Yet another diorama project (2 Viewers)

[blaster]

painting the pieces with oils, trying to follow the exact painting.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Victor,

I have to tell you, in addition to myself, my son and even my wife are blown away by your 3-dimentional shadow box interpretations of oil paintings. I am beyond impressed. Converting a 2-D painting into mini-sclptures with a 3-D backdrop has got to be more difficult than you make it look! I wait for your posts every day, looking forward to seeing how you do it. Great stuff!:salute::

Louis

 

[blaster]

Hi Louis,

Thanks for your very nice and encouraging compliment. Puts a bit of pressure on me to delivery daily....hahaha.

Actually I don't make it look easy. I get lucky (remember Paris and Helen?)

Everytime I start off on one of these pieces, there's a chance
a.it gets abandoned (high probability due to my track record),
b. it falls short of expectations (high probability because it also gets abandoned) or
c. I complete it (30% prob?).

So far, I've been kind of lucky with these pieces but I'm bucking the probability trend.
Rgds Victor

 

[blaster]

I also added hair to the horses. Aahh, why not? I don't seem to be making model soldiers so much as being a taxidermist...hahaha.

 

[blaster]

Added some wood pieces to the landscape.

 

[blaster]

I further developed the landscape.

 

[blaster]

I am now starting to test the placement of the figures on the landscape.

 

[blaster]

I added a wood base beneath to strengthen the display. Will start to paint it next.

 

[blaster]

I've just glued the 2nd and 3rd cowboy figures/horse into position on the base with epoxy resin. This is because I have to putty over their base stands. I added the base stands so that these can give more support to the horse stances. The second horse has had a slight sheen added to its coat as per the painting.

 

[blaster]

I added a strip of cardboard to the back of the base. More putty was added to finalise the groundwork. I posed the first cowboy and cattle for the picture but will remove them before painting the groundwork.

 

[blaster]

I've underpainted the groundwork with acrylic paints. This is to cover large areas without the enamels soaking into the ground putty. Hopefully, this will form a paintable layer for oil paints.

 

[blaster]

I am re-using a previous cavernous shadow box for this piece. I've test-fitted the base into the box against the painted backdrop, with and without lights.

It looks promising.

 

[Obee]

I am re-using a previous cavernous shadow box for this piece. I've test-fitted the base into the box against the painted backdrop, with and without lights.

It looks promising.

With the internal light looks good, but why such a big tube ?? Maybe find some smaller LEDs ???

John

 

[Louis Badolato]

Victor,

It looks terrific in the shadow box! It's really coming out amazing!:salute::

 

[blaster]

Hi Louis and John,

thanks for your nice comments. This box was scavenged from a Bedouin camp flats display which was my first lit shadowbox made about 10 years ago. Then I used an old-fashioned 8 inch fluorescent tube with its own ballast. The type that was used for cabinet lights. It is still in good working order and the light is very bright, which is the effect that I want.

I've taken out the flats display and will place it in a smaller box in the future.

I am reusing the separate sky backdrop for the cowboy display.

I have built up a stage to elevate the display. The display has been glued on top of the stage but angled foward to create a perspective effect. The side view shows the elevation at the back.

Rgds Victor

 

[blaster]

I glued the backdrop to the base as I intend to model the setting seamlessly.
Lot's of refitting. A cowboy's work is never done.......

 

[blaster]

I placed the setting inside the shadow box and proceeded to customise it within the box. I removed the flourescent tube to gain proper access.

It is very messy, consisting of using contact cement to glue various cardboard pieces in place.

 

[blaster]

I puttied over the joints.

 

[blaster]

I added more putty to try to blend the base into the background.

 

[blaster]

I've completed adding putty to the base and background. I'll start painting this now.