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Dioramas
Do you love dioramas & vignettes? We sure do.
Wet Kiss
dioman13
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Indiana, United States
Joined: August 19, 2007
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Posted: Monday, December 01, 2014 - 07:01 AM UTC
Hi Claude, another incredable idea you have come up with. Sculpting figures for me has become a joke, I have to laugh at the atempted try or I would cry. Yours seem to be coming out pretty well. A few thoughts that crossed my mind as I read the post and replies here. First, you might use an elevated park sidewalk and have a few concrete stairs leading down to the side walk to give you some more elevation for the figures. That way the head lights would be able to eluminate it well. Second, I have thought much about a boxed diorame with rain and fog for a future project and have these thoughts on how to do it. I think that by using a few layers of non reflection glass spaced a distance apart could give you depth while using acrylic gel in thin downward sreeks. The front box gass being used also for rain. Not too many per glass pane as you would still want to see through it.This way the rain is seen as it falls but still has that transperisy look. Maybe the first one has larger streeks and they get thinner as you work towards the back. I haven't tried it yet but it seems workable to me. This coming weekend I will give it a test to see if it is possable. I will let you know and try to post some pic's if it works out. I.M.H.O. I would extend the width of the box to include the whole taxi and to balance it more add a fire hydrant and maybe one of those wire trash cans or maybe add a closed up news stand.. But if you only use part of the taxi I would angle the front of it more towards the back and the rear more the front as it is very hard to end the side of a vehical on a straight corner. Just some thought over thought I wanted to share with you. bob d.
roudeleiw
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Luxembourg
Joined: January 19, 2004
KitMaker: 2,406 posts
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Posted: Monday, December 01, 2014 - 12:19 PM UTC

Quoted Text

First, you might use an elevated park sidewalk and have a few concrete stairs leading down to the side walk to give you some more elevation for the figures.


LOL The first thing I did this morning (well, it's only 7.30 am and am already at the office), was to put my nightly ideas to paper and it was exactly that, a couple of stairs leading in the parc. We have a couple of parks in my region situated like that, so this look is very familiar to me.

Quoted Text


I think that by using a few layers of non reflection glass spaced a distance apart could give you depth while using acrylic gel in thin downward sreeks....
Maybe the first one has larger streeks and they get thinner as you work towards the back.


You know that in 1/35 the raindrop is not supposed to be larger then 0,1 mm, so all we do is trying to render the best illusion.
One of my ideas was to use eventually ( I am as far as you, only looking for better solutions then those already tried.)
pieces of clear plastic bend around the actual light source, with whatever imitation of rain would be used. This would at least avoid complete clear glass or plastic barriers in front of everything
I even bought already some 100 micron "big" abrasive glass beads to try one of my ideas. Big LOL, the stuff is so thin, you do not even recognize a single bead. I have a 5 kg bucket of it now and will probably use it one of these days(years) for snow making, as it is perfect for it.

I am very well aware that the sculpting of the figures was the easiest part of the dio.


Quoted Text

The front box glass being used also for rain.


As my scene must stay dark and only be illuminated by the street and car lights, I will probably place the opening as far inside as possible to avoid exterior lights. Putting a glass right in the opening is probably not a good idea.


Quoted Text

This coming weekend I will give it a test to see if it is possableI will let you know and try to post some pic's if it works out. .


I would love to hear your conclusions!

Quoted Text

as it is very hard to end the side of a vehical on a straight corner.


I counted on the darkness to hide all imperfections

Thanks a lot. A lot a food for thought here and surely my shadowbox took already another direction.

Claude



roudeleiw
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Luxembourg
Joined: January 19, 2004
KitMaker: 2,406 posts
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Posted: Monday, December 01, 2014 - 12:32 PM UTC
This info just for fun as it has nothing to do with the shadowbox.

Edit (and sorry Mike):

After getting news from the organizer, my doubts about the available space for the dio inside the witch tower got heard and another spot found.
It is a house, a former brewery, just opposite the main entrance to the castle's courtyard.
It's the house with the brown facade at the bottom and middle of the picture


It is actually not less interesting history wise at it is the exact house the Sherman ran into during the fight and got abandoned thereafter. The same Sherman standing now in the court yard and whose complete history is told on my website.


I will be a lot more confortable in this new location.

50veterans are invited for the commemoration. I hope that they will have the energy to pay my diorama a visit.
This will be the ultimative test!

For the sake of the nice picture I am leaving the now invalid part of the post staying below.

End of Edit

During the commemoration, Dio Clervaux will be exposed in the witch tower (you remember perhaps from the books), the tower just behind the Sherman


A bit small and even challenging to get it in there but it's a nice location! It will not be the location for the permanent expo. That will be inside the main structure.

Claude

justsendit
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Colorado, United States
Joined: February 24, 2014
KitMaker: 3,033 posts
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Posted: Monday, December 01, 2014 - 12:43 PM UTC
That's a fantastic location to display your masterpiece ... and what a great honor as well!

Congratulations Claude!

—mike
kiwibelg
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Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Joined: August 09, 2005
KitMaker: 939 posts
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Posted: Monday, December 22, 2014 - 09:17 PM UTC
Hi Claude,

Thanks for the welcome back mate!! The last time I saw the Castle was at one of your first Belgian shows, it was great finally to see it in the flesh...but man, your whole project has taken a life of it's own.

I will be following this shadow box project with great interest!! I have always wanted to try one out...this one I saw at a recent show, absolute genius!!


http://boxdioramas.com/Marijn%20Van%20Gils%20Gallery.htm

Cheers mate,

Shay
roudeleiw
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Luxembourg
Joined: January 19, 2004
KitMaker: 2,406 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, December 24, 2014 - 06:37 PM UTC
Hi everyone,

Still recovering from your Christmas meal?
How about a walk in the forest. It's could for the health and you may find some roots for your diorama project.

LOL seriously, let's give you an update of my new dio.

Taking inspiration from the hint's you guys gave me, I adapted the layout. To get to something I actually like and who may work later, I carved a big piece of styrodur, leftovers from a mock-up for Dio Clervaux, until I got a result.
It morphed from this one

to this one, the stairs covered with air drying clay and with a light I bought recently
, just to be changed to a layout with the stairs climbing up to the horizon, thus having later on no major problem with the back wall of the shadow box

This morning I covered it all with a saw dust, glue, water and plaster mix


I now need to convincingly do the stairs and walls.

The stairway will be bordered with a row of smaller trees and/or hedges.

Have a nice day with your family

Greets

Claude
kurnuy
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West-Vlaaderen, Belgium
Joined: August 22, 2009
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Posted: Wednesday, December 24, 2014 - 11:29 PM UTC
Merry Christmas to you too Claude !

Good show with the stairway , it really creates depth on the scene and as a spectator ,that's what i like to see on dioramas.

Now , about the stairway , the stairs look old and worn to me and perfect for the scene ,if that's the intention . I'm sure you have some trics to paint the stairway very well !

Kurt
kiwibelg
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Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Joined: August 09, 2005
KitMaker: 939 posts
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Posted: Friday, December 26, 2014 - 01:12 AM UTC
Hey Claude,

Hope you had a good Christmas!

I was just thinking over a few drinks yesterday...the castle
started out as a small project...is this shadowbox going to be an extension of things to come??
I'm pretty sure I can see a canal and a church tower come into the picture
Cheers,
Shay
roudeleiw
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Luxembourg
Joined: January 19, 2004
KitMaker: 2,406 posts
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Posted: Friday, December 26, 2014 - 02:26 AM UTC

Quoted Text



I was just thinking over a few drinks yesterday...the castle
started out as a small project...is this shadowbox going to be an extension of things to come??
I'm pretty sure I can see a canal and a church tower come into the picture
Cheers,
Shay



I am closing the Christmas festivities right now with a good Calvados, thanks a lot.

LOL Indeed, I have a very hard time limiting myself to a "standard" size. I really wanted a perspective view of a tree alley in this project, but I need to remind me that my prime objective is a realistic rendering of rain, in the night. Forced perspective and other things will be for a later project, the forced perspective in this one will be limited.
I also am astonished about how fast I will have finished the groundwork of the dio, accustomed to year long works on square meter big scenes.

@Kurt
For the moment , my whole work is pure improvisation, slowly progressing and getting ideas while working.
Often, I do something , just to redo it later because I went to fast the first time. Well, that's how I work! :-)

Greets

Claude



kurnuy
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West-Vlaaderen, Belgium
Joined: August 22, 2009
KitMaker: 1,491 posts
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Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2014 - 12:28 AM UTC

Quoted Text

For the moment , my whole work is pure improvisation, slowly progressing and getting ideas while working.
Often, I do something , just to redo it later because I went to fast the first time. Well, that's how I work! :-)



Yes , and there's nothing wrong with it Claude !

Kurt
jrutman
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Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
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Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2014 - 01:13 AM UTC
At least you are not lazy iike me. If I make a mistake,I am usually too lazy or in a hurry to fix it.
J
roudeleiw
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Luxembourg
Joined: January 19, 2004
KitMaker: 2,406 posts
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Posted: Monday, May 22, 2017 - 05:05 PM UTC
No Wonder that this has been gathering dust already, this project is nearly three years old! I did not expect that when I saw the date of my last post here.

Hi everyone,

After Dio Clervaux is nearing it's final step to permenent exposition in the Castle of Clervaux with the setting of the glassprotection next week, I do not have any excuse any more to follow up on that rain project.

I did so already during the last few weeks and, at least I believe, am making some progress.

As my last post does still show the scene in Styrodur and unfinished, let's just start with this picture of the groundwork.

Nothing special here, I will keep it to bare minimum as I hope that most of it will be lost in the dark later.

The figures painted and fitted with a self made umbrella, small scale train modelling light with 3v LED.
I am also fitting the Taxi with those LED's.


That was the easy part. Beforre tackling the rain part, I looked for every excuse not to continue on it, at least as long as I was unclear on how to make the rain.

Well, let's simply see what you think about this before I declare it the solution.


This is far from finished! I used Angels' hair to make the rain. For now I am working from back to front, attaching the hair first to the tips of the tree's branches. That's what's on the photo.
The drops are made with a foliage glue (Heki 3340). Just touch the hair with a bit and it gathers into tiny drops while running down.
Please remember. This picture is taken by daylight , just with a black background. The goal is to have a dark surrounding, the hair (rain) just partly illuminated by the few lights.
I tried it already, I think it will work fine. Pictures not yet taken.
Also, the view will be limited, typically for a shadow box.
I am now working on splashes on the road surface and already added a mesh above the street (out of view) to add the hair in front of the car and the street light.
I will hopefully soon be able show a Picture in the dark.

I promise, it will not be another two years.

Glad to be back on modeling again, albei timidly.

Greets from Luxembourg

Claude
jrutman
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Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: April 10, 2011
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Posted: Monday, May 22, 2017 - 06:36 PM UTC
One-good to learn that measures are being taken to protect your masterwork in the castle!
Two-This scene is coming along brilliantly ( as usual ) and this is an elegant solution for showing the rain !
Three- It so good to watch an old contributor to this forum re- appear !
Welcome back Comte Claude !

J
Bodeen
#026
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Joined: June 08, 2002
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Posted: Monday, May 22, 2017 - 10:02 PM UTC

Quoted Text

This info just for fun as it has nothing to do with the shadowbox.

Edit (and sorry Mike):

After getting news from the organizer, my doubts about the available space for the dio inside the witch tower got heard and another spot found.
It is a house, a former brewery, just opposite the main entrance to the castle's courtyard.
It's the house with the brown facade at the bottom and middle of the picture


It is actually not less interesting history wise at it is the exact house the Sherman ran into during the fight and got abandoned thereafter. The same Sherman standing now in the court yard and whose complete history is told on my website.


I will be a lot more confortable in this new location.

50veterans are invited for the commemoration. I hope that they will have the energy to pay my diorama a visit.
This will be the ultimative test!

For the sake of the nice picture I am leaving the now invalid part of the post staying below.

End of Edit

During the commemoration, Dio Clervaux will be exposed in the witch tower (you remember perhaps from the books), the tower just behind the Sherman


A bit small and even challenging to get it in there but it's a nice location! It will not be the location for the permanent expo. That will be inside the main structure.

Claude




Hi Claude, Nice work on this Diorama. I really wish I could have seen the Clervaux diorama. I was in Luxembourg in April. We didn't make it to the castle but did get to the American cemetery. We also ate at a fantastic Chinese restaurant in the city...Luxembourg is a beautiful place
 _GOTOTOP