How I Build Dioramas in 1/16th.

[Guest]

Hi! You are right it is time consuming but I love it.Cheers! John.

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[Guest]

"Hanging The Left Hand Aileron"Vignette This is a good example of a storyboard vignette.The aileron on the workbench and the ladder pretty much tell the story.The floorboards give a nice 3d effect and perspective that helps lead the viewers to the sign of human presence, as represented by the boots. For those who are really knowledgeable about uniforms, the hat indicates that this is more than likely, a German hangar of WW1.

[Guest]

[Guest]

Most of these shots will be lost once the diorama is finished.I took a few days out from building to play with the camera.I really don't know that much about cameras so I take lots of shots at different settings and then delete what I don't want.Using film would have forced me to "read the instructions"(as my dad would always tell me) a long time ago or go broke buying film.

Digital cameras allows guys like me to fool around and really not know what they are doing . I would rather build than read instructions anyway.

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The lane out back. I am starting to make a lane way(dirt road) out back of the hangar .Here I have started to build up the raised portion that normally lies between the tire tracks.I have used ordinary sand for this,sprayed with alcohol as a water tension breaker and then soaked with the usual 75/25 water and white glue mix.Once dry I will add the fine sand,earth ,vegetation and a few rocks here and there.

Next I covered the sand mound with the earth and measured the dirt roads width using the Ford T truck as a guide.I then covered the the width of the road with the earth,sprayed on the alcohol ,and put on the water /glue mix ,drop by drop. I then took one of the trucks spare tires and rolled it down the dirt road to create a few tracks.The road still looks a little whitish as the white glue hasn't dried yet.

[Guest]

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Glad you are having fun with the camera before you ship this off.

I fear you will sorely miss it when it is delivered to the client.

I love your work, what's next John?

[Guest]

working on the composition.

[Guest]

[Guest]

This vignette from the "Keepers of the Flame" diorama depicts three individuals, one military,one ex-military and one civilian. They represent a cross section of society who were responsible for keeping the dream of aviation alive during some very difficult times following WW1.

After the Great War airplanes represented to the public at large, something that they wanted to forget ,death and destruction.A relatively few individuals risked their money and even their lives to keep it going.1918-1927 was the wild and wholly teenage stage of aviation where just about anything was tolerated.It was in all less than ten years long but what a wild ride it was.

Out of work ex-military pilots who just couldn't settle down,who had the love of flying in their veins ,tried to scratch out a living as barnstormers ,stunt pilots or flying the mail.All very risky positions indeed!

On the civilian side ,a young fellow who dared to tell his parents of his dreams to become a pilot, might have just as well have told them that he was off to join the circus.There were only a few far- sighted businessmen who would dare get involved in aviation and their names are all well known to us today.

By 1927 when the first air regulations started to take hold ,the public's attitude was beginning to change.Of necessity this wonderful short-lived period of real "freedom of the skies" was coming to an end and today unfortunately, it is mostly forgotten.

To their memory this Keepers of the Flame diorama is dedicated.

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