In a nutshell a diorama can be defined as a scene that captures a moment in time. We often think of dioramas as being small in scale but they don't necessarily have to be small scale. Sometimes dioramas are life size as in many museum dioramas.

This definition of a diorama is pretty broad and covers a lot of ground but that is the nature of a diorama. It can be almost anything as long as it captures a moment in time and displays some type of scene with multiple objects. This display of multiple objects and how they interact is the second most important aspect of a diorama because it shows us a scene.

There are many different types of dioramas but if you break it down there are two main categories:

Dioramas for fun

This is a very common type of diorama and there are many hobbyists that make this type. The pursuit of a hobbyist in this realm is often not so much the pursuit of diorama making but the pursuit of the subject matter. Hobbyist diorama makers often stick to a specific theme in their diormas such as World War II, Fantasy battles, Model Railroads or other themes.

Teaching and instructional Dioramas

This type of diorama has the very specific goal of teaching the viewer about a subject or theme. And this type of diorama is often seen in museums where a scene is laid out to describe a system or show creatures in their natural habitat and how they interact within it.

Ok, So you have to make a diorama for a school project. What should you do?

Typically you are given a subject to make a diorama about. This could be almost anything from a certain type of animal or reptile to a period of time like colonial times, medieval times, or even the future. It could be about a certain type of environment like swamps, marshlands, deserts or something like that.

This is the important thing about making your diorama. You want it to convey some information - some things that you learned about your subject. So, the diorama shows this!

An example: :Let's say you have to do a diorama about Beavers. You research beavers and learn what they eat, how they cut down trees, and how they make dams in rivers. You would build a diorama that shows these things. Your diorama might have some pictures of trees that they cut down, some pictures of the types of plants they eat and ... it would have a little river with a dam in it!

These little pictures could be as simple as cardboard cutouts or they could be complex little figures. You can put all of these things in a shoebox. The pictures below are some simple shoebox dioramas that should give you an idea of what to do.

Dragon and knight Diorama we will be making is called "The Battle With The Dragon" and it is pictured to the left. It shows a fire breathing dragon battling with a knight. The knight has his shield up to protect him from the fire. In the background you can see a castle. Dragon and Knight Diorama

Dinosaur Diorama- This is an active diorama - The meteor flashes across the sky and the volcano erupts. Easy to make and teaches about the theories of dinosaur extinction. Nice learning shoebox diorama. The Active Dinosaur Diorama

RainForest Diorama. This easy project uses the concept of the 5 layers of the rainforest canopy as its building structure which is a nice way to learn about the rainforest The Rainforest Diorama

Diorama Image Gallery

I have put together an image gallery from many of the dioramas on this website. If you are looking for diorama ideas or just looking for interesting dioramas you can quickly look through this gallery of pictures and click on any image to take you to that tutorial. The Diorama Image Gallery

A Waterfall in a diorama

Actually pretty easy to make a great looking waterfall if you know the right tools and techniques. I have it right here: Make a waterfall in a diorama

How to make a WW2 Diorama

This is an in depth tutorial with videos on how to make a WW2 diorama. I use 1/72 Scale How to Make a WW2 Diorama

Medieval Castle DioramaA Video of my six foot Medieval Castle Diorama - This video shows my diorama which has a working waterfall and lights in both the castle and the evil mountain. Medieval Castle Diorama Video

Ocean Diorama This is a unique little ocean diorama shaped like the porthole of a submarine and made out of a cookie tin. I have full instructions and artwork for you to print and make. Easy and fun project. A new take on the ocean diorama. Imagine looking out the porthole of your submarine and discovering Atlantis! Now you can. Ocean Diorama