African Diorama Completed

The diorama is now completed with lights and a glass front.

A recess was cut into the background to accomodate a fluorescent light tube. Final touch up was made to colour in the white edges of the paper images.

The scene lit up and the photo was taken at night.

The completed diorama with the light tube wire to the left. A rather delightful addition to my growing range of dioramas. I call this use of scanned images "a diorama with scannfiguren..."

African Diorama

I had always wanted to do an African Diorama and there are some great animal sets from Berliner Zinnfiguren (according to IFFS journals, made by Gerhard Rucker). But the prices of these sets are daunting!

So I looked on the Internet for suitable animal images and scanned them. These were cut out and I have flat paper images.

The background was created from cardboard and the scenery featuring Mt Kilimanjaro was painted in.I wanted to use a lot of foliage in the foreground so the ground towards the front was painted darker to simulate the earth.

The paper images placed against the painted background.

The diorama being finalised. Larger foliage components being placed in the foreground.

A close-up of the diorama.

Jesus Entry into Jerusalem

This delightful set was obtained from Wilken. Note the clear difference in stylistic engraving from the superior Hafer pieces. Anatomical shortcomings in some of the pieces can be overcome within a diorama setting where pieces can be made to overlap to mask any shortcomings.

Note especially the three kids in the centre who appear to be slightly disproportionate. Contrast them with the carpenters who are very well done.

There are two repeated Roman soldiers in this set - thus I have decided to paint one of each in reversed position.

Biblical themes from the Old Testament

More Hafer Pieces. Apologies for the photography, taken in between the merriment.

Dance of Salome, Judgement of Solomon

Samson, David and Beersheba etc

Selected pieces

Some selected pieces being worked upon. Here, the contrast in engraving between the chunky Segom figures and the more refined Hafer pieces can be clearly seen.

Segom Assyrians on a Lion Hunt - closer to 40mm in size.

Hafer Greek Mythology Pieces  - Flesh is given a cooler look with purple glaze in the shadows.

Xmas party in the Mediterranean

Been busy over the X'mas period. Besides the crafting of many boxes and frames, I carried on doodling on many sets at a time.

Mohr Gyspy pieces

Hafer Etruscan set

Ochel Assyrian dancing girls. Here, a stronger contrast is made between highlights and shadows in the flesh painting.

These pieces seem to suggest a rollicking good time.

Merry X'mas!

Box diorama featuring the Prince Imperial

I got this compact set from Braune.

It is based on a paintng by Paul Jamin and shows the death of the only son of the exiled Emperor Napoleon III in Zululand.

   The background was made from cardboard and fitted into a compact frame. A rocky outcrop was fabricated from a resin casting.

                             The background was painted and the figures were test fitted into this scene.

                 Grass was added to the foreground to create a 3-dimensional effect in such a small scene.

 Shorter strands of grass were added away from the foreground. Small stones were added to the scene.

The completed box diorama framed and placed on the wall.

With this piece, I am now mixing up the elements of flats and 3 dimensional props in the foreground. Future dioramas will continue to test the parameters of doing box dioramas in small spaces, with a view to keeping the depth of each box diorama to a minimum.

Greek Myths

Started working on some superb Hafer set pieces.

                                         Simple basic undercoating with Red brown and highlights.