How I Build Dioramas(step-by-step)

Neiuport Diorama

Hi Guys! Today I would like to talk a bit about the order vs chaos phenomenon.It seems to me that car modellers who make dioramas are a very neat and clean group indeed.I dont know if this is because they come from a background of wanting to have their cars showroom perfect or what.While the car as an object of display in a showroom can be in pristine condition most of its surrounding will not.It seems that there is something built into humans that is natural to want to have everything clean and orderly.We want to place everything just so ,as though it was constantly on display.Too much order can be an enemy of the dioramist.The real world is not like this(only man plants trees in rows).If your diorama is too static, it will look staged.The goal of a good diorama is to bring a slice of life alive as though it were one frame of a movie.The fun of diorama making is that we are the authors of this miniature world.We are storytellers,set directors,lighting managers,producers,directors,carpenters and stage hands in our own one frame movie.This is an awesome but fun task to get it right and it is not always easy. Just the proper placement of things in a diorama can take hours of positioning and re-positioning to get it just right.Always be careful not to get things too static or uniform.Do not line things up with the same spacing between them.Stay away from rows and things that are exactly 90deg. etc.. etc...

Lets take a look at the idea of adding a simple bookcase in a room in a diorama.Now normally a person when placing this bookcase would line it up straight with the wall or maybe of only off a couple of unnoticible degrees.That is what we would do when we think about it.But would we place it exactly in the center of the wall.Maybe yes but most of the time no.Would all the shelves be neatly lined with books(except in a lawyers office)as though they were never used.I dont think so ,not in real life.Would it be painted a stark white with all the shelves even spaced devoid of decoration ,well maybe so but this is not what we want as artists unless we are consciously try ing to do so.Static ,squarely placed,blandly painted, uninteresting spaces is not where we want to be as dioramic artists(I hope that is a word, dioramic?)
Now let your imagination run wild,like when you were a kid.Think fun ,color,a little chous here and there.Put a little raw umber in that white and warm it up.Dont worry about the odd book being out of place.Maybe we could carve a pattern in the wood or decorate it with veneer or maybe just leave that wonderful patina and design in the wood that is already there.Maybe we could place the shelves so that they are not so evenly spaced or maybe jig saw a little off the top.But you say I want to use this bookcase to display my diecast car collection.No problem you can line up these little jewels perfectly in even spaced rows because here it is expected because someone has consciously thought about this as a static display .
I hope that my little bookcase idea has helped to explain my ideas. I remember when I used to teach decorative bird carving we would have to draw feathers on the bird before we carved them out.I used to tell my students to go ahead and draw them on and invariably they would draw them in neat little static rows.Then I would say now go back and screw them all up and that is the way it would be in nature. Hope this helps! Cheers! John.
This post has been edited by JohnReid on 28 Jul 2005, 08:00:15 AM
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My goal in life is to be the kind of person that my dog already thinks I am.

This was originally posted on my thread over on the aerodrome.com
Well,first let me explain about ideas and where they come from.Personally,whatever artform I am involved in ,I strive to add something new.I think that my contribution as a dioramist was to see the possibility of taking what the dollhouse miniaturist does and wed that to the aircraft modelers world,Basically, what I do is a miniature dollhouse with a big subject matter change.Instead of viewing a shadow box from just one side,I opened things up so that it was viewable from 4 sides and the top.Sort of like five shadow boxes in one.I took the dollhouse idea and adapted it to airplanes.The added bonus is that the hangar makes its own dustproof box.Another example of where ideas come from was when I was looking for a storyline for the Nieuport diorama..I was just leafing through some catalogs(filling the well,I call it) when I happened upon a 1/16th Dragon figure of a WW2 German officier pointing with one hand and a map in the other,obviously giving directions.As soon as I saw that figure my whole idea fell into place. the interaction between that pointing officier and the airplane would become the focal point of my diorama.Forever more,the viewer of my diorama will wonder,what is he pointing to and what is he instructing his crewmen? The fact that he is pointing to the airplane draws the viewers eyes and imagination into the scene but the airplane still remains the focal point of the diorama. Cheers! John

Now the Ctrl V doesnt work for posting.Admin, are we going to get a paste feature?Sorry for all the screw-ups guys.I will continue posting when I can figure this all out!
Cheers! John.

JohnReid wrote:

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

Hmm. Sorry for the confusion. I was refering to fitting glass (or simulated glass) in the hangar windows. One of your later posts answered my question.

I really like the photos. Thanks for posting them.

Regards,

Jeez! I hope you got that update ok!!!!!!!!Dont know what happened there.

---

Now that we have a good solid base to work on ,we can start contructing our wall panels.Note: I have used a type of construction whereby it can be taken apart with a few screws.This was done for museum purposes for ease of maintenance(changing light bulbs etc...)

Pic # 3
The wall panels were built right on the base using 3/16ths (5mm) foamboard which you can buy at your local craft or art store.It is very easy to cut with a #11 Xacto blade,takes paint and glue well and is quite strong.I build in 1/16th scale so you will have to be the judge as to wether it would be too thick for your purposes.For the smaller scales you could use card stock.The foamboard or cardboard with be the core around which we we built up our wall structure.If you havent already done so now would be a good time to do your floorplan and plan for windows and doors etc..I wanted to have an open space large enough to contain an airplane,2 cars,2 Harleys and a trailer plus a workshop in one corner.Keep in mind the scale that you are working with when placing your doors and windows.It would be a shame to build your hangar door too low and discover later that the only way you could get the airplane out would be to deflate the tires!
The wall panels are fairly easy to build using the foamboard just remember to keep everything 90deg and make straight cuts.Keep your xacto blade 90deg to the foamboard when cutting if you want to have exact measurments.Save all cutouts,number them and put an up arrow on them for future use as templates for your doors and windows.You can pick up pine wood at your local hardware store or basswood at a specialty wood store.Hobby stores sometimes have a limited selection but is usually way to expensive for our purposes.You will be surprised just how much wood it takes to build one of these structures even in 1/16th scale.It is a good idea if you are not cutting your own wood and you are faced with selecting between two sizes,to take the larger size.Nothing looks worse than a flimsy building and besides may be a friend could trim it for you.Some woodstores even offer custom sizing if you order ahead and order enough at a time.The most common sizes that I use are
1/4X1/4 (7X7mm approx.),3/8X3/8(10X10mm),1/4X1/2,1/4X3/4(20mmX10mm),11/16X7/16(12X18mm)
To be cont.......
Cheers!John.

Pic#3


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

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.
__________________
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)

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

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

Pic#2

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 #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.

Looks like CTRL+V works for pasteing .

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.

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

John,

It sounds great! Where are the latest photos?

Regards,

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.

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.

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

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.

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