HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

JohnReid · 11 February 2006, 08:13 AM

Diorama Lighting (continued from another earler post)
As I have mentioned before lighting is probably the most important element in these closed set dioramas that I do.Any slight change in intensity or direction can alter the whole mood of the piece.Because I do not put a lot of paint on my figures I rely on the lighting to work its magic.
The closest that I have ever come to doing a shadow box is the Nieuport diorama which is viewed primary from one direction ,the front.Although all the elements are finished from all angles (360deg) for photo taking purpose I could have saved myself a lot of work by finishing only that which is viewable from the front only.(see Shep Paines book for more on this)
The next few pics will be of this diorama with brief explanations of what you are looking at.

JohnReid · 12 February 2006, 05:28 AM

JohnReid · 12 February 2006, 05:42 AM

JohnReid · 12 February 2006, 06:33 AM

The above 2 pics are of the basic Neiuport diorama before the furniture installation.
The top pic is taken in natural indoor daylite, with the diorama placed toward the window.
The bottom pic is the same setup, except that this corner of the hangar was in shade.
It is totally made from bare (unsealed)pine and birchwood.The individual boards were painted with watery washes on Nimbus Grey(Jo Sonja gouache acrylic)before assembly.The doors are a French Blue and White mix.After assembly it was finger flicked(sprayed with an old toothbrush) with watery Raw Umber and then finished with various Black,Grey,and Brown pastels.The signs are taken directly off the net,sprayed with laquer,glued to thin veneer and hung with nails.The wood is not finished further in any way.(left unsealed)
There are no visible lighting fixtures in this piece.The overhead lighting is supplied by two standard 5W xmas bulbs contained in the little box behind the poster of the eagle in the rafters.All other lighting is external between the sheathing and the walls of the shadow box. to be cont......

JohnReid · 13 February 2006, 05:27 AM

JohnReid · 13 February 2006, 05:57 AM

JohnReid · 13 February 2006, 06:37 AM

The first of the last two pics shows the same overall setting(or stage) with just normal room lighting, plus the light from 2 overhead 5W Xmas lites, located behind the eagle poster in a box painted irredescent white for maximum reflection.
This makes for a nice closed set but you still get the feeling that the diorama is enclosed in a box and quite flat in appearance.
The next pic shows the diorama with all the bells and whistles installed.Note how the light shining through the boards opens up the whole scene and creates lot of interesting shadows.Note how the garage door changes color from one side to the other depending upon how the light falls on it.Although a lot of detail is lost in the shadows the overall effect is quite pleasing. to be cont.....

For my American friends who maybe interested, the sign above the garage doors under the roundel says "That Liberty Shall Not Perish From The Earth"

JohnReid · 14 February 2006, 06:35 AM

JohnReid · 14 February 2006, 07:17 AM

Sorry about the quality of the above pic.I think I forgot to put on my glasses or maybe I was just hung
This pic shows just how simple it is to lite up this type of diorama.The 2 Xmas 5W bulbs are at the center of the roof and the other cords run to individual picture lites at the side wall where I wanted to depict the rising sun.This arrangement will be simplified as I just wanted to see how it looked before cutting and splicing the wires.The outside of the sheathing boards were painted black to stop light from shining through the thin boards.Those unpainted panels are removable panels used for picture taking purposes.Although it is hard to see the side panel has aluminium foil panels glued to the side to deflect the light onto the white painted shadow box container.(in this case an old TV cabinet) to be cont.....

JohnReid · 15 February 2006, 05:58 AM