How I build dioramas Part 2

[JohnReid]

Here is a pic I took and then fancied it up using photobucket.
It is a pic of a 1/16th scale engine shop from the 1920's.It could be RR ,marine,auto or whatever.Everything here is scratchbuilt except the engine which was from a highly modified kit.Most of this is built with coffee stir stiks,tongue depressors,plywood or card.The lighting is from a dollhouse and the shades are modified brass Christmas bells.The clear glass is plexiglass savaged from an old parts container.
This is a low angle shot as if your were backing up a truck to pick up a load,probably what you might see in a rear view mirror late on a summers evening.The lights reflected in the window glass adds depth to the scene.The doors act as a frame for the scene and also help to add depth as well.
I took this pic with my old digital camera that didn't have a stabilizer,so all the lighting here is internal not hand held.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

This shot was taken using my hand held light and hand held camera technique.
I simply used my clip on light and shone it through the window to see what I could come up with.I am looking to set a mood with a little drama built in.Technically there are probably a thousand things wrong with the pic but I like it and I don't try to please anyone else.
I am a great admirer of Sergio Leone the Italian movie director,who is my self appointed creative mentor and this is the way he operated too.
In this pic I have used the open door at the rear and the shadows across the floor to create a more 3D effect.
The foreground is out of focus for a reason, as it tends to put the figures in the limelight.The bar through the middle guys face was a compromise between his face (which was really not all that well painted) and the meds box over his shoulder.The box in my mind represents the great cost in injury and lives in the early days of aviation and I wanted it in.Sometimes with my hand held camera I am very restricted in movement when I am actually reaching into the diorama itself.
What does this scene tell us ? We are inside an old building made of wood,the clothing styles are from early in the last century,the flag indicates it is air force military.The airplane is a biplane although it would work just a well with a car ,truck,boat whatever.It is probably early morning with the sun low on the horizon and the environment is a little dusty with even some smoke in the air.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Here is the same group of figures under different lighting.The sun is bright and almost overhead maybe shining down through some windows high on the hangar doors.I used the same hand help camera and lights.The biplanes wings and struts help to frame the pic.By using the shadows on the floor it helps to enhance the 3D effect.
The old sheet in the carpenters shop window has been pulled back to let some light in and also allows us to see the far wall for the same reason.The windows on the back wall open into a darkened storage area.
The idea here is to get the viewer wondering about what they could be talking about.I have left a space in the grouping to allow the viewer's imagination access to the conversion.Here again the era is around the 1920's when smuggling booze across the border was a popular thing to do.In my mind the mobster is trying to convince the barnstormer to bring some stuff in for him while the corrupt official looks on.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Here is another pic that I played a bit with in photobucket.Originally in color I wanted to see what it would look like in B&W.
I have used the carpenter's shop as the main source of light and a little overhead light to create shadows on the figures.Depth is achieved by the floorboards with a little added interest created by the light patterns on the floor.
The carpenter's shop is a self-contained unit heated in winter with a wood/coal stove.The door at the far end leads to the dispatch/airmail office.
This downshot was taken when the roof was removed from the main hangar.A lot of my shots are taken while the diorama is underway as it would be impossible to take them now.
The title of this piece is "Keepers of the Flame" 1918-1927" an era when aviation was struggling to survive commercially.
It is in honor of the risk takers,entrepreneurs&barnstormers,air show men,airmail providers etc...A period in aviation not well known today to the public.
Here the emphasis is on the guy with the tie,a large imposing figure trying to get his point across in a rather intimidating way.He could be the owner,the airport manager or a mobster but he definitely is being listened to.What is he saying? Well that is left up to the viewers imagination.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

I am just starting the interior sheathing of the forward cab wall using coffee stir stiks.This is a long procedure of cut and fit,cut and fit,filing around windows etc....These boards will be painted a weathered green .
I have continued to dull the brass using a very thin wash of raw umber either brushed on or sprayed using the old toothbrush method.
The exterior of the cab will be painted a weathered orange to look like a well faded red color and then worked over with pastels.This diorama represents a long abandoned movie set.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

I have temporarily taped the cab together to make sure that it all fits together before doing the finishing.Now I will break it down again and finish each panel individually.What looks like green barnsiding in the next picture is my standard method of aging wood stir stiks that I have discussed many times before when building old hangars.The important thing to remember is not be too neat and tidy as you want to retain the human randomness element in this type of work for it to look natural.On the other hand,remember only man plants trees in rows.Play with it and above all have fun,don't be in a rush to finish .Treat each object you do as a individual model in itself.Every piece that you do deserves the same attention whether it is that board behind the toilet or the cab instruments or cockpit panel.The key here is consistency and pride in your work !
If you make a mistake, so what, 99% of your viewers will overlook any small errors if the story is good.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

I took a brass washer and worked it to the size of the pressure instrument face,blackened it and installed it with glue.I then installed the windows and their frames.
For the side windows I may just install windows on the real side only and leave the other prop side open for picture taking purposes.Sergio loved to frame his shots using doors and windows,I like to do the same so a clear open window option is a necessity.
As you can see working with extreme closeups has its limitations when using some of the lower quality models of yesteryear.Some of today's hi quality models, like Wing nut Wings for example,have much crisper detail and hold their realism well even in 1/32 scale.
Anyway it is what it is and I don't really have any choice right now and at a normal viewing distance it will look OK.If I had more experience building locomotives I would scratch build a lot of these details but for now this will have to do.I have a second General kit that I could use as a reference for scratchbuilding somewhere down the road.
Once the window frames are completely dry I will come back with some pastels to finish them.I am not completely happy with these frames right now so I think that I will add a small strip of wood inside for more realism.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Almost there ! The window frames could use a few rusty nails and maybe a little greenish patina for the brass.
The bottom left where the wall meets the plastic floor already has a nice wood grain effect so I will leave it as is and weather the floor with pastels.A small piece of wood trim should complete this area.It is a good idea to complete everything even things that you figure will not be seen in the finished diorama which is mostly the case at normal viewing distance but the camera has a way of picking up everything good and bad.I take a lot of closeups to check for errors or improvements that could be made to improve" the look " of the piece.My favorite look is old and weathered(like me)Stuff that has some history to it.

These kits are wonderful things for the modern diorama maker if you look at them as a good place to start your modeling of any subject.A lot of the hard stuff like research has already been done by the manufacturer so why re-invent the wheel? I check a few measurements in the beginning stages of any build just to see if they are within the ballpark to satisfy myself that it is a good subject for modification.Remember that I am not looking for 100% accuracy here but a good representation of a model to be used as a prop for my diorama.I look at all my work as props to help me tell an interesting story, which in turn gives me a lot of artistic freedom to do as I please.Once it is finished I lose complete interest and go on to the next thing,in fact I usually like the pics more than the diorama itself.
Well now back to the subject at hand.I will include a pic here of the kit built out of the box by the manufacturer for comparison purposes.There is nothing wrong with new and shiny or building out of the box it really all depends upon what satisfies you, all of us begin there and some just prefer to develop our own personal style of modeling later on down the road.