How I Build Dioramas(step-by-step)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

pic

This is the workshop from inside the hangar

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.

How do I post pics here on this forum?
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.
 

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.

Just checking in!

"Travel Air D4D, Labor Of Love"
I am doing a series of articles on how my dad,myself and a wonderful artist/craftsman by the name of Al Pow remanufactured a 1929 Biplane.Pages 1-7 are now up over on ;

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=70029

                                           or
http://www.largescaleplanes.com
see Forum,then Off Topic

Cheers! John.

page 1&2 of the Travel Air story are now up.

I have now finally finished the Garage module and have begun working on the rear entrance door/WC/Coal storage area.Unfortunately, I am back to sheathing the walls, inside and out, with those good old popsicle stiks and tongue depressors.Not my favorite job, but I hope that this is the last of it on this project.After designing the area and cutting out the foamboard pieces,I think that it will make an interesting addition to the diorama.This rear hangar area needed some life as it is mainly just a large barn wall.I plan to hang some interesting signs but in keeping with my KISS plan for the outside,that will be about it.The sight lines through the doors and windows are somewhat limited but I think that there is enough there to keep the viewer interested.
I dont know if I will furnish the WC or not.Maybe i can find a dollhouse fixture that may work.This is not meant to be an outhouse but a septic system so I dont have to worry about it being too close to the lunchroom area. Maybe I will add a small grated area for heat. Cheers! John.

This is the area;

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/ind...showtopic=70057
(last picture on page)
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I am presently finishing off the garage door/Model T module.Everything in wood has been weathered using my standard method of acrylics followed by pastels .
I made up some wheel chocks and will drill some holes in them that will provide for a black wire that will run down through the floor to secure the Model T to the module.
The garage doors are finished and awaiting final positioning, these will be secured to the module floor with small dowels.The only other thing that I will add to the module will be a couple of posts to hitch the swinging doors to.The door hinges will be fake as they are not operational nor are they even attached to the hangar.
I am undecided about if I should weather the car now or leave it until final installation.The cars left front tire has been left hanging over the sloping ramp so that no jack is required to change the tire.I may leave a wrench or two in this area if it is not too distracting. There is lots of room around the car for sight lines into the hangar, and the doors sort of act as a shadow box reveal, inviting the viewer to look inside.
Cheers! John.

"And let's get one thing straight.There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator.One is a technician;the other is an artist in love with flight."
E.B. Jeppesen.

Thanks Drew,I am glad that you enjoy it.I sure have fun making them.I find that the figures really bring it to life.Cheers! John.

John,

As always, it's great to see your work.

I especially like the action scenes on the ship.

Regards,

Hi guys! I thought that it was a good time to post the Victory pictures in that it is now 200 years the other day ,since that epic battle took place.It was probably the most decisive battle in naval history and ended Napoleons plans to conquer the world.

Indirectly it was this battle that got me into modeling.When my dad was off to war for 5 years ,I was raised by my grandmother who was a late Victorian and always spoke of the sea,Nelson and the sun never setting on the British Empire.She would take me for walks along Lake Ontario's shores ,in a city that is filled with naval history ,Kingston ,and that is how I fell in love with the sea.

Thirty years later,I passed a hobby store window and although I was ,at the time ,almost totally immersed in aviation,I just had to build the HMS Victory that I saw there.At the time I knew nothing about old ships but I was soon to learn.

I think that I will post a new thread on what are your earliest memories that may have sparked your future interest in modeling?I am sure that there must be some interesting stories out there.What or who sparked that interest that made you the modeler that you are today?
Cheers! John.

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

http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/misc/sail/victory-72-mr/victory-index.html
This post has been edited by John

Maybe I am carrying this cross-fertilization thing too far but if you guys would like to see a diorama that took me 15 years (about 6000 hrs shoptime) to build go to :

http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/misc/sail/victory-72-mr/victory-index.html



Cheers! John.

Thanks buff,good to hear from a fellow Montrealer.Looks like its going to be a good winter to hunker down and build. Cheers! John.

Thanks for posting this, John. It's a really informative read.
You're the first Montrealer I've come across here, although I know there must be some others kicking around.

In the belief that a little cross-fertilization is good for us all,I have joined the Railroad Line Forums.This is a super resource for anyone doing dioramas,scratchbuilding or modeling in general.These guys are masters of the scenic diorama and have been doing it for a long time.There is much to be learned from the RR guys.
In regards to my present project,the hangar doors are finished and I have begun to paint them green ,the same color as the trim and main doors(Pine Green).
I changed my mind and decided to add more visual interest ,by sheathing the doors both inside and out with popsicle stik boards.The exterior was divided horizontally into two sections and the boards placed at 45 deg running in opposite directions, as you often see on barn doors.The interior boards are laid horizortally so that they direct the eye towards the interior of the hangar.
The next step will be to permanently fasten down these garage doors to the module and fake the hinges.I will also have to decide the final position of the model T and provide for it to be fastened down to the module.
Cheers! John.

"The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery."
Francis Bacon.

My Stuff;

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

The figures in my latest diorama are all by The Model Cellar.They are great 120mm figures ,very clean and with super detail.They specialize in WW1 fiqures and offer other scales too.They come in pieces and are not painted. They can be adapted to different poses using epoxy putty.I used them as is, except for the barons figure, which I converted to a 20s barnstormer by modifying the uniform and using the helmeted head.
I painted mine using Jo Sonja acrylics over thinned down Liquitex gesso.
Their email:
http://www.modelcellar.com
Cheers! John

This is a lot of fun to do.As far as I know ,I am the first one to take what the doll house guys and gals(miniaturists) do, and the dioramists and shadow boxers do, and bring them both together to create something like a 5 sided shadow box in one self-contained unit.
I got the idea after attending a miniaturists show many years ago.The larger scale appealed to me and the fact that you could put many years work into just one piece working in all of the details.
It is almost like building the real thing.Years ago someone told me that the secret to all of this was, to concentrate on the single piece that you are doing each day as it was a sculpture in and of itself.Then when you put all these little scuptures together into one big piece, you will be happy with the results.Sure there are some parts that are really boring to do, but I have talked to other artists who do detail work, and they complain about the same thing.Wildlife artists paint each hair ,bird sculpturers carve,texture ,burn and paint each feather.(one of my former hobbies).For all the boring jobs however, there are those moments that we all live for when we have a new idea or a new way of doing things.The very act of creation is what ,in the end, keeps you going.In fact ,after awhile you cant live without having this creativity in your life.
I figure that I have about another year to go to complete this project.This is the fun time now when you start actually putting things together for the final time,knowing that anything you add now will be staying there.It is also a time when you really have to concentrate on composition.(That is why my figures will remain headless until I figure out their final position and how they will relate to one another.)Often I will just sit back and try to figure out where everything will go.Then I will try this or that and sometimes hours are spent just on re-arranging things.In the end, it is the little things that make all the difference.(For example the spilled nuts and bolts on the floor of my Neiuport diorama, which came about purely by accident.)These planned ideas or" Happy Accidents" are what gives a piece that magical quality.Guilding the lily so to speak.For me,this quiet time alone concentrating on composition is more productive than all of the actual building time.
Cheers! John.

Until I learn how to post pics on a site without a browser,my latest diorama pics can be seen at

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

go to Discussion,Dioramas,"How to......."

Cheers! John.

Good morning guys! Well yesterday I went back to complete module 2s sheathing with boards.Today I will start painting it grey and do some weathering.I have decided to incorporate the garage doors into the module instead of hanging them on the main structure.This way I can avoid working hinges that dont seem to always work too well anyway.These doors will never be moved and they are not used as a dust shield like in the Abatros diorama.I can fake the hinges and when properly fit you wont be able to see any difference.I have built a small ramp out of hard maple that acts as a transition floor between the garage and the hangar floors.The model T will sit half on this transition floor and half on the garage module itself so that when I attach the module the car is half way into the hangar yet it is still basically a part of the module.
For some visual interest I think that I will make the doors from plywood sheet instead of individual boards and I will paint it green, the same color as the trim and hangar doors.The only thing that I may add is a handrail around the edge or maybe just a post for the door handle to be hitched to.Otherwise it will be quite plain looking in keeping with its purpose of drawing the viewer into the scene.I kind of like these half open doors as they act as a sort of "reveal" as in a shadow box.
Today I will take some pics if everything goes as planned.
Cheers! John.

"No amount of skillful invention can replace the essential element of imagination."
Edward Hopper.
This

Thanx for the info.
CFR

Your welcome Thanato,Somebody suggested that to solve the warp problem ,to glue the garnet to the foamboard and put it between 2 flat surfaces to dry.Sounds good to me.Cheers! John.

Thanks, this is a great help

I spent most of yesterday designing and cutting out the foamboard for the rest room/backdoor/coal storage module.After cutting out the basic panels I cut in the doors and windows and even a small coal shute.There are four wall panels plus an interior wall for the restroom and a ceiling panel.Next I cut out the sloping roof panel and sides.I temporarily fit all the pieces together and fastened them with pins.With some minor adjustments it all fit together quite easily.
Using foamboard is really the way to go if you can get away with the extra 5mm thickness.On a small ,single board thickness wall, it may make the wall look too thick but for most purposes it works just fine.In some areas such as the main hangar walls, I sheathed the foambord on both sides.On other areas I sheathed only the external side and in other areas such as internal ceilings, where there is little danger of crushing the surface ,I just painted it.It holds its shape very well and paints easily.Just use a gesso undercoat and topcoat with acrylics.On the hidden side of the ceiling I did run a few strengthening battens but I dont think that this really is necessary for interior walls or ceilings.
Be sure that the foamboard you buy is not warped as it is difficult to straighten properly.On the small module roofs I glued the garnet cloth directly on the foamboard using white glue ,and purely by accident the drying glue curved the surface just enough to give it a nice sag. Keep in mind that generally you would not want this, so it maybe a good idea to add some battens to the opposite side or holding the roof flat,while the glue dries.I made up some false roof joists where the ends show just at the edge.The roof will be removable for lighting maintenance.
Cheers! John.

"To live a creative life,we must lose our fear of being wrong."

Joseph Pearce.