Briefly about the article: A new section on creating game attributes with your own hands is opened by a guide to creating landscapes for wargames.

Fantastic landscape

How to make a diorama

Until relatively recently, when few of our compatriots even knew about the existence of wargames, the creation of a diorama was very challenging task. “Folk craftsmen” used everything to make a beautiful “table landscape”: they soaked moss in glycerin and melted it gel candles, and sifted sand through grandmother's stockings... Now, thanks to the appearance of a huge amount special means, creating your own diorama just got a lot easier. You will need a little imagination, a little ingenuity, a few free evenings and one great desire to make your own, unique landscape - for playing Warhammer, for example, or just for fun.

The first and most important thing to do when starting to develop your own landscape is to choose a base material: plywood (or a special board), foam plastic (a special one is used for diorama, smooth to the touch) or cardboard folded in several layers. Each material has its own strengths and weak sides, but, in my opinion, it is best to use plywood - it is the easiest to find, it is strong and quite durable. If the area of ​​the diorama approaches one square meter, it is better to take plywood with a thickness of at least 10 mm - otherwise when further processing the foundation can “lead.”

Laying out the relief

To create the terrain, it is best to use a special foam sheet. Different manufacturers produce polystyrene foam of various thicknesses - from 2 to 10 cm, which gives sufficient freedom for maneuver. On plywood base For dioramas, we recommend that you first place a thin sheet (2 cm), gluing it regular glue PVA. The glue should not be applied very thickly, then be sure to leave the diorama for several hours.

While it is drying, it’s time to think through the details of the landscape - mountains, ravines, artificial embankments, rivers, lakes, underground grottoes, etc. Having drawn a sketch on paper, we begin to embody it in foam plastic. We proceed like this: slowly, lay out the foam layer by layer, marking the relief with a marker, and then trimming (or cutting) it using a special burner.

The simplest and most inexpensive burner is a battery-powered one, produced by Games Workshop. There are also more professional models - for example, produced by Woodland Scenic. This burner is powered from the mains and allows you to work not only with landscapes: thanks to interchangeable attachments and stops, you can make, for example, fortress walls and buildings.

After the final adjustment of the relief layers, they need to be glued together. To do this, we use PVA again, moving from bottom to top. After gluing every three layers, it is recommended to leave the work, allowing the structure to dry for 5-10 hours. If possible, always place the weight on top, distributing it evenly over the surface of the diorama.

It is not at all necessary to make the relief entirely from foam plastic. For example, you can significantly diversify your diorama by using signature shapes and relief of various rock formations. They are produced by many manufacturers; you just need to fill out the form (for filling you use a regular building gypsum or a mixture of plaster with the addition of PVA) and attach it to the diorama.

Having finished with internal part, we move on to the next stage: now our task is to hide all possible flaws and complete the construction of the “base”. To do this, you need to cover the entire surface of the diorama with gauze (except for the hanging elements, if you used them, of course). This is done as follows. If the surface of your creation is fairly flat (the maximum relief is small ravines and hills), then the gauze cloth can be used to cover almost the entire diorama. If the terrain is complex, then it is better to use small pieces. Place the edge of the gauze on the diorama and start from this edge using a brush with PVA glue to level it over the surface. It is advisable to avoid folds.

Once finished, let it dry for 12 hours. Then we prepare a mixture for coating the surface - cement and sand in equal parts with PVA. It is better to cook a little at a time so that the mixture does not dry out. Then we apply the mixture to the surface and again interrupt work for 12 hours. Once is usually not enough; the gauze will still show through. When the surface dries, you will see where you need to coat more. If you used hanging elements, there is no need to cover them up.

There are many different compositions that allow you to achieve different effects when coating - for example, the Fels-Spachtel “Granit” rock surface effect developed by Noch. It is easy to prepare - just dilute it in water, dries very quickly, usually only one layer is needed. The disadvantage is predictable: the composition is very expensive.

Landscaping

The preparatory stage is over, now we begin to bring beauty. To do this, first prime the entire diorama with black acrylic paint and let it dry again. Then select Various types landscape: mountains, river bank, arable land and the like, each of them must be painted in its own special color. It is clear that gray (or maybe red or even black, if you want to create a distinctly “sinister” landscape) is best for mountains; yellow (sand) is best for a river bank; for a future meadow or forest, it is best to use brown “earthen” "tones.

Best used for painting dry brush technique. To do this, apply a certain amount of paint to a palette, which can be thick cardboard, take a wide flat brush with soft bristles, coat it in the applied paint and wipe everything with confident movements on the same cardboard until the brush becomes dry (almost no paints). Only after this do we paint the diorama element. To achieve a good effect, apply 3-4 layers of paint. Make each subsequent layer lighter, and for each subsequent layer use an increasingly dry brush than for the previous one.

Nobody forbids you to glue to your diorama everything that you took from the nearest forest - from grass and moss to leaves and pine cones, but with the current abundance, it is much better to use ready-made elements. Modern manufacturing companies produce a huge number of trees and bushes, which are planted using an awl and the same PVA glue. In yet large quantities A variety of grasses are produced in a variety of shades, which can be combined very effectively. Having chosen the place where the vegetation should be located, use a brush to apply PVA and spray the grass on top. If you apply too much glue, don’t worry: when it dries, it will become colorless.

When using static herb, you can use another great tool from Noch - the electrostatic dispenser. Sounds nerdy? Don't worry, it's just a plastic tube into which you need to fill the grass (up to about half the volume). Before use, shake the dispenser slightly, open the lid and point it towards Right place(don't forget to apply PVA!), press on the side surfaces. The grass, when it hits the surface, does not lie in heaps, but stands upright. This way you can get a completely natural grass cover.

Water is the head of everything

The best way to bring a diorama to life is to add some element water surface, be it a small stream, a stormy stream with a waterfall, or a small musty swamp. Previously, two-component resins (most often epoxy) were used to create water; now everything is much simpler. In the assortment of any company that produces components (Noch, Woodland Scenic, Zeterdes, etc.) there are many “bottles” that will be useful for both novice creators and professionals.

To create a normal reservoir level, 3 mm of special model water is enough. To create the effect of depth, you need to first paint the bottom of the reservoir with ordinary acrylic paint: deeper places with darker paint, shallow water with lighter paint. There is another effective way: pour model water into a small container and add a little liquid acrylic paint(you can use ink). Stir this mixture and safely pour it where you have a pond. In this way, you can create almost any desired shade: from cloudy toxic water to crystal bright, iridescent water surface. Remember: where you will place the water, the bottom must be very well coated! Pay special attention to this during general coating, otherwise water may simply leak out.

In addition to the surface of the water itself, you can create specific water effects - waves, breakers, waterfalls. There is no need to invent anything here - just buy a couple of special “bottles” again. It is better to squeeze out the contents not onto a diorama, but onto a previously prepared one. glossy surface(ideally degreased glass). Then, using a thin stick, add the required form, let it dry and transfer it to place. This component usually dries in about an hour.

When squeezed out, the water effect is usually white - don't be alarmed by this, after 12 hours the water in your waterfall (or wave on the river surface) will become completely transparent.

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The background of the diorama is ready, the last step remains - to fill it with structures and arrange the figures (troops). If the diorama was made for a game, try to install as few elements as possible “forever”: this way the field will be much more replayable. In general, be creative, experiment, don’t be afraid to combine different techniques and come up with new ones. And then you will probably end up with a diorama that will appeal to both wargame fans and people who are very far from Warhammer 40,000. Good luck!

Choose a topic. Dioramas are small scenes created from layers of materials based on a given theme. Think about the theme or idea you want to depict in your diorama - is it a scene from a book? Period of time? An example of an ecosystem or group of animals/plants? The options for a diorama are endless.

• The theme can range from the size of your diorama to the amount of materials you want to use. You can’t make a serious diorama in a shoebox, and it’s problematic to fit a very specific theme into a large space.
• Make sure you have necessary materials. If you want to make a nautical theme but don't have anything suitable for making fish and water, then you will have a hard time making your diorama.

Plan your diorama. Create a list of ideas that you can include in your diorama. How do you want the background to look? Will you use only found objects or also pictures? Do you need to buy materials at the store or do you have everything you need at home? Spend a little brainstorm so that your diorama ends up looking cohesive.

• Try sketching what your diorama will look like. Think about the design of all the details and the arrangement of the figures.
• Collect as many materials as possible to make a diorama. You will find it easier to use them when they are at hand than if you have to constantly look for them.

Make the base. A realistic diorama must include a base. Add soil using paint or clay. Papier-mâché can be used to create the illusion of real mountains or hills in addition to the main background.

Start adding details. Add the first piece closer to the background and sides. At this stage you should add large elements such as rocks, trees or furniture. Stick to the edges as you will fill in the center later.

Making a diorama begins with planning. It is necessary to make a sketch of the finished scene, estimate the scale of the diorama, and select models that will be placed on it. When selecting a scale, it is necessary to take into account that the larger the scale of a homemade diorama, the more expensive the models and materials used in constructing the diorama will be. In addition, on a larger scale there will be more work itself, for example - at a scale of 1:72, the facial features and small details of clothing of the character models used are practically indistinguishable, but at a scale of 1:35 you will have to work on them without fail.

A diorama must have a plot! T-34 on a pedestal is not a plot. But pulling the T-34 out of the swamp is quite a story. Story line dioramas are what all the work is for. Think it through in advance. Keep in mind that a diorama is not a painting and it should look different sides. On either side there must be some kind of emphasis, some kind of action.

The scales of the models can be comparable, for example 1:35 and 1:32 or 1:76 and 1:72. This is due to the fact that it is not always possible to find the right model in the right scale. For example, historical aircraft in the “land” scale of 1:35 or, say, “railway” scale of 1:87 are almost impossible to find.

When overall plan dioramas have been worked out, you can start selecting prefabricated plastic models. Today the catalog of plastic models is very rich, so you can choose almost any model you need from one manufacturer or another.

It is better to start assembling a diorama with a stand. The base is the basis of the diorama in general and the plot in particular! A poorly made base can ruin masterfully made figures and equipment, and kill the plot. The base is usually either multilayer plywood or a homemade box made of slats. It is advisable to make the base heavy enough so that the future diorama can stand confidently and be difficult to dislodge if it moves awkwardly or wipes off dust.

Materials for diorama construction

It is recommended to use extruded polystyrene foam as the main material for the construction of objects on a diorama (houses, soil foundations, etc.). These are insulation boards measuring half a meter by one and a half and a thickness of 10 to 100 mm. You can buy such a sheet at a construction market or store. building materials.

The advantage of this material is its ease of processing - it can be cut well with a knife, sanded, and retains marks of indentation. It's easy to imitate brickwork walls, sidewalk paving stones and the like. One sheet will last you a very long time!

As boards, you can use thin veneer, which is also sold in building materials stores.

Bricks can be made from self-hardening children's creativity, it happens various colors By mixing colors with each other you can get any shades. The production is simple - roll it into a flat cake and cut it into the size of bricks. In general, they can greatly change the appearance of a diorama.

Automotive putty is also an indispensable item for those who build dioramas. Until it hardens, it allows you to give it any look. It is convenient to use for masking flaws in the processing of polystyrene foam, creating small objects, etc.

Various garbage on the dioramas - stones, roots, etc. are easy to pick up on the street. Of course you can buy ready-made kits the same stones, or you can just go outside and collect small things.

Small changes on models can be made using thick cyacrine (glue “Second”, “Moment” in 3-10 gram tubes) and baking soda. Using a needle, apply a line of glue and sprinkle with soda. Soda and cyacrine react instantly, creating a strong conglomerate. Excess soda is carefully brushed off with a brush.

Preparing models for a diorama

It is not enough to assemble a model for a diorama; it needs to be modified. Any equipment has signs of wear; military equipment that has been in combat conditions usually bears the results of military clashes. Well, the most important thing is that no matter how you clean your equipment, there will be dirt on it! Drive a car along a rural dirt road after the rain, get out and look at the car - lumps of dirt, splashes from puddles - it all looks natural. This is, naturally, how the equipment on dioramas should look.

It is also worth considering that prefabricated plastic models often do not fully correspond to the original. And they will need to be refined so that the eye of an expert does not reveal any serious shortcomings.

Plastic models of people for the diorama are also being finalized. As I already wrote at the beginning of the article, the larger the scale of the models, the more elaboration is needed. Often several are purchased different sets and one plastic man in a diorama may consist of several original models. The head is taken from one model, the arms and legs from another, and the torso from the third. However, it all depends on your imagination. However - the more small parts and the more the diorama person differs from the original one from the set, the better the diorama will look.

Fantastic space diorama made of paper with your own hands. The template was found in an old magazine from France, the picture was published before the flight of the first Sputnik in October 1957.

Paper diorama

According to the authors, this is what the panorama of lunar exploration should have looked like. The volume of the diorama immerses us in the fantastic world of space exploration. The diorama is assembled from two sheets of paper. An excellent paper craft for Cosmonautics Day on April 12. There is a template for downloading. The master shares all the secrets of assembling the diorama in the presented video. Such a diorama can become an interesting gift or a noteworthy craft for Cosmonautics Day.

How to make a fantastic diorama out of paper with your own hands

A diorama (from the ancient Greek διά (dia) - “through”, “through” and ὅραμα (horama) - “view”, “spectacle”) is usually a ribbon-shaped semicircular pictorial picture with a foreground subject, giving the diorama volume and completeness. To assemble the diorama you will need: two sheets of thick A4 or A3 paper (recommended), paper glue and scissors. Assembly steps:

1. Download by link diorama template and print it on a color printer.
   
   
2. On printed sheets, trace all bend lines with a blunt object (indicated by dotted lines)
3. Cut out all the blanks with scissors.
   
   

   
   
   Paper diorama space exploration of the moon