JohnReid
A Fixture
Drawing courtesy of Shep Paine.
Shadow box storyboard dioramas!
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Drawing courtesy of Shep Paine.
JohnReid
A Fixture
Drawing courtesy of Shep Paine
JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
Here is what a shadow box may look like with a reveal installed.You could take any image that you think might make a good shadow box diorama and test it out using photoshop.
JohnReid
A Fixture
Drawing courtesy of Shep Paine.
JohnReid
A Fixture
Model and pic courtesy of Ken Hamilton.
JohnReid
A Fixture
I love this pic! It is just full of ideas and I have borrowed many of them for my own stuff.
The way I see it the "this side up" box is what did it for me.The rest just builds upon the story of this mans work habits being just a little chaotic .He likes girls and is probably a smoker.
I imagine that most of the boxes contain outboard motor engine parts probably old parts being shipped out because the tape is still not pressed down on the edges.The car tire seems new so he must be importing tires for his truck.etc...etc...
One thing has me puzzled though why the large scale screw on top of the box on the R/H side.? I think that Ken was playing a bit with the viewer to see if he noticed it or not.
The way I see it the "this side up" box is what did it for me.The rest just builds upon the story of this mans work habits being just a little chaotic .He likes girls and is probably a smoker.
I imagine that most of the boxes contain outboard motor engine parts probably old parts being shipped out because the tape is still not pressed down on the edges.The car tire seems new so he must be importing tires for his truck.etc...etc...
One thing has me puzzled though why the large scale screw on top of the box on the R/H side.? I think that Ken was playing a bit with the viewer to see if he noticed it or not.
JohnReid
A Fixture
The Barn Siding look.
Unless you are planning a brand newly painted structure, weathering to some degree will be required.I like the old ,to really old look, for my structures.Old,well used,grimy, oily etc...Depending on the subject, it can be total mess or fairly orderly.Anything military would require a certain neatness about it,civilian its your choice.Actually messy and old is easier to do than clean and neat ,once you get weathering techniques and "thinking messy "conquered. Anything clean and neat and it is easy to spot mistakes,old and messy you can just cover them up.But messy has its own challenges too.For some reason we instinctively like to line things up in orderly fashion. Example:we plant tree in rows ,space them evenly and usually put them 90deg to one another.But the natural order of things, in 1:1 scale, is usually the opposite.
When planing a scene I often have to stop and think "how can I screw this up to make it look more natural".It is a surprisingly difficult thing to overcome.
One big problem is making things too shiny,even cars in showrooms have a little dust and fingerprints on them.Shininess on figures can be a disaster and can spoil an otherwise natural looking scene and make the whole thing look toy like.A lot of modelers seem to go to great lengths to avoid doing figures, and being tooo shiny is a major reason why.You can do nice dioramas with no figures at all ,but a car with no driver, driving down a busy street with no people ,looks just a little strange to me.(something like the TV series "Life after Man")
Once you have the kind of structure you want in mind then you will start to gather a few supplies.I like wood,nothing looks as natural as real wood but you have to be careful to pick the proper species for the scale your working in, unless to plan to completely cover it with paint.The easiest hobby wood to obtain other than balsa(don't even think about it) is basswood for building weathered structures.Select pine from the lumber yard is ok too but you really have to watch for the growth ring patterns.Hardwoods ,for general structure purposes I would avoid, as I would nails for putting it together.Why ? simple answer broken drills.Use wood pegs instead or use glue and fake the nail heads.
Basswood in small scales is usually available in hobby stores that supply the RR guys, as they have been using it a long time.For larger scales I have seen on occasion scale basswood in framing shops.The larger stuff is usually easily available from lumberyards or woodcarvers supply houses.I use a lot of select pine in my large scale structures,which I buy already cut to size or I trim it myself on my band or scroll saw.For the smaller scales just about everything you will need comes pre-cut although you may have to compromise a little on scale.
Plywood is usually available anywhere in most thicknesses but use only the best stuff for hobby work,usually clear white birch. to be cont......
Unless you are planning a brand newly painted structure, weathering to some degree will be required.I like the old ,to really old look, for my structures.Old,well used,grimy, oily etc...Depending on the subject, it can be total mess or fairly orderly.Anything military would require a certain neatness about it,civilian its your choice.Actually messy and old is easier to do than clean and neat ,once you get weathering techniques and "thinking messy "conquered. Anything clean and neat and it is easy to spot mistakes,old and messy you can just cover them up.But messy has its own challenges too.For some reason we instinctively like to line things up in orderly fashion. Example:we plant tree in rows ,space them evenly and usually put them 90deg to one another.But the natural order of things, in 1:1 scale, is usually the opposite.
When planing a scene I often have to stop and think "how can I screw this up to make it look more natural".It is a surprisingly difficult thing to overcome.
One big problem is making things too shiny,even cars in showrooms have a little dust and fingerprints on them.Shininess on figures can be a disaster and can spoil an otherwise natural looking scene and make the whole thing look toy like.A lot of modelers seem to go to great lengths to avoid doing figures, and being tooo shiny is a major reason why.You can do nice dioramas with no figures at all ,but a car with no driver, driving down a busy street with no people ,looks just a little strange to me.(something like the TV series "Life after Man")
Once you have the kind of structure you want in mind then you will start to gather a few supplies.I like wood,nothing looks as natural as real wood but you have to be careful to pick the proper species for the scale your working in, unless to plan to completely cover it with paint.The easiest hobby wood to obtain other than balsa(don't even think about it) is basswood for building weathered structures.Select pine from the lumber yard is ok too but you really have to watch for the growth ring patterns.Hardwoods ,for general structure purposes I would avoid, as I would nails for putting it together.Why ? simple answer broken drills.Use wood pegs instead or use glue and fake the nail heads.
Basswood in small scales is usually available in hobby stores that supply the RR guys, as they have been using it a long time.For larger scales I have seen on occasion scale basswood in framing shops.The larger stuff is usually easily available from lumberyards or woodcarvers supply houses.I use a lot of select pine in my large scale structures,which I buy already cut to size or I trim it myself on my band or scroll saw.For the smaller scales just about everything you will need comes pre-cut although you may have to compromise a little on scale.
Plywood is usually available anywhere in most thicknesses but use only the best stuff for hobby work,usually clear white birch. to be cont......
JohnReid
A Fixture
Courtesy of Ken Hamilton.
JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
Underside of subfloor assembly.
Here I used "good one side plywood" and cheap but straight pine from an old wall construction.Sometimes salvaged wood is the best as it is very stable.Glue together on a flat surface,do not use nails or screws except to temporarily tack things together while the glue dries.
Here I used "good one side plywood" and cheap but straight pine from an old wall construction.Sometimes salvaged wood is the best as it is very stable.Glue together on a flat surface,do not use nails or screws except to temporarily tack things together while the glue dries.
JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
Topside with tongue depressor floor installed and painted.
Select your flooring for different shades of wood.Apply thin transparent washes of brownish-gray flat acrylic paint to the bare wood and let some grain show through.I use a paint called JoSonja acrylic mostly because I got into it when I was decorative bird carving.The color on the floorboards is nimbus gray with a touch of raw umber added.Paint individual boards before gluing to sub-floor to avoid glue spots. Draw guide lines on the plywood sub-floor as a guide for laying down your strip wood ,after you decide which direction the flooring will run.Sometimes running your floor boards at 45deg to the walls makes for a different look.
Select your flooring for different shades of wood.Apply thin transparent washes of brownish-gray flat acrylic paint to the bare wood and let some grain show through.I use a paint called JoSonja acrylic mostly because I got into it when I was decorative bird carving.The color on the floorboards is nimbus gray with a touch of raw umber added.Paint individual boards before gluing to sub-floor to avoid glue spots. Draw guide lines on the plywood sub-floor as a guide for laying down your strip wood ,after you decide which direction the flooring will run.Sometimes running your floor boards at 45deg to the walls makes for a different look.
JohnReid
A Fixture
Courtesy of Ken Hamilton.
JohnReid
A Fixture
Here is a good example of how to do a simple framed structures.How much of the structure that you will require will be up to what you are planning to reveal.The floor? plus a side wall?back panel plus two sidewalls,maybe even a little of the roof structure?
This would be a good time to get out some cardboard or foam board and do a small mock-up of your ideas.I use foam board as it is easy to tack together using pins.I like to do mine to scale ,as then I can use the mock-up for measurements if I decide to go to a larger or smaller scale.
Once you have your mock-up done, you can start being a little creative as to how you want to position the objects relative to one another, always keeping in mind the point of view through your reveal.I sometimes take a small piece of cardboard and cut out a reveal in it and look around the mock-up,looking for the best angles.You can also take pics with your camera and then go to photoshop and play with it there making your own reveal and even framing it.
Fun stuff eh!
This would be a good time to get out some cardboard or foam board and do a small mock-up of your ideas.I use foam board as it is easy to tack together using pins.I like to do mine to scale ,as then I can use the mock-up for measurements if I decide to go to a larger or smaller scale.
Once you have your mock-up done, you can start being a little creative as to how you want to position the objects relative to one another, always keeping in mind the point of view through your reveal.I sometimes take a small piece of cardboard and cut out a reveal in it and look around the mock-up,looking for the best angles.You can also take pics with your camera and then go to photoshop and play with it there making your own reveal and even framing it.
Fun stuff eh!
JohnReid
A Fixture
Courtesy of Shep Paine.
JohnReid
A Fixture
courtesy of Shep Paine.
JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
This is the way most of my structures are built.I start with foam board and draw on windows,doors etc.,then holding an Xacto # 11 blade at right angles I cut them out. (Save the cutouts in case you change your mind and want to re-glue them in.)
I then begin framing the wall with the straightest pieces of wood that I can find ,following the same methodology as if you where framing a 1:1 scale structure.
If you want a barnsiding type structure do not seal the wood and watch for excess glue stains.
In most cases for shadow boxes you will only be sheathing the interior walls.
Warning! when using foam board and unsealed wood ,warping can be a problem.Find a flat surface and weight the structure down flat with books,bricks etc.. overnight,when using any type of water based glue.
I then begin framing the wall with the straightest pieces of wood that I can find ,following the same methodology as if you where framing a 1:1 scale structure.
If you want a barnsiding type structure do not seal the wood and watch for excess glue stains.
In most cases for shadow boxes you will only be sheathing the interior walls.
Warning! when using foam board and unsealed wood ,warping can be a problem.Find a flat surface and weight the structure down flat with books,bricks etc.. overnight,when using any type of water based glue.
JohnReid
A Fixture
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