This is a terrific diorama made by Heather D. My thanks to her for the advice and the pictures of this wonderful diorama. She also wants to give thanks to Ray for his guidance on this project. For me this is a beautiful example of how to compose a diorama and make it very pleasing to the eye. Pick an interesting subject, arrange the components in a pleasing way, add some very realistic details and put it on an attractive base. Well done Heather! If you are considering making a wildlife diorama you might want to follow this process. It gives you a great diorama that you can be proud of displaying.

Here Are Heathers Tips on how she made this Wildlife Diorama:

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The base was made by layering 1/4" scenic foam (2 pieces, 3 for the small hill). I glued them together with a small amount of wood glue, and carved it with a hobby knife when dry. I set the
trees (3" acacias by JTT ) in the foam with a small amount of glue. Then I applied hydrocal over the foam, plastering over the base of the trees. I painted the base with acrylic paints, using a small amount of slow dry to aid in blending.

The sand & flocking were applied directly into the wet paint. (If you blow on the flocking while still wet it'll stand up a bit.) I gathered clumps of the tall grass and secured with a small amount of super glue in the middle. When the glue dried I cut the grass in 1/2, then trimmed each 1/2 to the desired length. I mixed multiple colors of flocking, grass and sand to avoid a monotone look.

(On amazon.com):

• Woodland Scenics - 1/4 in. Foam Sheet (1 Sheet)
• Lightweight Hydrocal
• Field Grass, Light Green
• Sand Fine Turf Shaker, Yellow Grass
• flocking Static Grass Flock, Light Green
  
  The elephants are from Corvus Belli's 15mm ancient series,
  Corvus Belli 15mm Numidians: Elephant w/ Mahout (1) .
  They were painted grey, followed by a generous coat of Citadel's 'Devlin Mud' wash. The birds are HO scale pigeons by Musket Miniatures
  
  The water was created by applying several layers of acrylic glazing liquid Liquitex Glazing Medium 118ml (4 oz) (I used an eyedropper and spread it with a toothpick). I topped this off with Liquitex Gloss Super Heavy Gel Medium 473ml (16 oz) to simulate movement. The water spray was also created with the gel medium. I anchored several pieces of monofilament to the trunk with the gel. Once dry I used toothpicks to heavily coat them, and a clean toothpick to 'fray' it at the edges.
  
  The title plates were made by a local engraver's shop, and rather inexpensive (around $10 for both).
  
  I made this diorama for my mom, who loves elephants. I love the idea of giving small dioramas as
  gifts. I can work on a variety of different subjects, without the need for an extra bedroom to store
  my work.
  
  Special thanks to Ray for his guidance on this project.
  

Schleich Elephant Calf

• Hand Painted
• Highly Detailed
• Fun Fact: The elephant's trunk is a unique and very sensitive organ; It is used to smell, touch and grip
• African Elephants are the largest land animals existing; Fully grown, a bull can get as big as a house and as large as a truck

Using old wooden picture frame to make a wonderful diorama base

You can pick up some wonderful picture frames from the dollar store or used item store and turn them into some really elegant dioramas. Here glen shows us how to do it with a machine gun and mortar team. Picture frame diorama bases

Products for this diorama on Amazon.com

Scene-A-Rama Desert Oasis Diorama Kit - Use this kit to create a flat, sand surface for your diorama. It includes everything you need and is great for making prehistoric habitats, shorelines, wastelands, beaches, missions or desert projects where sand is your main focus.
Suggested tools for building: scissors

JTT Makes Some Amazingly Beautiful Trees:

Here is a complete listing: JTT Miniature Trees on Amazon.com They have an amazing variety of types of miniature trees and sizes. Here are just a sample of four of them.

Miniature Tree, Sycamore 4

Miniature Tree, Deciduous 2.5

Miniature Tree, Scots Pine 1.5

Miniature Tree, Gum 3

Corvus Belli 15mm Numidians: Elephant w/ Mahout (1)

Lightweight Hydrocal

Field Grass, Light Green

Liquitex Gloss Super Heavy Gel Medium 473ml (16 oz)

Liquitex Glazing Medium 118ml (4 oz)