maximo said:
Hi, With me being new to this game and not very well off, i've decided to try and make some diorama's to display my figures on and hopefully save enough money in the process to get some more figures to go on them... Any way back to my point does anyone make their own and have you got any information or helpfull hints as to what techniques you use and what tools you use to create your masterpieces....All info big or small will be much appreciated Thanks in advance guys Maximo
Maximo, sometimes the simplest stuff makes the best diorama. I use stones from out in my yard and they look great as large boulders or even small rocky hills. Sand for a kids sandbox is great for desert scenes.
Look in gift or big box (target, walmart, etc.) stores for Lemax Christmas stuff - trees, crates, benches (not the cutize buildings or people but the accent stuff). Lemax is relatively cheap. If you have a Michael's craft store, or some kind of craft or hobby store, look at using some of the interior decoration stuff. Sometimes a short blast with a spray can of paint or using a pair of sissors to trim something will make it work.
The hardest thing to do is overcome your fear of doing it. Just start and remember perspective. Larger stuff in the back or the front working sizes inwards (some times large in front to get a close up feel, sometimes large in back to get a distance perspective.
Go to your local lumber yard. Some have a scrap box that they will let you rumage through and take what is there for free. Styro foam in the can or in blocks or flat pieces is cheap. Depending on your budget
http://www.woodlandscenics.com/ has great material for reasonable prices. Sometimes just search for woodlandscenics on ebay and you can get some products cheaper than in the stores.
Search using "diorama" on eBay and look for cheap material. Experimentation is the first thing you should do. Try something. If it does not work, save the material, you never know if you can use it again in another project. I have boxes of junk that I rumage through all the time and find stuff to use that could easily have been thrown out.
Don't be intimidated by some of the pictures you see on this forum or in other places. Some of these guys have been doing it for decades not just years. It takes practice, patience, and imagination.
Good luck. Use this forum for advice. We love to tell each other how to do things the correct? (our) way.
Michael
