ACCESSORIES
Ground:
All ground has texture, whether it is a pine-needle blanketed slope or an asphalt pavement. The surface beneath our feet looks nothing at all as does a painted surface. So it is, that one of the most important points to remember in creating an illusion of reality and depth in a diorama, whether it is of cigar box or department store window size, is to create an appropriate foreground texture.
The balsa wood or styrofoam block you may have used in your foreground provides the main shape and bulk of that foreground. A good paper-mache mix can be made by mixing equal parts of Plaster-of-Paris, yellow dextrine, and powdered asbestos. The plaster and asbestos can be found in building supply stores, and the yellow dextrine at the chemical supply houses. Denver Fire Clay has the yellow dextrine in Denver. Put these three dry ingredients in a jar and shake them until they are well distributed. The mix can be stored dry. To use, add water to the dry mix to the consistency of putty or a very thick paste, mixing just enough to use at one time. The mache will form a “skin” on the surface in about an hour, but can be pushed and modelled somewhat longer. It will dry to a rock-like hardness overnight. If you plan to build up much thickness, it is best to do it in several thin layers. Let each layer dry before adding the next. The mache mix is spread over the balsa wood or styrofoam block with the palette knife or flexible spatula, to a thickness of no more than ¹/₁₆″. If the mix sticks to the palette knife (or to your fingers), moisten the knife just a little, and the material will not stick.
The mache can be used to make a smooth joint between the foreground block that slopes up at the back and the picture background. Try to make this joint a smooth curve, not a sharp angle.
Cliff faces and large rocks, or formations such as those in a “moonscape”, can be carved from styrofoam chunks. The blocks or chunks are fastened together by using wooden toothpicks and Elmer’s glue. The complete foreground is then covered with a layer of the paper mache mix to hide the obvious plastic texture. Again, Elmer’s glue is brushed on and the “rocks” are given a texture with fine sawdust or sand.
BACKGROUND OF “MOONSCAPE” CUT FROM BOOK JACKET. STYROFOAM CARVED INTO ROCK FORM. BOTTOM SMEARED WITH ELMER’S GLUE, TOOTHPICK FORCED INTO BASE. STYROFOAM BASE