How I build large scale dioramas! (1 Viewer)

The straight pins around the vegi garden are to hold the wood in place as it dries.I want the wood to bend and twist so I didn't seal it,it looks more natural this way.The soil in the gardens is darker than usual after I overcooked it in my BBQ,I wanted a dark,rich soil.The delicate vegitation flowers,shrubs,small trees with be done only at completion as it is very delicate.
I know that this is far from the subject of airplanes but the important thing here is the storyline and the contrast between people like you and me who get great pleasure out of their artistic passions.The contrast in the priorities of the Victorian couple living next door and our young inventive aircraft builder requires that I wander a bit in subject matter but it is all part of an aircraft diorama and how I build it, which of course is the overall subject of this thread.
How many of you guys out there would rather be building something right now than doing all those "Honey Do....s" on their list.Artists and passionate hobbyists, be they model builders or EAA'ers(Experimental Aircraft Association builders are different than most and thank God for it!
 
Backyardflyer041.jpg
 
Muddy WW1 airfield or early spring lane way the mud is all the same!
Over the module's base coat I carefully placed the mud with a spoon and brush making sure to get it everywhere in all the nooks and crannys between the stones along the walls etc...
I then applied the water/glue mix and waited awhile for it to begin setting(you will have to experiment a bit here) I then took a set of old car wheels and ran them through the mud.Try to get a varied effect with some places wetting looking than others,like in this case the bottom of the sloping lane way.In low traffic areas you may only want a single tire width like at the top of the lane way where there with be a fence,in other higher traffic areas widths would be more common.The seam between the modules will be filled in at a later date when finishing.Now I will add some springtime vegetation.Don't be too worried if it looks too rough at this time as the vegetation will have a flattening effect.What you don't want is a golf course look or for that matter a Victorians backyard.
 
Dressing up the road and fence I used the model RR Woodlands products plus some stuff from my wife's spice rack and some very small rocks from nature.
 
This is just beautiful work, John...thanks so much for sharing it with us...the road work is just incredible.
 
I plan to keep this,my last large diorama for awhile at my home, and use it as a backdrop for picture taking purposes ,especially for my 1/18th scale classic cars from the gangster era.Because it is set up as separate detachable modules, both city and country scenes will be possible.The aircraft will be on its own base and also removable, in fact I plan to have two versions of the backyard ,one with and the other without the airplane ,to make the whole thing even more versatile for picture taking of any subject matter,cars ,figures etc....from just about any era over the last century or so.In fact, I could even satisfy my long time interest in western themes and build a 1/16th scale stagecoach and set it up on the country road.I can think of many great scenes just looking through the facade windows onto the backyards.When I am finished ,I will do just a few touch ups between the modules ,permanently secure the airplane and send it on its way too.
 
Where the wheels touch the ground,I plan to cut out three patches down to the bare wood,add a screw to each wheel and bolt it from below or I could use round wood plugs that are removable then when finished with the picture taking glue airplane and plugs down permanently.
The landscaping around the airplane will be full of overgrown vegetation indicating it had been sitting there for awhile.No tall vegetation however will block any of the views of the airplane except along the fence behind the airplane.When looking at the aircraft from the fork in the road ,one storyline will be predominant, however as you work your way up the hill the sub-storyline ,the contrast in back yards ,will also come more into play.
I definitely will be adding shadow box type views through the rear of the buildings facades and a little mood lighting here and there,maybe a dusk type setting.The hydro poles,street lamps etc.. will assumed to be in the front of the house ,as they would be too much of a distraction out back ,in this composition.
 
Please note:
I know that I have been pushing the envelope a bit recently in subject matter, especially for the aircraft guys.I ask that you remain open minded on this as I really do believe that modeling is an art form and if we remain open to new ideas no telling where it can take us in the future.What I am doing here is not better but just different.I know that putting the model sculpture idea in a traditional type model forum is a little rad but I think that it is fun to explore others possibilities for model building in the future.
I want to thank the administrators and moderators of the forum for their allowing me this opportunity and my forum buds for their patience .Thank you all !
Cheers. John.
 
I have found that the best method of applying the landscaping stuff to a large area is to work like you were making a pizza.Working in no wind conditions, I dampen down an area with the water/detergent mix using a fine spray applicator to prepare the surface.Get out all the various products you plan to use,fine grasses,very fine sand,weeds,small rocks,spices that look like general old vegetable matter,even some of the original fine earth in case you overdo it with the other stuff and have it all handy for use.
Begin your pizza/landscaping working with the fine stuff first which in this case in fine green grass with about 20% yellow grass added to a shaker type spice bottle.(the mixes you will have to play with depending on your personal preferences and the season of the year that you are trying to represent.)If you want your soil to look a little less healthy add a little fine sand with a shaker or by pinches between your fingers.Be subtle!
Now add some of the courser grasses and small weeds by randomly letting them fall from above using a larger holed shaker or the pinch method.Finally ,after raiding the spice cabinet, apply them the same way.
Now take a very fine spray bottle and just let it rain down on the pizza you have just made.Don't spray it on directly as you will blow the lighter stuff all over the place and spoil your hard work.Remember, that if you make a mistake all is not lost you can always come back with your original soil ,or if worse comes to worse,just let it dry and shake the stuff off and start again.
Now on the wetted down turf apply the 75% water 25% white glue mix from a drop by drop container (hair coloring bottles are good for this)continue until the soil is very wet but not running all over the place.Set aside and let dry at least overnight or more.
Now would be a good time to do any small touch ups that may be required.
Taking full strength white glue you can now add larger rocks,underbrush along fences and walls,small scrubs etc..Larger more fragile stuff like large bushes or trees are best left to do later due to possible damage.These can be simply added by punching or drilling a hole and planting.
Usually this kind of stuff looks best if subtly done,be careful not to over do it.
 
I chose springtime for my backyard for many reasons, some for the story reasons and the renewal of life and some for compositional reasons as I didn't want a lot of color (flowers etc..) competing for the viewers attention.Another more practical reason is that a lot of the vegetation,in this part of the world, has been flattened down under the weight of the snow over the winter and it is a lot easier to represent than a lot of tall grasses.
Spring also happens to be my favorite time of year in Canada.This diorama represents very early springtime just after the snow has gone and before the explosion of green that is soon to come.The weather has been a little dry this year as a lot of the mud has dried up to the point of cracking on the surface but this could change overnight,in fact it could still snow again right up to early May.Be careful about this stuff during your research ,as I remember from my bird carving days, guys doing birds in spring plumage in a fall scene.
 
The difference between plain and all dressed ! I am doing this module in two stages to give you guys an idea of how I arrive at the final product.
On the left it is basically finished except for large bushes and trees to come later.On the right only some of the fine and medium grasses have been added along with some small field stones.
 
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