it does not immediately attract the viewers eye(like in the deliberately distorted pic above) however, could be picked up after a thorough look at the main subject,which in this case happens to be an airplane but it could be a car,train or whatever the main subject of the piece happens to be.

The uneven blotchy color is only the first thin coat of paint that I put on to get rid of the stark white of the paper.If not covered now it will stick out like a sore thumb and will be almost impossible to cover later if accidentally touched with glue.This light gray color can at least be easily worked into the overall stone color of the wall which will eventually become the lightest color stone on the finished wall.The variety in shades on the individual stones happens automatically when using very watery acrylic paint ,as the pigment tends to settle to the bottom as you are using it over a period of time.

I build two types of dioramas ones that physically exist in museums and ones that exist in pictures only.The second type is a lot like a film or stage play where you build and bring all the components together and record the images as they once existed in the composition.You still get to make all the parts ,scratch or otherwise ,which is really the most fun in model making,but it is really the composition of these parts that tell the story.In fact when finished I often like the pictures of the piece more than the actual model.It is a lot of fun playing with the lighting,camera angles etc...doing all the things that movie directors get to do but on a small scale.An added bonus is that you still get to keep your models and display them the way you want.One nice idea would be to display your model with pictures of it in its original diorama setting.

I have made up a series of pics on how to repair a crack when landscaping a vignette or diorama.They are pretty much self explanatory and can be found by clicking on the thumbnail.
If at any time you feel that there is something that you don't understand or the pics are not clear enough please feel free to stop me and ask any questions on the" how to..s" of diorama building.If I don't have the answer I will try to find it for you.

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/non-wwi-aviation/53033-bleriot-peregrine-wip.html

A Temporary Detour !
The mayor portion of this build is now behind me(the creative ,fun stuff) and whats left of the summer weather is going fast so I plan to make a short detour into something different and work on my Peregrine/Bleriot sculpture for awhile.Finishing the Backyard Flyer will be reserved for the rainy days but I need some sun for awhile.
If anyone is interested this thread can be found temporarily at the above address.Basically it is a mix of woodcarving and modeling techniques.

My girlfriend just asked if that was a real house!

Attention to detail along with realistic textures, colors and construction will make the museum proud to display your work John!

Thanks for posting, been a while sense I looked. Always impressed!

Just for fun I put all 5 modules together to take a few forced perspective pics of various subjects. I enjoy playing around with the camera using the facade as a backdrop.None of the models depicted are finished they are here for composition purposes only.

Truro N.S. ! wow we used to stop there on the train coming back from St FX  and load up on booze for the train journey home.Those were the days ! Thanks for your kind comments, Cheers ! John.

The following is a great free online book for novice diorama builders.The author Ken Hamilton has kindly OK'd it to be published here.This book is now out of print.Thanks Ken.Cheers! John.

http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/mercman51/DIO%20Book/

Meanwhile the leaf arrangement continues as it is still raining a lot here in my area of the GWN.

I originally thought that this would be a Spring scene but with all the leaves it looks more like Fall.Leaves that have spent the Winter under snow are more compacted come Springtime.I have noticed that just before the first snowfall gardeners tend to dig up the old flowers and vegy gardens so that would explain the bare ground.Some small bushes and the grass can stay quite green right up until the first snowfall.The only thing that I really need to change are the sprouting tulip bulbs.
This change of seasons will also give me much more room for decorating and weathering the whole scene with leaves on the roof and gutters etc.....

As far as the storyline is concerned,Spring was a nice statement about the renewal of life but Fall would work just as well as a story of the end of something.Those last few days before the first snowfall in Canada can be quite dramatic as it seems that nature just stands still for a moment in time waiting for the onslaught.
A walk in the forest at this time of year is an unforgettable experience here in the GWN.

I recently read in the local newspaper that a large RR diorama (layout) here in Montreal is being forced to find a new home.The problem is there never was any plans made for this eventuality and there is no way to take it apart.
So another huge piece of modeling history will now end up in the garbage due to poor planning.
I see this often too on an individual level.Guys take a lifetime to build layouts that can't be moved and are just too big for most homes.Some of these are really little works of art that deserve a better fate. Someday they will probably be highly sought after by collectors ,hobbyists and museums ( after most have already been tossed in the garbage) as examples of our brief historical era of modeling will then be quite rare.
If you care about the fate of your stuff and I think most of us do,give a little thought about the future and do your stuff in modular sections or even a series of mini-dioramas that can easily be taken apart.I don't know how many times I have overheard the RR guys at the local hobby store talking about this very subject in very sad tones of too bad about this guys layout and what a shame about that guys layout when a little pre-planning may have made all the difference.Modules are really the modern way to go now if you care about the future of your stuff.

Sticking leaves to a flat surface where you don't want to use spray alcohol because of its effect on the acrylic paint has to be approached a little differently.
I use straight white glue put on with a small brush,sprinkle the leaves on and blow off any excess.Subsequent areas that require more leaves can be built up using an eyedropper for the alcohol and then the usual water/glue mix .
Take a look at the normal patterns in nature created by the wind and rain and vary your leaf patterns accordingly.

More on modules.

A few posts ago I mentioned something about building layouts and large dioramas using modules.
I was back in the same hobby store yesterday and made some more inquiries .Evidently,they had two scales on display there "N" (very small scale) and "H" (larger).Someone had the foresight to do the "N" scale in modules and they moved it out in a single morning.Unfortunately the "H" scale will have to be busted up.They are going to try to preserve portions of it if they can.
With all the modern electrical fixtures ,quick dis-connects etc... there should be no excuse for this in the future.With a little planning in the beginning this hassle could have been avoided .
On a more personal level I am sure that a lot of families would love to be spared the agony of putting Uncle Joe's or Grandpa Jim's layout in the garbage because it is just too big and difficult to move.A lot of these decisions have to be made quickly at a very bad time in people's lives and some very fine work and in some cases real artwork is lost forever.
Modules could be built as separate dioramas each with its own little story and complete scene that when put together makes for an even bigger story.
Take nice overall pics of the huge layout as it once was and then create a picture book for your each modular section that could go with it to its new home.Even museums could make a very nice display of your work and put it in context for the viewer without have to find space for the whole thing.
Maybe it is because I am going on 71 now and these things have become more important to me.We all get old some day and faster than you think,believe me.This may not be important to you now but maybe someday it will.Do your family a favor and plan ahead.
Someday layouts will be as rare as old baseball cards are today and probably just as valuable.Lets face it we are in the golden age of modeling when old farts like me are realizing their boyhood dreams and have the money to do so.What I could buy with my allowance as a kid is history now.Times change rapidly today and a lot of stuff competes for our attention and money.

Personally I don't do large layouts but I do large aircraft dioramas in modular form and donate them to Canada Aviation Museum.Even if there comes a time that that they no longer want them chances are the airplane models themselves will survive as historical examples or maybe in a future collectors home.I feel good to at least have given my stuff a survival plan.
Nothing is forever but humans have since ancient times loved models of all kinds and probably will continue to do so.Kids never change and future imaginations will thank you for it and so will the memories of future older folk too .