I have finished my fourth diorama and will be starting on my 5th shortly. I have a desire to share with you my accomplishments as well as my mistakes. I wish to tell some of my methods and and perhaps newer ideas can spring forth. In the pics to come and many more, I only ask you wait a day to ask a question or post any comments. This could take at least 2 hours.
Ok… the pics below are just a few of my first diorama and my attempts at painting rocks made of plaster. When working on the layout, in any fashion to do something for the first time… well I like to have a Game Plan. Whether I follow it or not, its nice to have one. In the pic below I at first attempted to have some ‘focal point’. Area’s of interest, larger rocks… and rocks closest to the viewer should have a darker density. Not that its any rule… but my Game Plan to follow.
Let me just say before I even attempted to paint plaster rocks, I first went out and bought the Woodland Scenic’s DVD and Book ! I followed their methods and was quite happy with the outcome.
In this pic below is my first attempt at adding a dark wash for the cracks of the rocks, starting at the top and letting the wash drip down to the bottom. If one adds too much dark wash, the whole area would end up way too dark for my desired taste of what rocks should look like. Also please take note, that area’s around the nation have many different types of rocks, and different colors.
The above posts were of my first diorama, using the Woodland Scenics method. They recommend a technique of dabbing the paint here and there with a random effort of placing color. They also recommend using more of a base color of Yellow Ocher first. Yes start with the lighter colors. Now let me just say right now, before painting onto plaster I seal the whole plaster creation with Woodland Scenic Cement. If you don’t, the plaster seems to suck in the paint, and you’ll end up with using more paint than needed. I paint the WS cement on the inside as well, to seal it and also to keep plaster bits from falling onto my track. Not only does it seal it and ‘fix’ the color, it also strenghens the entire diorama. I can even put two coats of the WS Cement and have no problems with the paint going on. Here are the early beginings of painting plaster. I used the basic Wooland Scenics paint of Yellow Ocher, Burnt Umber, Slate Gray and even white. More times than not, I add the white to the basic colors and it would seem to lighten up all the colors. At times I have painted white on the plaster first, and while its wet I’ll add the other basic colors. It can give more of a blending of the colors and more of a pastel color. On the pics below I wanted to have more of a Rock Strata effect, with some continuity of colors / rock strata going through the entire rock.
Piece by piece I build the mountain. Adding thin layers of molded plaster and piecing the parts together using CA Gel and plaster cloth to totally seal the parts together. Out in the sun is best.
You may also notice I am now using plaster tunnels / portals. I’d rather kitbach my own tunnels and have something different than others. Also, in terms of piecing all the parts together, plaster to plaster seemed better.
I thought maybe a break from scenery painting would be nice. Start something new and then get back into the scenery of trees and grass later.
I was making my neighborhood and decided I wanted the Haunted House at the very back. UP high on a hill, with some old steps leading up the path to the house.
Using styrene of a stone pattern, I marked out various slabs and landings for the pathway. Heating up the ends and curling them under gave it the 3D look I wanted. Using foam board I attached each piece using CA Gel.
Making the walls of the pathway, I staggered each piece to make a taller wall and to give it a realistic look. Perhaps I should have added some vegetation along in between making it look more like a retaining wall.
Using various parts from other kits I added a door at the bottom to break it up some. A doorway to a wine cellar?
To paint the walls, I basically just dabbed various colors of charcoal and grays. Then adding a thin white color wash to the cracks. After its dried you can preserve your creation by spraying it with Dullcote by Testors. Using a dry brush method with paint only on one of the brush. You can carefully hit only the highest parts of the stone, adding color to needed area’s. If you should add too much paint, or the paint falls into the cracks, well you can just wipe it off and start over again. Why? The initial colors have been preserved because of sealing it with the Dullcote. Using Dullcote, also takes away the shine, and gives a better over all look.
Bottom wall is without white color wash. I happen to favor Craft paints at times, mainly because I have better results with them.
Next pic is of adding the white wash. A Before And After look
By gluing two pieces of styrene together you get a thicker wall. By heating up the ends / tops of the walls and letting them melt, gives a ‘topper’ look to the walls. If you get creative or make a mistake it can res
Well some like to jump to the end and see the finished product. My wife says I should explain how I go here.
In the upper right you can see the Haunted House, and if you look close enough you can see a dead tree in front of the house.
I would like to add once you add all the trees, vines, shrubs and bushes the colors of the painted mountains are hardly noticeable. Remember this is in the very back of my layout. The farthest from the viewer.
Now we already know, before and after the painting of the plaster is the coat of Woodland Scenic Cement. This helps hold all the pieces together, seals the plaster and allows the paint to go on a tad easier. Also, a coat of Woodland Scenic Cement on the inside will keep all the plaster bits from falling on to your tracks.
So here we are. We’ve painted the plaster and given it a coat of the WS Cement. Look for the puddles and that should be your target areas for grass.
I like to use a stiff piece of plastic card as my holder as my pallet of colors.
Using a dry brush I will add various colors to the wet area of cement. Push a small amount of the desired color to the edge of the plastic card and 'flick it into the desire area. I like this approach for various reasons. One, I don’t want color anywhere but where I am aiming. Also, I think you save more material by doing it this way.
Now I have noticed various hurdles in applying the color / material. One is, sometimes the area that has been covered… well the material hasn’t really stuck to the glue. Oh sure, you can add more glue on top but it gives th
I’ve noticed you piece your plaster pieces together in multiply sections. What are your trade secrets to strengthen the two pieces and hold the two pieces together. Would love it if you could share? Thank you!
Simple and to the point. Thin CA is the agent to speed up drying times in wet plaster. It pulls the moisture out of the plaster. Thin CA will not dry until a large percentage of moisture is taken out of the plaster. Yes the thin CA will drawn the moisture out. Drying time is 20 times faster. Large plaster castings that are on the thick side that would take days if not weeks to dry is done in couple of hours.
Supplies needed
Gel CA
Thin CA
Plaster cloth with a bowl of water to dip the cloth into.
cheap rubber gloves.
Lets say you have two pieces of plaster to be glued together. Two dry pieces are preferred. Just for an example.
Glue the two pieces together using CA Gel.
Let that dry … or else.
Once the two pieces are dry you’re ready for the next step. Lets be honest. Those two pieces half the time are held together rather flimsy. Not that you need tons of CA Gel, but just enough to get them to hold together for the next step. Next take a strip of plaster cloth dipped into the bowl of water and add a strip of plaster cloth to truly bond both the two halves together.
Now what we have here are two pieces bonded together rather loose with the plaster cloth still being wet. Put on a rubber glove and take some Thin CA and rub it over the wet plaster cloth. The Thin CA will draw the moisture out of the plaster cloth. That simple. What might take a good day for it to fully dry, only takes an hour… or less. Rock hard is the plaster cloth and the two pieces are now one.
No more waiting for things to dry. Lets take this a step further. You want to pour a thin cast of a rock face. Well you can using this tip because it would seem that the Thin CA is a
Here is the very same casting that was laid over the old box. It is far from being flat. I also took the brightness out of the pics and added more contrast so that you might be able to see the details.
Lets take this a step in another direction. Some modelers like to join the two halves together and end up with a seam. Now how does one accomplish hiding the seam, adding detail and over all strength?
Supplies needed.
Plaster cloth and a bowl of water.
CA Gel
One wadded up paper towel into somewhat of a ball that has many cracks and folds.
The seam has to be filled with plaster cloth. But before you do, apply a generous amount of CA Gel to the seam to be glued and sealed. Not too much … you do not want the glue to seep out onto the rock face. If you do, you will have trouble applying paint later on.
Now take a small strip of plaster cloth that has been dipped into the water. Take that strip of plaster cloth and bunch it up together into the desire shape to fill the seam. Place it into the seam.
Now take the paper towel that has been curled up into a wad and apply it to the wet plaster cloth that is over the seam. Dab only once… maybe twice. The wad of paper has given the plaster cloth some details that normally would not be there. The bigger the cracks and folds in the paper towel, the more detail. Too many dabs of the paper towel wad, sometimes takes away the detail. So use big folds and cracks for detail and dab once … maybe twice.
Keep in mind, you have the CA Gel underneath the plaster cloth. That aids in drying times, aids in strength and using the wadded up paper towel gives detail.
