HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I took the rare opportunity to take some really closeup pics of a static display Bleriot XI that usually is hanging from the ceiling at the Canadian Aviation Heritage Center at Montreal.They are changing the prop for a more authentic one of the period. One wing has been removed for convenience.
These are very good reference pics for those wishing to scratchbuild a static or a flying model of this famous airplane.Please note that these pics are for your reference only and may differ significantly from the real airplane.
See my photobucket album CAHC, then click on Bleriot model at CAHC in the sub albums.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

This is a very slow process for a number of reasons.First and foremost is my ambition usually exceeds my energy level.Where I used to be able to work eight hours at a stretch ,I now only work three or four.The repetitive nature of the stuff I am doing now may also have something to do with it. My inability to drop one project for another, before the first one is completed ,could be another factor.When I get tired of building I usually am doing some kind of research instead of actual building.
Why do I mention this? well aging is not something we normally build into our future plans.If you want to get good at this stuff there is definitely a learning curve involved. Better to get most of the steep learning curve part out of the way while we are relatively young.It takes a lot of energy in the beginning to commit oneself to learning something new,energy that may be not be there as we get older.I read somewhere that every man or woman should have at least three careers in their lifetime,the last one beginning in their fifties.Aside from all the usual pressures of life work,family,etc..it has been said that the most creative time in the life of most artists begins during this decade.I guess what I am trying to say is don't rely upon your retirement to get it done.If you feel a need to be artistically creative better start now.
"Whatever you can do or dream you can,begin it.Boldness has genius,power,and magic in it.Begin it now."(Johann Von Goethe)

End of lecture........


In the latest pic you can see the difference between the almost finished brickwork and the newer facade.
Once the basic color is on the face of the facade, the real fun begins.Each brick has to be worked on individually to achieve a nice varied and subtle look.It can really be time consuming but it is worth the extra effort in the end.
The most important thing to remember is that you are essentially working with watercolors (gouache-acrylic) and it is important to use lots of water in your mixes and not get things too dark too quickly.Take full advantage of the transparency of the medium and paint in thin coats to achieve subtle differences in color or intensity.All the colors in the brickwork you see is the result of only one tube color put on in thin layers.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

After working the brick with acrylics,I take a small soft brush and work a little gray pastels into some of the spaces between the bricks to help create the mortar look.I then take a little burnt sienna pastel and clean up the bricks face.At scale distance it seems to look OK.

[JohnReid]

If anyone is building a model Bleriot out there or is contemplating building one, I have posted a lot of in-progress pics from the bare frame up, on my photobucket and in the replica section of this forum.This is an actual 1-1 scale aircraft that is going to be flown next July.Some mods have been made for safety reasons and it has a Rotex engine but for the basics these pics were taken by a modeler from a modelers view point.

[JohnReid]

Here it is a before and after pastels.On the left side of the pic is the unfinished wall and on the top right after using burnt sienna pastels.A little weathering is still required but I will delay this until just before final assembly.
I plan to use this facade for other picture compositions(vignettes), especially old cars,before putting it in the diorama.