Shadow box storyboard dioramas!

[JohnReid]

Shadow box storyboard dioramas!
Want to try something new? Tired of ships on the mantel,in cases,in bottles etc....How about a ship in a box or built into a wall?Want to tell a story and take your ship modeling to another level ? Tired of kits and putting together the work of somebody else? Like to try a little scratch building ? then shadow box storyboard dioramas may be for you.
I have been doing them for almost forty years now ,so I think that it is time to start a tutorial on the subject.I started with a ship, then continued to aviation themes,so now maybe its time to get back to my first love and do something nautical.
I am presently developing some ideas that will require some imagination and skill but at very little cost to the builder.It would be a very good place for beginners on a limited budget to start ship modeling or for old timers( like myself )to take their skills to a new level and think of modeling in a whole different way.Like to give it a try? well stand by.
Cheers! John.

 

[JohnReid]

I guess the best place to start would be to quote someone who is a modern master of this art form,Shep Paine.
What is a shadow box?
"A shadow box is a diorama set into a box and viewed through an opening in one side,and its effect is essentially that of a three-dimensional painting. In many ways,the shadow box is the ultimate form of the diorama.This is because of the degree of control over all aspects of the display that a shadow box affords the modeler.In a shadow box you can dictate the viewing angle,lighting conditions,and,most important ,the atmosphere and mood of the scene."(Sheperd Paine,from "How to Build Dioramas.")

 

[JohnReid]

Diorama and photo by Shep Paine.

Please be advised that Shep himself has approved of my use of his pic.

 

[JohnReid]

I figured why not start with one of the best examples I can think of "To a Fair Wind.... and Victory"The depiction of Nelson and his Captains prior to the Battle of Copenhagen.Put a frame around this and you have what looks like a 2D work of art in 3D.Wonderful stuff!

 

[JohnReid]

When doing a shadow box type of diorama a lot of decisions have to made before you even think of starting to actually build something.Your subject matter of course will be based upon your interests but the basics of making dioramas cross all artificial boundaries.Ship builders may want to do a harbor scene with a truck unloading its cargo,aircraft builders may want to show service vehicles,figure makers may want to include a tank and so on.
When doing dioramas you must start to think like a dioramist(word?)Dioramas generally do not come in kits where everything is usually supplied.Right from the get go your creativity and imagination is your most important tool.You are creating a storyboard scene much like a stage or movie director would do.You are stage manager,storyteller,props manager,lighting expert,carpenter etc.. etc.. all rolled into one.This is your single frame production without the luxury of music and dialogue to help tell your story.Sounds difficult? not really,it just requires basic building skills and lots and lots of imagination.
It is my opinion that lots of modelers drop out of the model building hobby because the idea of constructing object after object, no matter how intricate, becomes really boring.All the fun, creative part has already been done and you just put it together to create something that looks like what everybody else has done.You can still opt to use kits in your diorama,I do it all the time,but this is only a minor part of what a dioramist does.It is like painters who copy the masters,everyone does it in the beginning and then move on from there to do their own thing.What really separates the artist from all the others is his imagination.A lot of dioramists are just frustrated directors, but even Stephen Spielberg doesn't build everything on his movie sets.He has others do it for him.He says where the objects may go and how they relate to one another but even his job is easy compared to what we do when making our storyboard dioramas.How much we scratch build and how many kits we use is really irrelevant ,it is in how we use these objects to tell our story.I know many model makers take a lot of pride in scratch building stuff,I know I do,but if I can find an object as a kit or already build, I will use it in my dioramas but it is usually a highly modified version of the original.
Remember our primary goal is to tell our story.It doesn't matter if it is fact or fiction or fact with even a lot of artistic license thrown in.If we are successful we will raise an emotion in our viewers beyond just "isn't that a nice ship,car, truck figure or whatever it is."For the storyboard dioramist that is simply not enough,we have stories to tell and that makes all the difference.The Art is in the storytelling not the craftsmanship.

 

[Michael Tse]

Wow, now I want to have my own shadow box made, albeit with a different theme.

A true work of art!

 

[JohnReid]

That is wonderful Michael! Time to rev up the old imagination.

 

[JohnReid]

Imagination is the most important tool in your workshop and like working with any tool it can get better and better the more you work with it.Sometimes ideas come easily and sometimes you have to work at it a bit.Don't worry about being influenced by other artists/craftsman ,we all borrow ideas on occasion.What is important is that you add your own signature to the work.No I don't mean that you directly copy the work of someone else,where is the fun in that! I mean that it is perfectly acceptable to add your own artistic imagination to an idea that you may have seen somewhere else.
People who build models are usually very visual by nature , certain images will stay with you over time the trick is to be able to tap into that when you need to.
Sometimes I will get an idea just before hitting the sack at night, so I keep paper and pencil handy in the drawer.I have heard other people say riding in their cars or taking a shower etc... will do the trick.Look at books or magazines with lots of pictures.The internet,movies are a great sources for ideas.Anyway, you get the picture.
It is perfectly acceptable to use pre-bought props in your work.What I mean is that when thinking like a dioramist(word?) everything becomes a prop to help support your ideas.Yes objects are important but for the dioramist they are only props to help tell the story of that image stuck in your brain.Dioramas can be very liberating for those who are laboring away on the craft side of things making copies of this or that object.To do storyboard dioramas is to be a director of creative ideas not a slave to creating a perfect copy this or that.

 

[JohnReid]

Maybe I should start with a little history.Thirty years ago Shepard Paine wrote a book called "How to Build Dioramas.Aircraft,armor,ship and figure models.In doing so he launched himself into the role of master of the modern diorama.His book became my modeling bible and so it did for many others.His imagination and creativity just blew me away. You can't forget that most modelers of the time ,if they new anything at all about dioramas, they thought that dioramas were all about making a nice base to sit their already completed model on.I say most modelers because the armor guys seem to have been familiar with them for some time and were even then producing very nice work.The same thing can be said for the makers of dollhouses and RR layouts.Aircraft guys really responded to Shep's work after his book came on the market because of the work he did making dioramas for the Monogram Company.You can also see his influence making its way slowly into the world of figures,cars and ships.
Dioramas have been around for a long time but were usually associated with a wooden box with a glass front that would display something of value or interest.Some ventured a little further and added a revel and maybe some lighting.Seldom would anyone go beyond that, although you do on occasion see a display that actually moves using some mechanical device.
There are basically two types of modern dioramas,the traditional shadowbox and the in -the-round type that is viewable from more than just one angle.Until Shep came along there was very little out there for the modern modeler to be inspired by.Then his storyboard dioramas came on the modeling scene and got a lot of attention from modelers because he was working with things that they were familiar with like kits and things found in most hobby stores.But I think that his greatest contribution was his use of dioramas to tell a story.In my opinion this was a giant leap forward taking the making of dioramas from a craft to an art. to be cont....

 

[JohnReid]

Shep's influence on my work was profound, it was around 1980 that I bought a first edition of his then new book.I was building a 1/72 scale model of HMS Victory at the time, and I thought that adding a few crew members would be a good idea, more as a decoration that anything else.Then I heard about the "Drumming Daybreak" ceremony carried out at dawn each day.While I was in the planning stage with this, I also read something about a tradition that when a ship was in harbor under bare poles or furled sails, the Royal Navy had standing orders that the following precautions be taken.
Normally,a marine drummer would stand out on the marine's walk just before dawn ,and start a rhythmic drumming sequence until it was said you could see "gray goose at a mile".He was then to stop drumming, and a single cannon shot would be fired, and the flag raised at the stern.However,while the ship was in harbor all hands would be on deck with the guns run out ready to fire.An officer would then scan the horizon for any enemy ships that may have approached during the night. He then would give the all clear signal. The ships guns were then run back in and the daily routine could begin.
This ceremony fit very nicely into my bare poles type ship rig ,which otherwise would look a little ridiculous sitting there will all its guns run out.This then became my first storyboard diorama.
Years later while constructing a WW1 airplane diorama I thought that maybe I would try my first and only storyboard shadow box diorama, and stick it in an old TV cabinet that was a nice piece of furniture that I was about to throw out.At the time I had no idea that this piece would someday end up in a museum, so viewing angle of a diorama almost sitting on the floor was not of great concern to me.Today the diorama is finished and waiting to be taken to its final home .I had added lighting to both the inside and outside to create a nice effect but I don't think that the outside part would be up to safety code for public display.Anyway this was part of its evolution and afforded me some nice pictures of a "sun through the barn siding" kind of look.How it will finally be displayed is up to the museum. to be cont.....

 

[JohnReid]

Another great book which unfortunately is out of print now is Ken Hamilton's "How to Build Creative Dioramas." It is geared more towards the making of cars and building structures .
Luckily I have his permission to use some of his pics and short quotes from his book.As I have mentioned before Shep Paine has also kindly allowed me the same privilege,in fact a lot of the pics you will see in this thread come directly from him.
As some of you guys might already know I will be posting this thread to different websites dealing with all kinds of models.Dioramas tend by their nature to cross certain boundaries as far as subject matter is concerned.I will however try as much as possible to keep airplane subjects with airplane sites,ships with ship sites etc...The techniques are pretty much the same so I would ask you guys to please bear with me if I am not always talking about your specific area of interest.Of course the moderators will have the final say on this.Please try to tolerate a little crossover.

Other good references for what is available out there to help you make a decision on what to build and in what scale, are the model sellers websites.I especially like the Model Expo site for the variety of subject matter, in many scales.I also use the category section of the Greatmodels website, mainly because of the way they group the scale catgories together and have pics of what you are buying.I am sure that you guys have your favorites too.For example I am looking at a catalog right now and in it I can find many potential centerpieces for future dioramas.Airplanes in 1/16th which is my favorite scale,a stagecoach in 1/12th ,cannons in 1/16th and 1/24th scale,ships and boats in just about every scale.A ships battle station in 1/23 or a armed laucnch in 1/16th,both of which would make the beginning of great dioramas.Streetcars,locomotives and on and on.The only limiting factors here are the availability of figures in your chosen scale and how big the final diorama will be.
Beginners just staring out could use past projects that were never finished,or fell on the floor or the cat ate ,to make great dioramas at no cost at all.Crashed airplanes, sunken ships,things under construction are all potential subjects for these throw-aways.And there is no stress involved because the investment here is only your time.
It is important when developing your ideas to know what may be available to you and in what scale,especially for beginners who want to do the least amount of scratch building.In other words,if you want to build something in 1/48 scale, are their figures available to you in the poses that you want? or are you willing to do a little modifying.In my dioramas I like relaxed poses mainly because they are easier to work with and suit my style of modeling.to be cont...

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Here is another good example of a shadow box by Shep called "Mr. Christian!"Now anyone familiar with ships and the sea will know what this story is all about.Captain's cabin,breadfruit..............
Sorry about the quality of the pic.

 

[rej]

INSPIRATIONAL AS EVER John THANKS.....and also THANKS to Shep, "OUR" Father

Ray

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

This is where things stand as of today with my first shadow box diorama.The diorama sits on top of its former potential home.If I was to finish this as is, I would have to add a black revel and a picture like frame.Actually the diorama does fit inside but is a little too big for the cabinet to be a true shadow box type.That will be solved by making a new box but that is not my problem anymore!Thank goodness because I am the world worst carpenter in 1:1 scale.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

This is the back and its Christmas bulb type wiring going through the roof.The tongue depressors are painted black on the back as they are very thin and I didn't want any light showing through other than through the cracks and spaces between the individual boards.I wanted a barn siding like effect.
The unpainted portion on the left is the garage door when viewed from the inside.On the right is a viewing port for taking pics that has yet to be painted.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

This side view shows my mickey mouse wiring that would never pass the code.I installed it for picture taking only ,as I liked the effect it gave to the interior of the diorama ,which will now have to be sacrificed for safety sake.