I’ll guide you through the process of taking a small piece of foam and turning it into your next masterpiece. Even a small diorama that can fit in the palm of your hand can be full of detail and intrigue.

In this tutorial I’ll take you on a journey and show you some interesting techniques for getting great results when it comes to adding detail to very small areas, especially on a small diorama.

The techniques used here can easily be applied to all manners of modeling whether you specifically model dioramas or maybe you model war gaming terrain and for all those who build model railways that are HO scale, OO scale or even N scale and O scale then this video will be a good reference for your modeling should you decide to add some of these small intricate details.

*Materials List*



- BASE -
Glass dome display case – Most home depot stores have them otherwise eBay/Amazon
KNAUF Foam insulation board – Bunnings Warehouse (Australia)
Amaco Sculptamold
Jo Sonja’s Fawn
Jo Sonja’s Burnt Umber
Vallejo Black
Rustoleum Flat Black



- SCENERY –
Dirt Texture – 50/50 mix of a light colored dirt that has been sifted through a stocking and a lighter colored grout (Davco Tumbleweed was the color used).
Dirt Mound – Sifted dirt however it has not been mixed with grout, just used the natural color which is much darker and it has been sifted to provide two different grades (Fine - sifted through a strainer & Ultra fine – sifted through a stocking).
Static Grass – Mininature, 4-5mm Late Fall, 2mm Late Fall & 2mm Early Fall.
Leaves – Real dried leaves put into a blended and then sifted through a strainer to remove unwanted larger pieces.
Path – Weathered with Yellow Ochre Pastel



- TREE -
Salt Bush – A natural plant that grows mostly in desert areas. Sage Brush can be used as a good substitute or any other natural plant that has good definition in the trunk.



- DETAILS -
Tomb Stone:
Made using the Anet A8 3D printer and a free design program called http://www.TinkerCad.com

Chain Barrier:
0.8mm (size of each individual link) Jewelry Necklace
Ferric Chloride – Used to weather and darken the necklace
Basswood – 0.0416 x 0.0416 inches, Midwest Products
India Ink – Used to weather posts
32 gauge jewelry wire – Used to create small loops at top of post

Ladder:
Basswood – 0.0208 x 0.0416 (Uprights) & 0.0208 x 0.0208 (Cross Steps) Midwest Products
Vallejo Light Mud – Main color of ladder
Vallejo English Uniform – Color used to weather the ladder
Super Glue used to assemble ladder

Wheel Barrow:
From the Bachmann HO scale construction workers package

Man Digging:
From the Preiser track workers package

Man in grave:
A figure from a cheap bulk pack of figures ordered from eBay (China) – Repainted to look much better

Open Grave:
Assembled with pieces of strip wood ‘North East Scale
Lumber Co.’ HO scale 2” x 4” Weathered with India Ink diluted in water



- TOOLS -
Home made Static Grass Applicator –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gYmeRaaaL8&index=7&list=PLA1bRusvoCbTCjYz5MnvnxWyhV5ckRD5q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5o2l5EaeNE&index=6&list=PLA1bRusvoCbTCjYz5MnvnxWyhV5ckRD5q
Home made Hot Wire Foam Cutter –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GWzHb4Hd8Y&index=1&list=PLA1bRusvoCbTCjYz5MnvnxWyhV5ckRD5q
Anet A8 3D Printer
MicroMark Chop-It
Iwata Revolution Airbrush
Tweezers
Pin Vice
Sand paper – Various grades
Paint Brushes – Various types
Jewelers Files



- GLUES -
Mod Podge Matte
Isopropyl Alcohol
Helmars Super Tac Glue
Selleys Super Glue – With brush


Music:
YouTube audio library
Rhodesia by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/

Wheels by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Premium Beat – Green Screen