This diorama is fun to make and I show you a few really neat tips for using items that are found around the house like toothpicks, wire and popsicle sticks. You can achieve a nice spooky atmosphere with this diorama. I also have a small mausoleum that I made out of packing foam. If you want to know the basics for making a diorama I have a start to finish tutorial on all the basics here: Make a fantasy diorama I also have a whole series of diorama tutorials that cover things like making trees, making rocks, casting rocks, making tufts of grass and lots more here. Diorama Tutorials

Here is a look at the completed diorama.

Some things to note about this diorama is the difference in color scheme. For the most part I built the shell and terrain just like I build most dioramas. But I altered the color scheme to make this one more yellow and brown. It gives the cemetary a rather dead and desolate look. Consider this whenever you are making a diorama. What will the color scheme be?

The Trees: There are three trees in this diorama. Two are easy to see but there is also a small bare on in the lower right corner. The important thing here is that the same rule applies as in the terrain. I only put a little bit of foliage on these trees to make them look almost dead. And the small one on the lower right is completely bare.

The Mortuary: (In the upper left) is simply carved out of a piece of styrofoam. A little bit of black and gray paint makes it perfect. It has a great stone texture to it.

The fence around the cemetary: I drilled holes all around the cemetary and then inserted toothpicks. Notice how some are slanted and some are at different heights. This gives the fence a really nice broken down look. The piece that crosses horizontally from toothpick to toothpick is just some black wire.

The gravestones: are simply the ends of popsicle sticks. The largest stone that is kind of squarish is a piece of painted styrofoam.

This picture shows the diorama in progress. You can see the toothpick fence, the popsicle stick grave markers and the styrofoam mausoleum before it was painted.

I have lots of Other Interesting Diorama Projects!

The Castle in the lightbulb diorama
Make this unique little medieval scene inside a lightbulb. It also has a magical little light on the top of the tower that is activated by a magnet. I show you how to make it and how to hollow out the bulb safely. A miniature Castle diorama inside a lightbulb

How to make a WW2 Diorama

This is an in depth tutorial with videos on how to make a WW2 diorama. I use 1/72 Scale How to Make a WW2 Diorama

Add realistic rubble to your dioramas:
This technique uses cork and is easy, inexpensive and looks great, particularly for battle or combat scenes. Perfect for military dioramas. I have an included video tutorial Rubble in Dioramas using Cork

300 Diorama - Battle of Thermopylae

I am currently working on a three foot long diorama of the battle of the Spartans inspired by the 300 movie. It is wired for sound and lighting ( A night battle scene will be great) - I have also made it into a tutorial so you can see how I make this big diorama and you can learn how to make your own great looking dioramas. 300 Diorama

How to make a paper mache diorama
Don't have the materials for a diorama? You can make one out of paper mache which is just flour and water. I show you how in this tutorial where I make a scene from the Lord of the Rings Castle Helms Deep. How to make a paper mache diorama

A Motorized Drawbridge
I use a cheap remote control car to make a motorized drawbridge on my eight foot castle diorama. Learn More

DIORAMA MAKING RESOURCES

How to Build Dioramas (Book) - Learn everything you need to know about making your dioramas look real! This fantastic revised edition will show you how with new projects, new photos, and expert tips. Includes painting, weathering, and detailing tips for figures, aircraft, vehicles, and more! 290+ photos with color throughout; 41 illus.; softcover

Scene-A-Rama: this is a series of excellent dioramas made by a company called Woodland Scenics. They focus on making very realistic terrain such as forests, rivers, trees, mountains and other natural elements like that. They have been a favorite of the Model Railroader for many decades now. These projects are really nice.

Scene-A-Rama Basic Diorama Kit - This is a nice introductory kit to diorama making you get a good set of basic materials. Use this kit to create a flat, landscaped surface for your project. It includes everything you need to make plains, prairies, grasslands, farmlands, woods and meadows.

Tyrannosaurus Rex with Diorama Three million visitors a year visit the American Museum of Natural History, often drawn to the life-size dioramas. And now, capturing all their magic, comes a series of dazzling Book and Diorama sets. Tyrannosaurus Rex, created by the Museumís own sculptor, is set against a color backdrop in a clear display case. Nestled into a sleeve on the reverse is a 64-page full-color book packed with fascinating scientific facts and the latest discoveries about each animal and its environment. Suitable for ages 6--9. Illustrations by Will Vinton Studios.

Dinosaur Dioramas to Cut & Assemble - Step back in time to the Mesozoic era with this book created by noted dinosaur expert Matthew Kalmenoff. Cut and assemble two dioramas, then add 31 proportional cut-out figures - 19 animals and 12 plants. Complete instructions 2 assembly diagrams. 14 full-color plates. Captions. Author introduction.