How I Build Dioramas(step-by-step)

The rear door/WC/coal bin module cont.........
-I have now sheathed and painted all the interior walls and doors of this module.I have built the coal bin which I plan to stock with kitty litter(if my cat will let me have some) I guess that I will have to build another liner,fill it with litter,glue it and spray paint it black(any other ideas?) There is a small opening in the bottom for a shovel and an opening to the outside for a chute.
The interior of the module is thinly painted with Titanium white(light beige) and the door pine green,allowing some wood grain to show through. I find that this washed effect looks the best when using acrylics and is very easy to weather.. I still havent found a facility(whitefaced bowl) for the WC. Maybe this will be the first one ever to be scratchbuilt for a diorama.
Now its on to the exterior board and batten sheathing,making the roof,doors and windows.This is going a little slow as I cant stand sheathing for too long a time and tend to goof off doing other things. Cheers! John.

Hi Guys! I am still working on the rear door module and about to start the roof.I sure will be glad to get back to building the Jenny itself after all this other stuff.I have about 90% of the first  Jenny, a  Jenny Canuck, finished.The 2nd Jenny ,the basketcase JN4D,I will build this coming Winter.The plan right now is to have it being stripped down to supply parts for the Canuck.Some parts will therefore be missing,in the workshop or in storage.I plan to have the major wing and tail surfaces in various states of disrepair but still recognizable as coming from a JN4D as one of my purposes in doing this diorama was to show the various differences between the 2 versions.The Canuck is a barnstormer and the JN4D ex-military.I plan to have a lot of fun weathering the old JN4D with faded colors and torn fabric.The museum plans to use this diorama for educational purposes so the more interesting I can make it the better.

While the ARC forums are down,if anyone here was following the story of the re-build of the Travel Air D4D back in the 1960s I have now continued it over on;

http://www.largescaleplanes.com

go to Forums,.then Off Topic and you will find it there.
Cheers! John.
 

How do I post pics here on this forum?
Cheers! John.

Well today I went back to furnishing the workshop.I have already built some shelves and benches.Now I would like to build a nice old laminated woodcarvers table,with a prop in a vice,receiving the last few coats of varnish.A friend sent me a pic of a full scale diorama depicting this,that he saw in a museum in Europe.I like the idea of a woodworkers workshop,so I will leave the engine rebuilding out on the hangar floor where most of it was usually done anyway.Most of the tools I have purchased from the local hobby store that carries doll house accessories.Although they are intended to be used as 1/12th scale,the tools that I buy can come in all sizes so that is not a problem(ie:screwdrivers,wrenches etc..)The ones that I can't buy I will make.
I will stock the shelves with various aircraft parts that I haven't used from other projects or that I wont be using from the 2nd Jenny.The roof of the workshop will be left off so that the workshop floor can be seen  through the viewing hole in the roof.There are also windows all around for viewing both from the outside and from the interior.I think that I would rather spend my time doing this,rather than a WC that can hardly be seen at all.I plan to obscure the windows with a whitewash for privacy so you can't see inside at all.Problem solved.
Cheers! John.

This is the workshop from inside the hangar

pic

I still cant figure out how to post pics here.So if you want to see pics go to the Scale Auto site,click on Dioramas.
Cheers! John.

An internet friend of mine sent me a great picture of a 1:1 scale museum diorama depicting a workshop where a propeller is on the workbench.I have decided that this idea would look great in my Jenny diorama.I already have an extra propeller that I made when I was experimenting with colored glues between the laminations of wood.Generally I use various species of wood to get the layered effect but in photos I have of the Jenny prop, it is all one color wood, with only a very narrow glue line.It creates a very interesting pattern on the finished prop that I want to maintain.
The workworkers workbench is a nice varnished woodcolor that has been weathered to show its age.I started by laminating some 1/4X1/4 pine strips together.Use pine that has a subtle grain patern so that it won't be overscale.I used ordinary carpenters glue. I want a nice varnished look so I finished the sanded slab with Tung-Teak oil.Laquer will not give the same effect and oil will get a great patina over time.The workbench legs were made with the same material and nailed and glued to the tabletop slab using those black railway nails that the RR modelers used for the laying of tracks.They make nice represenations of lag bolts.
While the glue was drying ,I made up the entrance door for the rear entrance module.I generally save all the pieces of foamboard from the cutouts I make and use these as the core.I first frame in the door opening and fit in the foamboard.If the door is to be left open or partially open, I reduce the foamboard as required and glue 1mm stripes all around the outside perimeter of the door, and carefully fit the door to the opening.If the door contains a window I follow the same procedure.Then I sheath the door on both sides using narrow width stir stiks,sand,paint and weather. to be cont......
Cheers! John.

The workbench in the workshop is pretty much finished now.Ihave added a couple of wood vices at each end.I weathered it using pastels and they work very well, even over the oil finish.I also added a couple of carpenters type vices.One to hold the end of the prop in position and the other is stored under the table.
I picked up a wood lathe cast in metal from a doll house manufacturer.It is quite crude with lots of flash but with my trusty file I was able to take care of that.Once it is cleaned up and painted it should be quite convincing.The cast parts are normally sealed with a 1/3rd laquer thinner, mixed with 2/3rds laquer base.Over that I put gesso and then acrylic paint.I used the same type lathe in the Albatros diorama for making metal parts, but this time it will be a woodturners type lathe.
Next ,its on to the furnishings and decorations in the workshop.The lunch table idea has been scraped for lack of space.Maybe I can make room in the office.
Cheers! John.

Today I searched the house looking for the right size cardboard or plastic box in order to make a large toolbox for the workshop . I use a premade cardboard box as a structure to build the wood around as it is much easier this way.It is a fairly large box, that will stand on end ,with the tools hanging inside.The inside will be varnished wood and the outside painted grey and weathered.I have also selected a few other boxes as shipping crates for the hangar floor.The rest I will make.
The small toolboxes will be solid hardwood painted to look like metal.Various size wood pieces will be used to make smaller wood boxes for nails,screws etc...Fire pails filled with sand will be hung at various places in the shop and in the hangar(maybe with a few squished cigarette butts) I dont  use any loose material such as sand in reality, as if there was am acciden it could be disasterous.What I do is glue a thin layer of sifted sand to thin plywood with carpenters glue, and then blow off the excess .If I want more shape in the sand I glue it to preformed foam.
Cheers! John.

For pics of this project see the Scale Auto Forum.

Yesterday I continued to furnish the workshop module,building the carpenters cabinet complete with carving tools.I sealed it with my standard 2/3 laquer 1/3 thinner mix and painted it with acrylics.The tools were made using model ship parts for the handles.Belaying pins ,parts of ballistrades make excell ent handles.In fact there are many shipbuilding parts that with a little imagination can be used in a diorama.I am familiar with these parts as that is where I started in modeling.Also take a look for small wooden parts in craft stores.I adapted what was a bottle into a nice carvers mallet with a little shaping.They even make wooden water and oils barrells that fit nicely into this scale.I use the metal ends of pencils for small oil or paint cans.Next to the woodlathe I made a storage place for  the woodlathe tools.
I was in a store the other day and picked up some nice small,brass Christmas bells that I will be using as light shades for the hangar.They are the same ones that you see in the Albatros hangar.I sand down the bottom part of the bell to make it look more like a light shade.Drill a hole in the top and using brass tubing and a RR light type assembly and a transformer, I have a cheap lighting system.The problem I have had with this system is an easy way to change the bulbs.I will have to re-design it somehow now that it it going to a museum where they will have to be changed on a regular basis.
Cheers! John.

The workshop cont.....
I made a couple of metal boxes out of hard wood.First I cut the wood to size and sanded it very smooth,then  sealed it with a couple of coats of a 2/3 laquer and 1/3 thinner mix.Over this I put a couple of coats of white gesso.The acrylic paint comes next.Here I used  liquitex Iridescent Silver mixed with a dab of black gesso to achieve a sort of gun metal effect.Here you can experiment with various amounts of black gesso to get gunmetal,tin or a steel  patina.For something a little different I took some copper tape that I have and wrapped it around the area where the lid would be and painted it but let some of the copper show through for a nice effect.In then used grey and black pastels for weathering.
I also experimented with making a earthenware or clay pot out of wood.First I shaped a piece of hardwood as required .Then it got the laquer-gesso treatment.The white gesso is put on in multiple coats until the surface has a chauky clay looking appearance.Then I take some Jo Sonja Nimbus Grey which dries flat and painted on a couple of coats.(In replacement of nimbus grey you could mix a little black gesso into the white gesso and then add a touch of raw umber to warm it up)I then weathered the pot using grey and black pastels.
Cheers! John.
For pics see the scale auto forum

Sorry guys,I cant seem to import the latest text or pics from the scaleautomag website over to this site.If you want to read the latest on this build  see   http://www.scaleautomag.com
Cheers! John.

Jeez! what do you know.I finally managed to put up a couple of pics over on the Aircraft Forum.
Cheers! John.

The WOW! factor.

Why do some artists strive for it? Why are we all affected when we see it?
What is the WOW factor? It is that little subtle extra something that grabs our attention in a very understated way and makes us go, Wow!
Wow, I really like that, or wow, I didnt see that before, or wow why didnt I think of that?

It is that little something that guilds the lily so to speak.It doesnt take hours and hours of work to accomplish .The power of observation and your personal creativity is all your need.It can be fleeting and sometimes extremely hard to capture, at other times it can just fall into our laps out of nowhere.
Let me explain.
When I was actively carving decortive birds, I used to attend a show in Ocean City Maryland, where carvers from all over the world would compete for awards and display their decorative birds.It was always an exciting time where a lot of creative ideas were exchanged.There was always lots to see and a great opportunity to "fill the well" with creative images.However ,every once in a while someone would show up with an idea that would just blow everyone away.People would talk about it for days and it would go through the creative community like wildfire.At the following years show, you would see the idea everywhere.Some would copy it directly,others would take the view if one is nice then a hundred would be better(thereby losing all power of subtlety)Others would try to improve the idea,make it larger or smaller and thereby lose what ever it was that turned them on to it in the beginning.What am I talking about?
 I remember very well  a fellow that showed up at the show with a bird carving where he had put a very subtle split in a chest feather on his decorative bird to show the soft, white, downy feather underneath.No matter how much you tried to do otherwise, your eye was drawn to that feather.All the other painstaking work was great, but it was that little feather split that drew your eye.Sometimes people would look at the piece a long time and go" wow",others would see it right away and go" wow" but no matter, the power of that feather split to draw attention was there.This power seemed infect even the casual observer  not just those actively invovled in the artform.It seems to be a universal human trait of discovery and one that has always fascinated me but one that I have no answer for.Have you guys had similiar experiences?
Cheers! John.

Yesterday was a great day for tracking down some loose ends in order to finish the "Memories of Flight School" diorama.A local hobby store her in Montreal is closing and going into mail order only. I have dealt at this store for 35 years, first with the grandfather,then his son and now with his grandkids.Anyway they have a sale going on and I was able to poke around looking for stuff.
I think I have solved the lighting problem and will go with the plain sockets and screw in type bulbs that the doolhouse miniaturists use.I will use a train transformer, which already has a built in dimmer, that I can pickup second hand pretty cheap.It will be the same basic system as the Albatros diorama.
I also picked up some furniture for the office which can easily be modified to 1/16.A period scale radio,telephone,lamps,coat hangars,leather bound books,door knobs,hinges,lighting fixtures,drawer pulls and even a nice coal shovel for the rear entrance module.
So all this and the building of tha 2nd Jenny JN4d should keep me busy for another year or so.I now have about 2 years and approximately 2,000 hours shop time in the project so far.The only thing now would be a nice sound system with sounds of an airshow going on in the background.If anyone has any thoughts on this it really would be appreciated as I have no knowledge of miniature sound systems.Maybe you RR guys could come to the rescue once again and  have some experience with this?
Cheers! John.

John,

It sounds great! Where are the latest photos?

Regards,

Hi Drew! its been about 6 weeks since I took the last pics.I guess I am about due for more.There really isnt that much new to show as most of this time has been taken up building furnishing for the workshop, that have not yet been installed permanently.Right now I am doing windows, which is a long process.
Cheers! John.

Are you going to glaze them? If so, what materical are you going to use?

I'm getting much closer to finishing my first, very simple, airplane diorama. I've got the Martin MB-2 almost finished, the pilot and co-pilot are in the cockpit, awaiting landing gear and somebody to start the engines.

I have a figure that is posed as though he's starting a prop, and I hope he can reach high enough when the time comes to put him in the dio. I may need to build a small stool for him if he's too short.

Regards,

Hi Drew! Glaze them?I dont know what you are referring to.
Cheers! John

Hi guys! I have been having trouble pasteing text on this site.I have a very detailed built going on over on a diecast site that I will try to import here for your info.Admin said to try CTRL+V to paste.I will give it a try.
Cheers! John.

Looks like CTRL+V works for pasteing .

Pic #1-The Base


Unfortunately, I took very few "in progress"pics of my first two dioramas, so I will only use them for reference once in a while as we go along.
We will start with my 3rd diorama "Memories of Flight School".After much research and preliminary planning ,which I will get into later,we must start building somewhere.I started with the garage or hangar floor.
This basic floor is 30X40 inches.Yes it is big but this is 1/16th scale and I am doing this piece for a museum setting.

This first pic is of the underside of the floor, which was" built up" using plywood and some scrap pine that I had hanging around.The raw wood was glued together with no nails and then sealed with my standard 2/3rd laquer and 1/3 laquer thinner mix.I do not use nails or anything metal because I have just broken too many fine drill bits over the years and they really are not necessary as carpenters glue is very strong.

Pic #2-The Base ,Topside.

This is the same basic floor topside.The flooring is made from wooden tongue depressors ,painted with acrylics and using pencil dots for nail heads.

For the smaller scales you could use popsicle stiks or various size coffee stir stiks.Cut the ends 90 deg and lay at random or in a pattern if you like . to be cont.......
Pic #2-The Base ,Topside.

This is the same basic floor topside.The flooring is made from wooden tongue depressors ,painted with acrylics and using pencil dots for nail heads.

For the smaller scales you could use popsicle stiks or various size coffee stir stiks.Cut the ends 90 deg and lay at random or in a pattern if you like . to be cont.......

Pic#2

somehow we have 2 pics?????????????

The Garage/hangar floorboards after having their ends cut 90deg can now be painted.I use acryilic type paint but a very special type of acrylic paint called Jo Sonja that comes from the decorative arts world.I got used to using this paint when I was carving decorative birds a few years ago.I call this paint special because it has some very unique qualities that make it very easy to work with.For those of you who have not yet invested in other types of paint I would recommend that you start with this brand.(by the way I have no interest in any of the products I mention nor do I often push any particular brand but in this case I think that it is important to start off on the right track)Why Jo Sonja ? mostly beacause it is a gouache acrylic( a kind of permanent watercolor) that dries absolutely flat (no shine) one of the biggest problems in painting with acryilics is shine where you dont want it ,especially on figures.I have seen some beautiful work spolied with figures that look like they have been dipped in oil.With this paint you can add your own mediums such as varnish,flow medium, retarder etc...and thereby have complete control over the paint.If you make a mistake and things get too shiney you can paint another coat right over the first and dull things down again.It is even removable for 24 hours or so.This paint is also very easy to mix with water and is just right for the airbrush.

For the floorboards I mix up a very thin batch of nimbus grey straight out of the tube and lots of water to a consistency of 2% milk.(no mediums)I paint this on the boards and dry using a hairdryer between coats.It may take 3 or 4 coats to reach the disired intensity of color which is kind of a transparent stain where your can still see the raw wood below.I do not seal the wood in anyway before painting as I want the color to sink in and not just remain on the top.I usually do about 15-20 boards at a time.
When they are dry I start measureing ,cutting and laying them as required.Dont worry about the raw wood ends as the butts will be colored later using pastels.
To be cont.... Any questions?

This The Garage/hangar floorboards after having their ends cut 90deg can now be painted.I use acryilic type paint but a very special type of acrylic paint called Jo Sonja that comes from the decorative arts world.I got used to using this paint when I was carving decorative birds a few years ago.I call this paint special because it has some very unique qualities that make it very easy to work with.For those of you who have not yet invested in other types of paint I would recommend that you start with this brand.(by the way I have no interest in any of the products I mention nor do I often push any particular brand but in this case I think that it is important to start off on the right track)Why Jo Sonja ? mostly beacause it is a gouache acrylic( a kind of permanent watercolor) that dries absolutely flat (no shine) one of the biggest problems in painting with acryilics is shine where you dont want it ,especially on figures.I have seen some beautiful work spolied with figures that look like they have been dipped in oil.With this paint you can add your own mediums such as varnish,flow medium, retarder etc...and thereby have complete control over the paint.If you make a mistake and things get too shiney you can paint another coat right over the first and dull things down again.It is even removable for 24 hours or so.This paint is also very easy to mix with water and is just right for the airbrush.

For the floorboards I mix up a very thin batch of nimbus grey straight out of the tube and lots of water to a consistency of 2% milk.(no mediums)I paint this on the boards and dry using a hairdryer between coats.It may take 3 or 4 coats to reach the disired intensity of color which is kind of a transparent stain where your can still see the raw wood below.I do not seal the wood in anyway before painting as I want the color to sink in and not just remain on the top.I usually do about 15-20 boards at a time.
When they are dry I start measureing ,cutting and laying them as required.Dont worry about the raw wood ends as the butts will be colored later using pastels.
To be cont.... Any questions?

This The Garage/hangar floorboards after having their ends cut 90deg can now be painted.I use acryilic type paint but a very special type of acrylic paint called Jo Sonja that comes from the decorative arts world.I got used to using this paint when I was carving decorative birds a few years ago.I call this paint special because it has some very unique qualities that make it very easy to work with.For those of you who have not yet invested in other types of paint I would recommend that you start with this brand.(by the way I have no interest in any of the products I mention nor do I often push any particular brand but in this case I think that it is important to start off on the right track)Why Jo Sonja ? mostly beacause it is a gouache acrylic( a kind of permanent watercolor) that dries absolutely flat (no shine) one of the biggest problems in painting with acryilics is shine where you dont want it ,especially on figures.I have seen some beautiful work spolied with figures that look like they have been dipped in oil.With this paint you can add your own mediums such as varnish,flow medium, retarder etc...and thereby have complete control over the paint.If you make a mistake and things get too shiney you can paint another coat right over the first and dull things down again.It is even removable for 24 hours or so.This paint is also very easy to mix with water and is just right for the airbrush.

For the floorboards I mix up a very thin batch of nimbus grey straight out of the tube and lots of water to a consistency of 2% milk.(no mediums)I paint this on the boards and dry using a hairdryer between coats.It may take 3 or 4 coats to reach the disired intensity of color which is kind of a transparent stain where your can still see the raw wood below.I do not seal the wood in anyway before painting as I want the color to sink in and not just remain on the top.I usually do about 15-20 boards at a time.
When they are dry I start measureing ,cutting and laying them as required.Dont worry about the raw wood ends as the butts will be colored later using pastels.
To be cont.... Any questions?

This

Flooring
A couple of things that I forgot to mention about the floorboards. Once the greyish floorboards are laid they will probably be too grey in color, although some of the underlying wood color should show through, if you made your grey mix watery enough.Take a little super watery(like dirty water) raw umber and wash a thin coat or two over the floor to tone down the grey and bring the values of color closer together.
The other thing that I forgot to mention regarding the finishing of the base, is the simulated nail heads on the floorboards.(This can be done now or later )

To make the nail heads,use a pin to create little holes in the wood where you want your nail heads to be represented.I usually do mine in a pattern that would suggest floor joists under the flooring.Then take an ordinary HB( or softer)pointed, grafhite pencil and twist it in each hole so a little grahpite is left behind(blow off any residue) Now take a very thin (1% milk) raw umber/water mix and fill each pin hole.The wood will now swell and close the hole leaving behind a nice subtle nail head.If you want the nailhead to look rusty you can come back with a little watery burnt sienna.If you want to soften the rusty look you can take a little burnt sienna pastel(chauk not oil) and with a small, soft brush dust each nailhead.Dont worry about the pastels rubbing off this rough porous surface.
Now take a small soft brush ,and using various shades of grey and black you can dust in between the cracks of the floorboards and the butt ends.I sometimes also may use a little burnt or raw umber in certain areas if I want to brown up the grey floor a little.That is the beauty of gouche acryilics is that you can play with them like this without worrying about things becoming too shiney.
The above method was used on the Neiuport diorama.The Albatros was different in that I used real sequin pins for nails(dressmakers store has them)
The head of the pin was sanded slightly to help the paint stick.Each hole was drilled in the floorboards and a pin hammered in .The roughened head of the pin was then painted with Gesso and over that burnt umber.If rust was reqiured I used a watery burnt sienna and a pastel dusting over that.
I think thats about it.Now you know why it takes so darn long to do!Long ,boring jobs like this I try to save for those nice lazy days in the summer with a nice brew close by (coffee or otherwise).
Any questions?
Cheers! John.
Check out my stuff at http://www.wwi-models.org/Images/Reid/index.html
for pictures of the Albatros flooring.
__________________
It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)
GuideFlooring
A couple of things that I forgot to mention about the floorboards. Once the greyish floorboards are laid they will probably be too grey in color, although some of the underlying wood color should show through, if you made your grey mix watery enough.Take a little super watery(like dirty water) raw umber and wash a thin coat or two over the floor to tone down the grey and bring the values of color closer together.
The other thing that I forgot to mention regarding the finishing of the base, is the simulated nail heads on the floorboards.(This can be done now or later )

To make the nail heads,use a pin to create little holes in the wood where you want your nail heads to be represented.I usually do mine in a pattern that would suggest floor joists under the flooring.Then take an ordinary HB( or softer)pointed, grafhite pencil and twist it in each hole so a little grahpite is left behind(blow off any residue) Now take a very thin (1% milk) raw umber/water mix and fill each pin hole.The wood will now swell and close the hole leaving behind a nice subtle nail head.If you want the nailhead to look rusty you can come back with a little watery burnt sienna.If you want to soften the rusty look you can take a little burnt sienna pastel(chauk not oil) and with a small, soft brush dust each nailhead.Dont worry about the pastels rubbing off this rough porous surface.
Now take a small soft brush ,and using various shades of grey and black you can dust in between the cracks of the floorboards and the butt ends.I sometimes also may use a little burnt or raw umber in certain areas if I want to brown up the grey floor a little.That is the beauty of gouche acryilics is that you can play with them like this without worrying about things becoming too shiney.
The above method was used on the Neiuport diorama.The Albatros was different in that I used real sequin pins for nails(dressmakers store has them)
The head of the pin was sanded slightly to help the paint stick.Each hole was drilled in the floorboards and a pin hammered in .The roughened head of the pin was then painted with Gesso and over that burnt umber.If rust was reqiured I used a watery burnt sienna and a pastel dusting over that.
I think thats about it.Now you know why it takes so darn long to do!Long ,boring jobs like this I try to save for those nice lazy days in the summer with a nice brew close by (coffee or otherwise).
Any questions?
Cheers! John.
Check out my stuff at http://www.wwi-models.org/Images/Reid/index.html
for pictures of the Albatros flooring.
__________________
It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)
GuideFlooring
A couple of things that I forgot to mention about the floorboards. Once the greyish floorboards are laid they will probably be too grey in color, although some of the underlying wood color should show through, if you made your grey mix watery enough.Take a little super watery(like dirty water) raw umber and wash a thin coat or two over the floor to tone down the grey and bring the values of color closer together.
The other thing that I forgot to mention regarding the finishing of the base, is the simulated nail heads on the floorboards.(This can be done now or later )

To make the nail heads,use a pin to create little holes in the wood where you want your nail heads to be represented.I usually do mine in a pattern that would suggest floor joists under the flooring.Then take an ordinary HB( or softer)pointed, grafhite pencil and twist it in each hole so a little grahpite is left behind(blow off any residue) Now take a very thin (1% milk) raw umber/water mix and fill each pin hole.The wood will now swell and close the hole leaving behind a nice subtle nail head.If you want the nailhead to look rusty you can come back with a little watery burnt sienna.If you want to soften the rusty look you can take a little burnt sienna pastel(chauk not oil) and with a small, soft brush dust each nailhead.Dont worry about the pastels rubbing off this rough porous surface.
Now take a small soft brush ,and using various shades of grey and black you can dust in between the cracks of the floorboards and the butt ends.I sometimes also may use a little burnt or raw umber in certain areas if I want to brown up the grey floor a little.That is the beauty of gouche acryilics is that you can play with them like this without worrying about things becoming too shiney.
The above method was used on the Neiuport diorama.The Albatros was different in that I used real sequin pins for nails(dressmakers store has them)
The head of the pin was sanded slightly to help the paint stick.Each hole was drilled in the floorboards and a pin hammered in .The roughened head of the pin was then painted with Gesso and over that burnt umber.If rust was reqiured I used a watery burnt sienna and a pastel dusting over that.
I think thats about it.Now you know why it takes so darn long to do!Long ,boring jobs like this I try to save for those nice lazy days in the summer with a nice brew close by (coffee or otherwise).
Any questions?
Cheers! John.
Check out my stuff at http://www.wwi-models.org/Images/Reid/index.html
for pictures of the Albatros flooring.
__________________
It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)
GuideFlooring
A couple of things that I forgot to mention about the floorboards. Once the greyish floorboards are laid they will probably be too grey in color, although some of the underlying wood color should show through, if you made your grey mix watery enough.Take a little super watery(like dirty water) raw umber and wash a thin coat or two over the floor to tone down the grey and bring the values of color closer together.
The other thing that I forgot to mention regarding the finishing of the base, is the simulated nail heads on the floorboards.(This can be done now or later )

To make the nail heads,use a pin to create little holes in the wood where you want your nail heads to be represented.I usually do mine in a pattern that would suggest floor joists under the flooring.Then take an ordinary HB( or softer)pointed, grafhite pencil and twist it in each hole so a little grahpite is left behind(blow off any residue) Now take a very thin (1% milk) raw umber/water mix and fill each pin hole.The wood will now swell and close the hole leaving behind a nice subtle nail head.If you want the nailhead to look rusty you can come back with a little watery burnt sienna.If you want to soften the rusty look you can take a little burnt sienna pastel(chauk not oil) and with a small, soft brush dust each nailhead.Dont worry about the pastels rubbing off this rough porous surface.
Now take a small soft brush ,and using various shades of grey and black you can dust in between the cracks of the floorboards and the butt ends.I sometimes also may use a little burnt or raw umber in certain areas if I want to brown up the grey floor a little.That is the beauty of gouche acryilics is that you can play with them like this without worrying about things becoming too shiney.
The above method was used on the Neiuport diorama.The Albatros was different in that I used real sequin pins for nails(dressmakers store has them)
The head of the pin was sanded slightly to help the paint stick.Each hole was drilled in the floorboards and a pin hammered in .The roughened head of the pin was then painted with Gesso and over that burnt umber.If rust was reqiured I used a watery burnt sienna and a pastel dusting over that.
I think thats about it.Now you know why it takes so darn long to do!Long ,boring jobs like this I try to save for those nice lazy days in the summer with a nice brew close by (coffee or otherwise).
Any questions?
Cheers! John.
Check out my stuff at http://www.wwi-models.org/Images/Reid/index.html
for pictures of the Albatros flooring.
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It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)

Pic#3


http://www.wwi-models.org/Images/Reid/index.html