Intro - Building a Diorama

What is a Diorama?  A diorama is simply a static display or scene.  They are often used in natural history museums to create a realistic display of animals, people or plants in their natural habitat.  As model builders we enjoy displaying our models for others to see, often on a shelf or in a cabinet.  After a while the model become one of several and then one of many.

My late father-in-law, Bob Herrick, built doll houses for family and for sale.  My wife's sat on top of our TV cabinet.  How much better had I built a small table, added some lawn and plants, a picket fence, maybe some toys in the yard, a background with trees and sky, perhaps even special lighting and sound.  No one would have entered the room without noticing the house, lovingly built by a father.

If you model doll house furniture you could build a single room or even a whole house to display your work.  Model cars could be displayed in a used car lot with flags, lights and signs.  Model train engines in a round house, railroad cars in a train yard.  Properly displayed in a realistic setting a model takes on a life of it's own.

In it's grandest form we see dioramas daily in the sets for TV programs, moves and live theater.  Imagine watching the actors going through their scenes, all the dialog and actions, but without the set.  It would seem silly and unbelievable.  That is what we are going to address in this clinic, making a believable and realistic scene in which to display our models.  That is a Diorama.

Building a Diorama

I will be starting a multi-part online clinic on building a small diorama using materials new to me, Foam-Core Board, Plaster Cloth, and Light Weight Spackling.  This was begun to introduce several new model railroaders attending our club, Rail Roadrunners of Yuma, to basic layout building and scenery construction.  Even if you are not into model railroading you will find this useful for many hobby and craft displays.  Stay Tuned!