Giorgio is an amazing talent. Here he shows us how he made the Smaug sculpture for the diorama. Quite amazing what can be done with some skill, patience and a few basic supplies.

This is part 2 of the tutorial. The beginning (part 1) is here if you want a look at the completed diorama

Here is the completed sculpture of Smaug.

The first thing Giorgio starts out with is lots of drawings.

He then used these drawings as a reference. He used wire to create a frame for the figure then he covered it in masking tape to start to flesh it out to a rough shape. Then I cut the thin cardboard to make the comb on the neck and on the body. I sharpened the chopsticks and the toothpicks to make the horns on the head, the neck and on the body and I glued them with hot glue.

Then he cut the thin cardboard to make the comb on the neck and on the body. He sharpened the chopsticks and the toothpicks to make the horns on the head, the neck and on the body and he glued them with hot glue. He started covering and sculpting it from the head, then covered the body, the legs and the tail.

For the wings he used an old t-shirt and drenched it in white glue. He put it on the wing wires and trimmed to size and shape.

He painted it with brown, then red and gold and finally black, red and gold. He varnished the eyes to make them "bright"

A Lord of the Rings Diorama (Battle of the Five Armies) Does it get any better than this! This is a lotr diorama made by a web vistior. Check out the pictures and more. LOTR Diorama

Make a Little Hobbit Diorama

This is a neat little hobbit diorama that you can make with just a piece of foam. This is Bag End. You can improvise all kinds of terrain features for this. Make a Hobbit Diorama

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.