This is a terrific shadowbox that has some special effects built in.

The moon actually lights up. It is a push light that has been painted.

And with it comes a hand held recorder that plays Ozzy's Bark at the Moon.

Of particular note is how Luis handled the making of the rock that the wolf is standing on. These are some solid diorama and terrain making techniques.

Luis has contributed many wonderful dioramas to my website. You can check them out right here: Dioramas by Luis

This shadow box is a wildlife one with the basis of basically a wolf barking at the moon, as in the Ozzy Osborne song.

To start off the wolf is a great looking ceramic wolf on a large rock, which I found in a dollar store. To make the wolf look more natural, I touched it up with some flat paint to match its fur.

As for the rock, I turned it into a mountain cliff. I cut Styrofoam and matched it to the contours of the rock the wolf was standing on. I then scratched the hell out of the Styrofoam to give it a rocky and eroded effect. Then painted it with a dark brown base paint. While the paint was still wet I added  two light types of red brown, light brown, and burnt sienna dry brushed it with a grey, while the paint was still wet giving it a rocky grayish - brown look as rocky outcrops look from my experiences in rock climbing. Once painted I randomly added Woodland Scenics moss into the rocky crevices.

The forest was made from Woodland Scenics moss to look like the top of a dense forest (as a person would see a forest, when one looks down from on top of a cliff or mountain).
The lake (as seen from a distance) was made it a dark blue as a base mixed in with a sky blue while wet. And a sandy paint was used to make the lake shore.

The shadowbox was hand made with thin cut pine (but any wood will do. All three box panels were painted a night black, then I placed some stars with a white. The clouds were made from two over-stretched out cotton balls.  The back panel, I drilled a hole large enough to fit in a LED click on push light. (see pics) at the back of the panel I constructed a shelf to hold it in place so when the battery run out or light burns out, I can remove it and replace whatever part needs replacing.

Note: I painted the entire clear light lens with a heavy white. After it dried a bit, I wiped it to take off some of the paint. Then I used a watered down white painted and did a quick brush over the entire lens. Once it was dried, the "moon" had a crater 3-D look to the moon.

Once that was completed I glued and nailed the panels to make the box. I piece of glass was then glued after I placed four pieces of thinly cut strip on the inside to hold the glass in place. I also made I picture frame for it to give it a nicer professional look.

But the best part of the show piece is I place a hand held recorder that plays over and over the song "BARK at the MOON" by Ozzy Osborne. People love it. It also help me win a local arts and craft competition in my state of NJ.

LIGHT IT by Fulcrum 30010-301 3 LED Wireless Stick-On Tap Light,3 Pack, Silver

The Light It! Stick-on Light, 3 Pack, (Silver) is compact and low profile. It's adhesive backing makes it simple to mount to any surface. Tapping the center of the light turns it on, making it useful for illuminating dark storage areas and workspaces.

Collect A Howling Timber Wolf

• CollectA toys offer their realistic Howling Timber Wolf for kids and collectors
• This true to life, scaled-down Howling Timber Wolf is perfect for use in dioramas, pretend habitat scenes, or other displays
• Excellent for educational purposes, endangered species awareness, environmental consciousness, plus gaining deeper knowledge of actual animals
• As one of the major architects of toy animal replicas, CollectA uses role-play for learning: our mission is building "a natural world in miniature
• Suitable for Ages 3 and Up

Darice 9184-76 Natural Wood Shadow Box Frame

Swing Design Chroma Shadow Box Frame, 5 by 7-Inch, Charcoal Gray

Will's Book on Diorama Making

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.