Tips for a Sierra Diorama?

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Sgooosh

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Hello! i have a project based on John Muir, and i want to make a diorama, the size of a shoebox or bigger
i made some fake pine trees already...
supplies that i can use
-twigs, leaves, palm fibers
-play sand
-ground clay
-small river rocks
-sheet moss(idk it may be alive LOL)
-floral foam for mountains
-black and green SprayPaint
-epoxy resin
-1 and 2 ply jute cord
-sphagnum peat moss(For forest floor maybe)
-small floral wire
-some cardboard

goal:
1642992482661.png

a small chunk of this, with a little trail and a sign
 
That's a stunning picture, lovely scenery :)

I can't help with modelling because I don't have a creative bone in my body, or an imagination, but I used to look at videos on YouTube. There is a guy that posts model train scenery that he makes and he does some really good stuff. perhaps check YouTube and see if anything helps.
 
Maybe clear glue with blue dye in it for the water. That's how we used to do water scenes. I'm not familiar with epoxy resin but you could potentially use it to do the same thing. An alternative would be painting the surface underneath the clear glue or resin.
 
Cotton balls or polyfill attached to the top could look like clouds. You might also look into oven bake clay like sculpey to create some of the more detailed shapes, if the floral foam doesn't work for that purpose.
 
Cotton balls or polyfill attached to the top could look like clouds. You might also look into oven bake clay like sculpey to create some of the more detailed shapes, if the floral foam doesn't work for that purpose.
I would bake some clay but that is very heavy lol
Polyfil is a nice idea

Turns out the moss is alive… dang
Maybe clear glue with blue dye in it for the water. That's how we used to do water scenes. I'm not familiar with epoxy resin but you could potentially use it to do the same thing. An alternative would be painting the surface underneath the clear glue or resin.
Good idea! I have water color does that work?
 
You could use resin to create the water, and using clay sounds like a great idea for the rocky cliffs in the background!
 
You could use resin to create the water, and using clay sounds like a great idea for the rocky cliffs in the background
Yess i plan to use floral foam and then clay smothered on top and then paint
 
What a cool project! Clay would make great cliffs, as would floral foam. Best of all IME is blue insulation foam, but buying a sheet of that for a shoebox size diorama might be a bit wasteful. If you know a contractor maybe you could ask for some scraps. Carving foam with an old steak knife, then smoothing it slightly with a file, can give very realistic rock textures. My only other advice would be to grab some materials and start carving! Expect to make some mistakes and have fun with it. keep us posted--I love stuff like this.
 
I would bake some clay but that is very heavy lol
Polyfil is a nice idea

Turns out the moss is alive… dang

Good idea! I have water color does that work?
Water color probably would, I don't have a lot of experience with it so it might just take some trial and error to get the look you want.
 

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