How I build dioramas Part 2

[JohnReid]

The tire is temporary.I haven't quite made up my mind on the tires.In pictures some look like bicycle tires and others the balloon type.As I plan to have the airplane in the backyard look like it was abandoned for some time ,with tall grass and weeds etc..the wheels may hardly even be seen in the finished diorama anyway.Another possibility is just to make temporary wheels in wood or a combination of a bicycle nosewheel, which is more visible ,and wooden mains.
Beyond the wood building stage I don't want to put too much into the airplane.Why? Wheels,wires,engine etc...if he even had them ,would have been stored away out of the elements and the wooden airframe at least put under tarps.
The family obviously knew about his upcoming arrival home as the "welcome home" banner indicates.They could have removed the tarps as a nice gesture for his homecoming.
I wanted to capture the moment of his arrival,before the family even knew he was there and what may have been going through his head at the time "can it ever be the same?"

 

[JohnReid]

You guys may have noticed that my signature contains "Once Upon A Time.......
storyboard dioramas.This is my little tribute to the great film artist Sergio Leone.
His western "Once Upon A Time In The West" is recognized by most as the best westerns ever made and probably one of the top 100 films ever.
I love his attention to detail combined with majestic landscapes.His use of closeups and facial expression to create a mood.His minimalist approach to dialogue,only 15 pages of dialogue in a three and a half hour movie yet he still gets his story across magnificently .His use of music and the fact that a special theme was developed for each of the central characters ,which was played on set while that characters scene was being filmed.
I guess what I am trying to say is that he was a master of telling a grand story in a wonderful new way.
I think he would have loved storyboard dioramas.Thanks for the inspiration Sergio!
Cheers! John.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

I decided that our novice builder could not afford to buy the wheels,so I made them up from wood.I have actually seen similar type wood wheels used on early aircraft factory floors, for moving aircraft around before they got their rims and tires.I reduced the length of the fitting that supports the main beams front end just aft of the nosewheel.Working from pics is difficult so you have to be prepared to adjust things as you go along.Because this is my own version of a backyard flier I am building it to my own specs and what looks good to me.
This summer I plan to buy the wood for the base and finalize the design of the diorama, so that I can build up the two modules next winter and hopefully put the whole thing together the following summer.Anyway that is the plan for now.
Judging from past experience however, I usually seriously underestimate the time involved.
__________________
"Once upon a time......." Storyboard dioramas by JohnReid.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Finally it is temporarily on its gear!The stance looks about right when on a level surface. I will now put it back in the jig and rig the wings.
I have in the spares box an old Ford T radiator and engine.I am thinking about installing an engine but covering it with tarps and tie downs ,so that something will be there that looks like an engine but really can't be clearly seen.The wing tarps will be removed and put off to the side but will be visible.The idea is that his family removed them in anticipation of his arrival.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

After some experimentation this turnbuckle assembly seems to be the most practical for a number of reasons.First and foremost the hook that attaches to the wing fitting is the easiest to install at this stage.If I had to do it all over again, I would have installed the turnbuckles first for a more authentic look, but then again it is an amateur build so I guess anything goes.(for other designs please see my photobucket "backyard flier "album)
I used plastic coated beading wire for the flying wires and the turnbuckle ends.By threading the wire thru the brass tube and then back on itself you can make a nice little assembly.Once it is weathered with" blacken-it"
it should look just fine at scale distance.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Some new pics from diorama#2.

Here is a little study of heads and hands that are the hardest thing to get right whether sculpting or painting.I cheated and let the lighting work for me,there really is only minimal paint here and that is mostly pastels.I did not paint the eyes at all but if you look hard enough you will swear you see some.I think that it is your brain filling in what it thinks should be there. Fun huh!

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

This is the first module that I will work on .It is a 22X30 inch rectangular shape that will be placed on an angle when attached to the base.There will be fencing on three sides with the buildings facade at the back.The overall size of the diorama will be 40"X50" plus the wood on the base sides.The mockup airplane has been scaled down to proper size.All measurements taken from the mockup will be multiplied by 3.3 for 1/16th scale.

Question??? I contribute text and pictures of my work to over thirty different websites and I was wondering ,is there any way that I could do this in one fowl swoop rather than posting individually to each site? I am no computer whiz (as you guys know )but I would really like to cut down on the workload a bit and spend more time actually modeling.
Besides being great for my ego,I really do enjoy contributing to this developing artform on an almost daily basis .From the number of hits I get on the web and to my photobucket,I guess you guys are enjoying it too.
Any ideas other than" quit " would be most appreciated.Cheers! John.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Backyard Flier Module #1
I cut out a 22X30.5 inch piece of plywood,sanded it and painted on two coats of lacquer.Over this, I put on a medium coat of straight white glue,poured some sand on and then shook off the excess.I found a flat surface and clamped and screwed down the plywood to it.This last step is most important to keep things level as the glue dries overnight.
The line that you see is because I did this in two sessions as I wanted to take pics of the full procedure from start to finish.(see my photobucket)The purpose of the sand coat is to give the surface tooth for the landscaping to come.

Thanks to those who offered your suggestions on posting.I think what I will do is only post pics during the week(a pic is worth a thousand words they say)and post a text summery on the weekends.If anyone has a specific question on a pic during the week please feel free to ask.

 

[JohnReid]

Model Photography For Dummies.

I am a dummy.I know nothing about taking pics.I haven't even read the book.Never taken a lesson but I do take pictures,lots of pictures.What is there to lose?
Cheap cameras are everywhere,no film to buy,no fancy set up required.Welcome to modern model photography the way I practice it. The only requirement is a willingness to break the rules and a creative mind.Breaking the rules is easy and a creative mind you guys obviously already have or you wouldn't be making models.Some have no interest in taking pictures at all and that is fine, in fact ,I was one of those until just a few years ago.In order to share with you guys how I build dioramas,I was forced to do it.I already had an expensive film type camera which I hardly ever used(didn't read the book on that one either) It was all too much of a hassle,buying film,nail biting while waiting for my pics at the camera store, only to discover 20 odd dollars later that the camera was on the wrong setting,storing all the photos in expensive binders,and all those mixed up negatives in an ever increasing pile in a box somewhere. This was not for me!
Then came the digital camera,the wonderful digital camera and my problems were solved.Unlimited creative freedom at hardly any expense to my pocketbook or my ego,hit the delete and no one will ever know.I can take as many pics as I want, complete freedom with no regrets!
Just remember to change the batteries and the card once in awhile and off you go into a whole new world of model picture taking.
In future installments on this theme I would like to share with you guys how a dummy can take pretty good pictures too!
Cheers! John.

 

[JohnReid]

A camera for dummies.
My choice? Canon power shot A540 Why? it was on sale.
I know absolutely nothing about cameras,so don't even ask.What I do know is that this little camera has all the features I want.On/Off switch,auto and AV settings,4X zoom and 6.0 pixels.It also has lots of other settings about which I know nothing about.The AV setting I learned about from a friend when I wasn't getting much clarity in the background of my pics.
One feature I really like and discovered by accident,is when using the zoom I can push the "take the pic button" halfway down at get an idea of what lighting I need for the finished pic.It also allows me to move around a hand held light for different effects.(more on this later)
It has a flash which I never use and a well used erase button.I would however like to know how I change the DPI settings which I never could figure out ,which causes me to use too much memory, as I seldom blow up my pics to poster size anyway.(Think of DPI like dots on a newspaper picture,the more dots the clearer the picture)
Well that is about it for the camera,all the other buttons and switches I know nothing about and I am actually afraid to use them as I fear that if I play with them I will somehow screw up what seems to be working for me now.Geez...what a dummy! :blink:
Next? my fancy accessories.