How I build large scale dioramas! (1 Viewer)

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A modeling bud did this for me,Cool!:)
 
After taking these latest pictures ,I have changed my mind about opening the garage doors.The light shining through the boards is enough to give the illusion of something taking place outside the walls of the hangar.Opening the doors would somehow break the feeling of intimacy created within the inside walls.The door that is slightly ajar on the R/H side allows for just enough unique lighting and interesting shadows on the floor.
I got this idea from childhood as I always loved the light that filtered through old barns on sunny days.Some people have mentioned to me that that what I create in my hangar scenes bring back old memories for them of days long gone by.It always makes me happy to share those experiences.
My earliest memories of aviation was long before the popularity of jets ,although I do remember my dad flying Vampires in the RCAF reserve .But hangars in those days,even for the early jets,were not eat-of-the-floor places.The sights and sounds and smells of the old piston days was something to behold and I treasure the fact that I still have a foot in that era.Old hangars could be dark,damp,cold and creepy places .But they could also be wonderful places of great atmosphere and yes even beauty.To see a magnificently shining,colorful ,beautifully shaped airplane lit by an old bulb or two , up against a backdrop of something old and slightly weathered was a thrilling sightto behold and something that as an artist I never been able to get out of my head.As you guys know it is a theme that runs throughout my work.Most aircraft lovers feel that airplanes look best in the air, their natural home, and I agree but there are times when to sit quietly and just look at something beautiful can be just as rewarding, especially when surrounded by memories of times gone by.Kids of course have none of these memories and eventually it will all be lost to time.In creating these dioramas I want to bring back a feeling of how things were done back then. You would be surprised how many viewers respond with amazement at how these aircraft were built ,under what would be today called, primitive working conditions.How you can create from wood and wire and fabric such a work of art.
In my younger days I was lucky enough to have re-built a full scale biplane with a gentleman that would be called a craftsman but was truly an artist who happened to build full-scale aircraft both powered and gliders.As a young man he got his training building the now famous all wood Mosquito.In later life he built and re-built by hand aircraft and gliders from all eras.Give him a piece of wood or metal and he would not only make it but put into it something that you just knew came from the hands of an artist.I learned many things from this man,patience,pride of workmanship and above all seeing artistic value in even the smallest object.How to put as much effort and quality into the mundane and repetitive things that must be done in order to create the big and impressive finished product. Thanks Al Pow,rest easy my friend.
 
End of the road for Diorama #2.
My part in the making of this diorama is now essentially finished.Now it is up to the CAM to decide on how to finish it.I understand that they have very good people who are used to what needs to be done.Whether it goes into a wall or into a box and how the final lighting will be set up,I will leave up to them.
This is only the 2nd diorama that I have ever finished ,the first being HMS Victory in 2000. I started Victory in 1976.Two dioramas in 33 years although I must admit 2 more are soon to be finished as well.
Until 2000 it was mostly a hobby but since then it has pretty much been full time.An average of 8 years per diorama.I would have never believed it when I first started down this road.
 
A couple more figures!
I feel like painting figures for awhile.I have chosen to do two WW2 Soviet tank crew members that I have acquired recently.I want to put them in the area shown in the picture that is in the rear of the hangar well away from any confusion with the main storyline.The final composition or arrangement of the objects in this area will be made when the figures are finished.I thought that I could add a little life to the area without having to show a lot of activity which is not my style.I like my figures in relaxed poses.I haven't quite decided what the truck will be hauling or if it will have any obvious connection to the figures.
It could just be parked there or temporarily stopped.I thought that one figure could be holding a map and another pointing in a certain direction as though it had stopped to ask for directions.These guys are dressed in what looks like officier's uniforms so they will have to be depicted as doing something other than grunt labor.(like unloading wood)
These figures will not require too much modification to make them into WW1 German types.In fact they could be used as is with a few minor uniform adjustments.
I have already put the torso of the first figure together and like what I see so far,minimum flash and the parts fit well together with minimum adjustments.Any unwanted seams can easily be filled with super thin ,super glue and sanded smooth.
 
Having fun with pictures!
To the knowledgable eye lot of info can be gleaned from this pic even though it only shows just a small portion of the overall diorama.
I love taking these pics as much as actually building the diorama, so I am taking advantage of this while I can.A lot of these shots will not be possible once it is in the case.
This is easily identified as an American squadron of WW1 by the "Hat in the Ring" symbol.The tail assembly obviously says Nieuport due to the wood sheathing type skin.The "Iron Cross" piece of fabric, complete with bullet holes, is a trophy nailed to the wall.The English language "Warning" sign leaves no doubt that although the aircraft is French,the squadron is American.
I try to leave little clues around like this so that every picture tells a story ,even when taken out of context with the whole piece.
 
Harley,the fighter pilot's dog and I are sharing a great feeling of loss today.My beloved Dolly,a 14 year old Siberian Husky/Arctic Wolf mix died of old age last week.
 
JohnReid said:
Harley,the fighter pilot's dog and I are sharing a great feeling of loss today.My beloved Dolly,a 14 year old Siberian Husky/Arctic Wolf mix died of old age last week.
Click to expand...

I am sorry to hear that John, they become a member of our families so quickly and it is painful when they pass. At least you can rest assured she had a wonderfully happy life.

Now onto that plane!!! stunning sir, it is simply brilliant.
 
Thanks guys for your kind words about the loss of my doggy companion.

I finally have started back to painting the last two figures.I have discussed my painting methods many times before so I won't repeat it here.Sufficient to say that it is based upon Jo Sonja flat acrylic paint and pastels for shading.A little unusual way to paint but it works for me in a diorama setting.
Both figures have been given a couple of coats of a burnt umber/water mix.The figure on the left has been given a single coat of nimbus gray undercoat to approximate the final color.
The WW1 uniform experts will notice a few discrepancies here and there but they are pretty close for my purposes.I understand that there were,in the beginning, a lot of different uniforms accepted in the German air force as many of its members were from cavalry units and were allowed to wear their previous uniforms or parts of them.So in keeping with that fact I am leaving them as they are.
 
The possibilities are endless with digital pics!
Just havin some fun with pics!
Through modern digital photography we can all now be great dioramists.Using all the digital tools available to us now ,just add a little of your own creativity and before you know it the simplest diorama can take on new life.
For some pics black and white are perfect for the era that you are trying to recreate.Lucky for me my eras of choice are mostly before the color stuff was invented anyway.
All you budding dioramists out there now have a lot of options.Do you want to create an actual , physical ,3 dimensional diorama or do you want to be a Steven Spielberg type and bring all the elements of your ideas together and get your stuff on film(or digital in this case).Everyone recognizes that film makers, such as Spielberg in our era, are great artists but what do they actually have to physically show for all their creativity? A few cans of film?
Storyboard dioramists can do exactly the same thing but our challenge is even greater because we only have one frame of our movie to work with and no dialogue.Our dialogue exists in our viewers imagination and we as artists are only there as guides to help point the way.
As an artist it is such a wonderful time to be alive!
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"Once upon a time......." Storyboard dioramas by JohnReid.
 
This is how I would envision what a shadowbox storyboard diorama would look like if it was hung on a wall.It is a little weak on story line,(more like a vignette), but you get the idea.Note the inner black border that acts as a reveal.
These are great visual tools that can be used to plan your diorama and change things as you go along.
Even as an ordinary picture it works well because of the feeling of depth that is given off because of the floor boards and the single lit window.
The border colors and frame were chosen to harmonize with the colors in the diorama.
 
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