Diorama Groundwork

February 7, 2002
by Vince Buonifiglio and Mike McLeary
(Vince can be reached via email at: VBuonfigli@aol.com)

The first thing to do when working on a diorama is to come up with a theme or idea. After you come up with your concept, develop it as much as possible, working out the details. Then, try to stick with it!

You can look to nature to help formulate and develop your concept.

Also, you should allow your idea to "drive your diorama" and not vice versa. For example, if you decided on a small, compact scene, try to stick with the scene that was originally envisioned.

Select a wooden base of appropriate size and build up your scene to encompass the base, as opposed to starting with a base that may be too large for your concept and adding things to it to make it look "busy" after your original scene is complete.

This takes us to the next step, selecting a wooden base. Wooden bases of various shapes and sizes are available from craft stores. In addition, sections of wood can be purchased from a lumber store, with the edges routed into a variety of different patterns.

Bases sometimes can become warped after the diorama has been finished. In general, if the base is composed of only piece of wood (as opposed to multiple pieces that have been glued together), this won't happen. The reason warpage can occur is that when water is used in constructing your diorama scene, it can get in between the sections where the wood was glued together, causing them to expand.

To prevent this from occurring, it is good to apply a coat of (waterproof) Polyurethane to your base. In addition to sealing your base in, it can improve its appearance.

Your base can also be stained or painted to make it look more attractive. This should be done before you begin working on your scene.

You may want to glue some sort of matte board down onto the top of your base, to form a foundation that your scene will be built upon. This accomplishes two things. The first is that it gives you a better looking diorama, since your scene won't be built directly upon a bare piece of wood.

The second thing this does is it gives the material that is found directly above the wood something to "grab onto," that's better than the (relatively) smooth surface of wood.

It is best to work in sections. This allows you to revisit a diorama section later, possibly seeing it in a different light. In addition, this allows for a gradual, more realistic "build-up" to be done to the sections.

Once you are satisfied with that section, go onto the next. This process allows for a better transitioning from one portion of your scene to another to be made.

If your scene will have any height to it, it is best to use a piece of Styrofoam that has been cut to size and shape to form the foundation. It may be necessary to glue a number of Styrofoam pieces together, to obtain the required height. The Styrofoam is then glued in place, down onto your base.

Some type of "putty" material is then added to the Styrofoam portion of the base, covering it completely. In addition, detail can be added to the putty.

There are several reasons for using a piece of Styrofoam to form the majority of your raised diorama scene. The first is the weight factor. In general, it is better to use a lightweight substance to form the majority of a "raised" scene, since this will result in a diorama that weighs much less than if it had been entirely composed of putty.

A second advantage to building your scene up this way is that it would otherwise take forever to form all of your raised areas completely out of putty.

A third advantage is that if you use a lot of putty, gradually adding multiple layers, there is a good chance that cracks may develop later in time, (due to the putty's weight). On the other hand, if only a thin layering of this material had been applied to your Styrofoam base, then this is less likely to occur.

There are a variety of things that can be used as your putty. One is Celluclay. This is similar to Paper Mache'. You mix it with water and it takes a while to dry. However, when dry, it remains lightweight.

Another substance that can be used is Duram's Water Putty. This is a powder that becomes clay like and dark tan in color when mixed with water.

Also, Elmars Wood Putty can be used. Since this putty is water soluble, it can be mixed in with water if it dries up.

In addition, water can be mixed in with it to create a liquid, watery substance that can be painted on with a paintbrush. A thin application of this can be applied to a cobblestone street for example, blending the individual bricks together, along with adding some nice texture to the entire street.

Elmars Wood Putty, if thinned down with water can also be used as a filler on model figures. It can be painted (with a paintbrush) into the seams found between connected parts, and will both fill the seams in, along with adding bonding strength to the area.

(Ed. note: Additional substances that can be used to cover your Styrofoam are Plaster of Paris and Spackling Compound).

While your groundwork putty is still wet, you should start working your aggregates into it. This can be grass, dirt, rocks and/or sand, or anything else that will form the landscape of your scene.

In addition, if you have any trees that will compose your scene, they can be inserted into your hardening groundwork at this point. (For additional support, you can make holes into your Styrofoam base, securing the end or your trees and gluing them in place).

If you are creating tire or track marks in your groundwork, now is also the time to do this, (before your putty hardens).

Vince has used regular old dryer lint on occasion, adding it to a diorama to form a raised hill scene. The lint was flattened out and "molded" in place. This was done while the putty groundwork was still curing. In addition, a combination of water and Elmars white glue was sprayed over it, sealing everything in place.

Vinnie then added different types of rocks and sticks to detail his scene. In addition, acrylic paints can be used to add color.

Again, you should work on your diorama in sections, not trying to do everything at once. Its appearance will be better this way. It will look more "natural," and have less of a "rushed" look.

For the groundwork, there's a ton of stuff that exists. Woodland Scenics produces a lot of materials that can be used. Hudson and Allen use to sell items as well. In general, though, it is best to locate and use regular organic items. They will look better, since they are more realistic.

Jim Rosado has found a certain type of seedpod, that when crushed, yields small pieces that resemble miniature leaves.

Some of the items that Woodland Scenics makes are static grass, dirt, sand, rocks bushes, and trees. They also produce a strong liquid glue that can be sprayed onto a scene, gluing everything in place. Pieces of "concentrated" Styrofoam are also produced by Woodland Scenics.

They also manufacture white metal trees. Initially, these trees are two-dimensional. However, by repositioning the branches, painting them and adding additional material to create leaves, you can create a pretty realistic tree.

It is still best to look at nature for realistic components. Sections from the roots of an upturned tree can yield a strikingly, realistic miniature tree. The roots emulate the tree's branches.

In addition, sagebrush (found out west) can be used to create pretty good-looking, dead trees. (Some hobby stores actually sell this sagebrush).

To create a desert scene, play sand can be used. The grains are slightly smaller than sugar grains. In addition, Bar Sand (that can be found in home improvement stores) can be used as well. These sand particles are slightly larger that sugar grains.

In general, when creating a desert scene, you want to vary the look around. In addition to the sand, you can add some small pebbles (for rocks) or even "tuffs of grass," to break up an otherwise monotonous scene.

Vinnie sometimes obtains small rocks and creates copies of them. He does this by using a polymer clay to create a mold for the rocks. The clay is baked (at 275 degrees) to cure it. When hard, Plaster of Paris is poured into the molds and realistic copies are popped out. The artificial rocks can then be positioned in different patterns, glued in place and painted, adding realism to a diorama scene.

Vinnie has also used different types of columns that are found in craft stores, (that are sold for wedding cakes), emulating Roman Columns in a diorama scene.

Mark has used a combination of Tamiya Flat White Acrylic Paint and Sweet-n-Low to simulate snow in a winter scene. The acrylic paint is pooled onto the desired location with a paintbrush. Then, the Sweet-n-Low is dumped on top. When dry, the paint acts as a glue.

Instead of trying to create his winter scene in one modeling session, Mark revisited the scene, gradually building up the "snow" coverage.