How I build large scale dioramas! (1 Viewer)

This is actually an unintended but really cool effect.Using foamboard and watercolor paper has allowed for some pretty dramatic lighting effects.Notice the warm glow that the bricks take on is actually an effect of the interior lighting.You have to be careful to properly diffuse the light but when done properly I kinda like it
 
ShepPainewallpic001-1-1-1.jpg
 
The Wash Tub.
Now for a little change of pace.I find that standing for long periods finishing the roof is quite tiring on these old legs of mine so I will be doing two things at the same time,one standing up and the other sitting down.The roof and a wash tub.Actually it is an important part of this diorama as the washing hanging on the line adds a really interesting touch to the piece.
When building dioramas it is important to put your best effort into everything whether it is a shiny instrument panel or that nail in the wall behind the toilet in the WC.This is what really separates the men from the boys.Anyone can get really excited about something they really like to do but repetitive and sometimes boring work is also part of the game.
 
Shep Paine
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Rentsch View Post over on www.theaerodrome.com


Wow Shep Paine!, I haven't herd his name in a while.
What a master!
If he's your mentor you're in good hands.
What's he doing now?

Actually Shep until recently never knew that he was my mentor.He mentored me through his books as he has done for a lot of us.Thirty years ago when I saw his stuff I promised myself to do this one day.At the time I was building ship models so I turned my HMS Victory into a diorama,got busy with other art stuff and then returned to dioramas ten or so years ago.I had heard that Shep was tired of doing dioramas and that he wanted someone else to pick up the ball and run with it for awhile.I vowed to be part of his team to help do this so I started building aircraft dioramas and later to promote the building of them any way I could.I figured that the best way to do this was by using the modern means of the internet and thereby share with others with a series of "How to....." about learning how to do it.I did it in real time, step by step, so that others could share my learning experience and not be intimidated by just showing a finished product.Over the years I have posted this stuff to over fifty websites,more to some than others, with the Drome being my home base.
This past year was "Mission Accomplished" for me .Shep said he liked my stuff and he even gave me appraisals for donating them to the Canada Aviation Museum.Why do I know he really means what he says ? because he valued my stuff right up there with his when he was doing his best work and selling it on the market.
I wonder how many lives have been influenced by Shep Paine ? Thanks Shep.
 
For a complete " How to....."on building a stone wall,my style,please see the above website.

Please note:
Because I contribute to 32 modeling websites of all kinds I have had to pick one to post detailed "how to's...." to.This site happens to be the first site that I happened to contribute to back in 03 .It also has all of my content in one place which will be of great value to me someday when I hope to do an online (free) book about my methods which I will then post to all the websites that have so kindly supported me and my work up in the past.
Because of the type of work I do a lot of my stuff crosses over between different genres. I would ask that if on occasion that I make a mistake and post something on airplanes in a car or RR or ship site( or visa versa ) please be patient and I will try to correct it ASAP. But most of the time I am dealing with" modeling in general "that crosses all boundaries."

I am by no means an expert in anything I do, in fact a lot of the time this is a real time learning experience for me too.A good example of this is what I am posting right now,this is my very first stone wall in paperboard,so you get it direct mistakes and all. I think that the guys that follow my stuff appreciate it more like this .It would be impossible for me to do it like this and post very detail to 32 websites everyday.

Thank you for your patience and understanding ! Cheers! John.
 
I will build up in wood the small upper attic window which was probably used for ventilation more than anything else.Small sloping roof rooms on the upper floors were also common in those days.I will shutter the window or board it up,there will be no glass to attract the viewers eye.
These walls look much more natural if you don't attempt to make them too perfect.A queen's castle is something different but for your ordinary turn of the century building you may have to even force yourself to screw it up just a little here and there to give it an increased sense of authenticity.
Example. The bricked up window has very subtle errors built into it like the slightly different horizontal level between the stone and brick wall.
The key here is be be very subtle about it so that it does not immediately attract the viewers eye(like in the deliberately distorted pic above) however, could be picked up after a thorough look at the main subject,which in this case happens to be an airplane but it could be a car,train or whatever the main subject of the piece happens to be.
 
The uneven blotchy color is only the first thin coat of paint that I put on to get rid of the stark white of the paper.If not covered now it will stick out like a sore thumb and will be almost impossible to cover later if accidentally touched with glue.This light gray color can at least be easily worked into the overall stone color of the wall which will eventually become the lightest color stone on the finished wall.The variety in shades on the individual stones happens automatically when using very watery acrylic paint ,as the pigment tends to settle to the bottom as you are using it over a period of time.
 
I build two types of dioramas ones that physically exist in museums and ones that exist in pictures only.The second type is a lot like a film or stage play where you build and bring all the components together and record the images as they once existed in the composition.You still get to make all the parts ,scratch or otherwise ,which is really the most fun in model making,but it is really the composition of these parts that tell the story.In fact when finished I often like the pictures of the piece more than the actual model.It is a lot of fun playing with the lighting,camera angles etc...doing all the things that movie directors get to do but on a small scale.An added bonus is that you still get to keep your models and display them the way you want.One nice idea would be to display your model with pictures of it in its original diorama setting.
 
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