HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

I then took some carpenters glue and distilled water to make a wash ,to this I added some pre-mixed water and nimbus grey and tinted the glue mix grey.(pre-mix the water-grey before adding to the glue mix)
I soaked down the kleenex with this mix using a soft brush and shaped it over the turtle deck sctructure with the brush and my finger.
I am not sure that I like the result as it may be too crinkly and wet looking however I like the weighty look between the stringers.
I will play around with it a bit more ,maybe it will look better with a few coats of flat grey.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

The tarpaulin has been trimmed and a batten nailed down along the edge.I want the canvas to look relatively new so I don't plan to weather it too much.Because the canvas is so loose looking I will bend and shape some wood battens over the turtledeck.I sort of compromised on this as the tarp may be a little bit too crinkly but I like the weight between the stringers look.
One thing that I found out is not to worry about laying down wax paper ,if you seal the wood well with lacquer the glue/water mix will not stick the tarp permanently to the protected wood.This is useful to know when making removable tarps or shaping tarps over any object.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

This is what I use to heat and bend the wood gently around its curved surface.It attains just the right temp without burning or scorching.For thin wood I just dunk it in water and begin bending ,for thicker wood or hardwood you might have to soak it in warm water for awhile.If the wood is resisting and you see cracking or splitting turn it over and try bending the other way.Every piece has its own character!

[JohnReid]