In this part of the tutorial we do some of the basic terrain landscaping on the diorama.

We do the part on the left which is the encampment and the battlefield.

We also carve out the moat at this point.

Here is a look at the diorama after completing this stage. You can see all the plaster cloth that has been shaped into terrain.

You can also watch the video on this part of the tutorial:

What we use here to make the terrain shell is a product called Plaster Cloth. It is like the stuff a doctor would wrap on your arm to make a cast for a broken arm.

But we don't just lay this stuff on the flat surface of the table. That would just give us flat terrain. We want the terrain to have shapes, hills, etc. So we build up a frame of cardboard strips.

That cardboard frame is not strong enough on its own so we stuff it full of crumpled newspapers. And I crumpled newspapers and laid them out randomly on the surface of the diorama where the plaster cloth will go. This gives the terrain a bit of variety, its not so flat.

So, let's get to the plaster cloth! You soak it briefly in water and this gets the plaster going.

Then I laid out the plaster cloth on the diorama.

Once that first layer dried. I then applied a second coat of the plaster cloth. And I laid the strips in the opposite direction, rather than north-south I laid them east-west.

You probably also noticed that pink cliff toward the far end of the diorama. That is a cliff carved out of foam and placed right in the hill.

The cliff was placed right into the cardboard strip mountain. This way it could be incorporated right into the landscape.

Let me just cover one more thing here. It is the carving of the moat. A castle has to have a moat around it right? So I drew the moat right on the foam with a sharpie then used a hot cutting tool to cut out the foam. The cutter is angled so the sides of the moat angle down to the water.

Pulling the foam out of the moat.

This picture gives you a pretty good look at the moat.

Let's continue on to Part 4

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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