I have had this thought in my mind for a long time - to make a really big diorama of a castle being sieged. Well, I finally started the project. Yay! This page is the main page. From here you can see the various steps in the process of making it.

This is how the diorama currently looks. This is after installment 10.

Part 1 - The Design and Layout of the whole scene

I show you how to begin a project like this. And I talk a little bit about design and drawings. I also have a video you can watch.

Part 2- In this part we replace all the major parts of the diorama with the actual pieces that are rough shaped.

In this part we replace the original pieces with the shaped buildings and walls. This is where the diorama actually starts to take its final shape.

Part 3 - The terrain

In this part we do the terrain under the enemy encampment using plaster cloth.

Part 4 - The buildings and castle - pre work

In this part we finish off the major work on the buildings, add the smaller parts like windows, balconies, stairs and more. Then we glue everything together to get the major shape of the castle.

Part 5 Painting the castle and assembling it

We paint the castle, add some of the smaller buildings and some of the detail work

Part 6 the main terrain features - In this part of the series we add the major terrain features. For now we just have the trees temporarily placed. It is the landscape that we work on and do a little bit of the moat work.

Part 7 - The Moat - In this tutorial I make the waterway around the front of the castle. Easy process that looks really good. Water tutorials are very popular and there are lots of ways to do it. I use a sheet of plastic and some Medium Gloss Gel.

Part 8 - The Inner Courtyard - In this part of the tutorial we do detail work on the inner courtyard of the castle. This includes adding benches and some greenery like grass, potted plants and potted trees.

Part 9 - Repainting the Castle Walls - This isn't a major installment to the series. I just decided to repaint the walls of the castle. And for fun I sculpted a couple of miniature painters to do the job. Check out the tutorial and video here.

Part 10 Rebuilding the Castle Walls - I wasn't satisfied with the castle walls. They just didn't have the look or the detail I wanted so I rebuilt them. In this tutorial I take you through the complete process of cutting the foam, adding the details and getting the stone look with painting techniques.

My Book:

How to Make Fantasy and Medieval Dioramas

This books shows you how to make fantasy and medieval dioramas using many commonly available tools and materials. There are over 100 pictures and illustrations showing you how to make great dioramas in fantasy and medieval styles. Chapters include basics, water effects, terrain tips and special effects like electricity and small motors. Tutorials include how to use foam, plaster of paris and paper mache to make great looking dioramas.

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