Cigar-Box Dioramas: A "How-to-do-it" Handbook

A “How-to-do-it” Handbook by Arminta Neal
Sincere thanks are due Shirley Parman and Doris Samford for their assistance in this booklet’s preparation.
Copyright 1958 by Arminta Neal Second Printing 1961
cigar boxes scissors, small X-Acto knife with #11 blades Tri-Tix rubber cement, Elmer’s glue black construction paper, index cards or similar weight cardboard paper clips small palette knife or spatula spray cans of paint, black rubber-base paint piece of plate glass about 12” square
In addition, you are apt to need ...
Pliobond cement (manufactured by Goodyear) tooling aluminum or copper (from craft or hobby shops) Balsa wood in ½″ and 1″ thick boards, or slabs of styrofoam plastic. Balsa wood from hobby shops; styrofoam from florists, ten-cent stores, or insulation companies. assorted twigs and dried weeds, collected in the Fall sawdust sifted into fine, medium, and coarse grades “Rit” or “Tintex” dye—greens and browns lichen (from model railroad shops) gravel and fine sand nut picks, leather modelling tools, dental tools, etc. assorted jars with lids, cans, other mixing containers paper mache mix (explained in text) model kits, novelties, souvenirs, post-cards, etc.
The box can be designed with the lid to open up, down or to one side. The main label is pasted inside the lid.
The box is painted on the outside, either with any of the rubber-base (latex) paints, or with paint from a spray can. The inside of the box is given one or two coats of the black latex paint. (Other flat black paints may also be used.)
Be very sure to wash any brushes that are used with the latex paint very soon after use. Use warm water and bar soap (such as Ivory). Once the rubber-base paint hardens there is little that can be done to restore the bristles.
A piece of black construction paper is cut to fit the box interior in a curve from one side to the other. The magazine picture or large post-card you are using for the background is pasted to the construction paper, using Tri-Tix rubber cement. Then this curved paper is pasted to the box.