Richard\'s Creative Workshop

Lunar Scape

This year for the Bradford Science Festival the theme is space, so I am creating a Lunar landscape diorama with the activity of children creating plasticine aliens to place within it.

Building the scene
Painting the scene
Creating the background
Final Pictures

Build

I’ve created a box which is 30″x 23.75″ x 17″ which at the moment has a double layer of 10mm board. To create the surface I will be laying a foundation of newspaper, layered with wire mess. The craters will also be made of mess and then coated with Modroc plaster of paris strips.

The comic book are being used to weigh down the two bottom layers while they dry.

Wire placed over the top as a trail run.

I’ve added a third layer of foam board to the base, then covered the area with ball of newspaper. Over the top of this I covered with a sheet of wire mesh, which I’ve glued into place.

I’ve started modrocing with the help of my daughter. It’s starting to look a little more lunal and not a rubbish pile

Painting

After I finished modrocing the Lunar scape, I gave it a black base coat.

When the base coat dried I mixed up blue/ grey acrylic and water solution and covered they entire surface with it.

I have layered this piece three times, each layer I have added more white to the grey/blue mixture I used for the base coat.

I airbrushed a light grey over the entire surface, adding a mottled effect.

I painted the top of the frame with light grey and black round the back.

Background

With the landscape finished, it’s now time to work on the surroundings.

Taking some black card and soft pastels, I sketches out an alien world as a backdrop. For the planet I called upon inspiration from the 80’s. Can you guess?

I started to add a star field behind the planet using pastel, for the rest I am probably going to do with my airbrush.

I added a magnetic strip to the back board and its opposite to the back of the base. The backdrop I cut down and stuck it to the backboard using adhesive spray.

The two side panels I cut them down diagonally to make it easy access for people to place the alien creations within.

What is left to do is paint the two side boards and add magnets for them to attach to the base and backboard.

Magnetic strips have been added to side panels and 8 little magnets have been glued in to fix the sides to the back board. I have also painted a black board around the base.

The side panels have been painted with galaxies and stars, I’ve put an LED strip light around the base. This is now ready for the weekend.

Final Pictures

Alien Sewer

I’ve been commissioned to produce a couple of sewer dioramas, one identical to the one I had created earlier this year.

As you can see I have the basic form of one and the other two are in the process of joining this one.

With the design agreed I can now branch this piece of onto it’s own page. My client has asked for a few of changes to be made previous version. Instead of the central column with grate, he would like it replaced with a barred tunnel entrance, damp walls with multiple pipes running along the sides.

To apply the magnets to the walls I sanded all the sides down, having the magnets in place at this stage, I find it easier to work with model.

The brick work has been marked out and ready to be scored. I had marked out the size of the tunnel entrance and toyed with the idea of adding a raised smaller sewer pipe further down one of the wall.

The sewer tunnel entrance was cut, along with a frame to the tunnel. The walkways I sliced and sanded the corners of that run on the length of each.

The brick work was scored into the foam, it’s now starting to look like a sewer.

Using barbecue skewers as bars for the entrance at the end of the tunnel, each one cut down to size, pressed into the foam and then glued in place. Once they have been painted tissue paper will be placed behind the bars and then sandwiched in place with another layer of foam behind it.

Testing with the look with ripple water sheet.

Painting

I have applied a base coat consisting of watered down Burnt Umber and white, spreading the paint evenly using a mini roller. When this had dried, I added a touch of yellow into the mixture and added it to the areas of broken brick. A second coat was then added, the mixture comprising of Burnt Umber, yellow and black. This was then thinly applied over the surface of the entire diorama, making sure the paint didn’t overrun into the cracks of the walls and floor.

The walkway edges, tunnel entrances where painted using Games Workshops Mechanicus Grey, the bars where painted with Games Workshops Leadbelcher, shaded with Nuln Oil and highlighted with Games Workshops Stormhost Silver.

I dry brushed GW Longbeard Grey over all of the stone, this has helped pick out all the extra details.

Using Green Stuff Worlds River Water Sheets I have created the effect of water running through the center. The sheets where glued to the base and the walkways glued over the top.

With the barred entrance finished, I took the second piece of 5mm foam board that had been cut and glued a piece of blue tissue paper over the hole that had been cut out. This piece was then glued to the back of the barred entrance wall.

Using GW Nurgle’s Rot I applied it to the water sheet and areas of the two walk ways. Using my airbrush to spray over the surface with a light brown wash.

Using plastic piping, sprayed them metallic silver. Sprayed a brown wash over them, once dry gave them a coat of GW Nihilakh Oxide and a layer of Agrax Earth shade. Cables where fixed onto the wall to finish it off, a ladder was glued to the wall opposite.

For the final touch I painted the visible edges and the outer sides with black acrylic, this now completes this diorama.

Final Pictures

Battleground Arena

I’ve been commissioned to create a set similar to my Eternia Ruin with removable pillars.

Build

The base is made of 2 pieces of foam board 20″ x 10″, the boards were glued together using PVA glue. Once they dried I’d marked out the tiled floor, where each flag stone is 3″ x 2.5″.

The slabs have been scored into the foam, using some excess pieces I have built a small alter along with some corner steps. Before these become permanent fixtures I am playing with ideas before adding the columns.

The steps have been aged to match the rest of the diorama.

The pillars are two pieces of board glued together, then cut down to form two. A notch has been cut into them, with a matching hole cut into the floor to seat them.

I returned my attention back to the steps in the left corner, this battleground is placed in the ruins of a building. I have built two walls to encompass the steps, the idea here is to build these two grand walls and the break them down to create the ruined effect. I have added a couple of more layers to the alter to raise it up to suit 6 inch figures.

The foam board walls were scored to resemble weathered stone stone.

The sections of the wall broken down to ruin.

The broken down parts have been be reused to make small ruined wall situated in far right corner

The two pillars and altar have been whethered for age to match the surrounds, whilst also adding in battle damage.

Sanding down the inside of the ruined wall, then tidying up the side before using my rotary tool to make impressions on the ruin walls. I then sprayed a black base coat over the entire model.

Painting

A base coat of grey was applied evenly over the model using a small roller.

White was added to the grey and rolled over. I then went over the crevices with black.

Adding in more white to grey, I rolled another even layer. For the final layer I added green to grey and lightly brushed all the surfaces with the paint.