Put flat figures in dioramas

[SimonM]

Hi Isabelle,
I still cannot find my copies, but I do know that you need Campaigns Magazine Issue 12 and 13. There is a copy of Issue 12 on ebay.com.
Simon

[Isabelle]

Thanks Simon and Halsfboy for your advices  :)I'll try to find them.

[SimonM]

Campaigns magazine...Alfsboy is spot on. 
Simon

[alfsboy]

I think the the Valentine bean article was in Campaigns magazine ,not military Modelling but it is from memory so could be wrong .

[SimonM]

Isabelle,
I am coming to this subject a month late, but there was a series of articles written by Valentine Bean in the 1970's in I think the British Military Modelling magazine titled, 'Staging Model Soldiers.' The figures he was talking about were flat figures and his approach, if I remember correctly, was that when staging flat figures for dioramas, you have to consider yourself the director of a play.  The figures are the actors on the stage and need to be placed so they all contribute to the story the scene is telling.  I hope a fellow member might have the articles easily to hand as I have looked for them amongst my papers, but so far cannot find them.  If I do I'll scan them in and upload them.
Simon

[alfsboy]

Years ago I made some WW1 dioramas for Under Two Flags shop .I used German and French  figures ,not too sure  about who produced the figures .They sold well I assume as I got repeats .They were mounted on a wooden base about  8x5 inches and usually had muddy roads ,brick walls made from plaster and wrecked houses with flats type trees but 3D guns and wagons .A real mixture .
Martin
 

[willie]

I met Ray Anderson many years ago when I was a young man. Ray would come to are meetings at are club in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles CA. Willie

[Glen]

I completely forgot about Ray Anderson! And for that matter - two books from Verlinden.


And Joerg, you are right about about the two principles. Layout, design, telling a story, scenery, buildings, weathering are the basics. They are needed for any diorama whether it's a full scale museum piece or 28mm pieces depicting the farmhouse at Waterloo. Flats, I think, are more like the enclosed box diorama. There is a single point of view and there is a degree of forced perspective built into it - big pieces to the front, progressively smaller pieces to the rear, whether they were people, plants, or structures. Additionally, the ground should slope upwards towards the rear. Flats in an enclosed box would be the easiest (relatively speaking) versus a piece set into a shallow picture frame. Your pics illustrated these principles perfectly.


Cheers,


Glen

[Joerg]

Hello friends,

there are two different princiles mixed up in this thread:

one thing - how to biuld a diorama in general (landscape, creating an interaction between the figures, background a.s.o)
                  really phantastic examples in the work of Shep Paine and  Ray Anderson (I admire their work)

another thing - doing this with figures that lack the depth (and even in a "flat" frame 
                         a quite good example is the work of Victor Wong.

Regards
Joerg

[blaster]

Hi All,

Another great diorama maker was Ray Anderson  http://www.amazon.com/Art-Diorama-Ray-Anderson/dp/0890240922
Shep Paine has a website on dioramas dedicated to him. It also features works by other makers. http://www.boxdioramas.com/default.htm
Another great blog on dioramas, despite its dismal name
http://fuckyeahdioramas.tumblr.com/
 
Here on IFFS, I can see marvellous examples of dioramas in the gallery section.
There is another website featuring flats dioramas which is excellent.
http://www.zinnfigurenfreunde-leipzig.de/g5.htm
 
Rgds Victor

[Glen]

I think Willie means 'Shep Paine' - it appears Willie's fingers are as nimble as mine. 


The book is here: [size=78%]http://www.kalmbachstore.com/scale-modeling-special-interests-scale-modeling-books-military.html[/size]


In the US, if you only have one book on dioramas, this is the one to have. I'm sure someone has it in Europe.


Cheers,


Glen

[willie]

Ok. First of all check out Shape Panes book on dioramas. I met the man many years ago and also go to you local Hobby Shop and take a look at the model Railroad books on the subject. Another one would be set decoration. Also set your figures in front of you and visualized would it would look like in the diorama. Willie

[Isabelle]

Hi Mark, 
Thanks for the site it's very iteresting to see diorama's construction
Isabelle

[marko]

Great discussion topic Isabelle and interesting examples Joerg. 


Isabelle take a look at our member Victor Wong's site


http://zinnfiguren-victorwong.blogspot.com


where he explores the art of dioramas.  His latest of Custer's Last Stand is pretty stunning.


Mark 

[Joerg]

...
And for the dioramas more important who are put on table for example it's the same thing ?
....

Uh, yes.
Again - it depends upon your subject and there can not be given a general rule.
Military formations often call for close units (in many cases even the figure's base is too broad).
Civilian topics give more possibility for "wide" arrangements (on a table)

Arrange the figures on a table and watch, what looks best.
Joerg