PlaymoFriends

Creative => Customs Gallery => Dioramas & Buildings => Topic started by: sweetking on September 19, 2010, 19:39:00

Title: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: sweetking on September 19, 2010, 19:39:00
Step one :

Find a wooden board:
(http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/6563/dio01f.jpg)


Step 2 :

Rough sketchs and a few nails as anchor for the PU foam:
(http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3813/dio02.jpg)


Step 3:

Create the landscape with PU foam, plaster and a good knife :
(http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/8056/dio03.jpg)


Step 4 :

First paint, in order to have a better sight of what it will look like:
(http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/9472/dio04.jpg)


Step 5, 6 7 or was it 7,5 and 6 :

Better paint, rocks nearly completed, herb on a part of it, some trees and plants...

(http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2420/dio05.jpg)

(http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/5332/dio06.jpg)


Lets see the final version :

(http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/9687/dio42.jpg)

(http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/8104/dio07.jpg)

(http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/3112/dio08.jpg)

(http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/6117/dio09.jpg)

(http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/8566/dio10.jpg)

(http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/5203/dio12.jpg)

(http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/1589/dio13.jpg)

(http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9268/dio15.jpg)

(http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/788/dio16.jpg)

(http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5199/dio17.jpg)

(http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/5199/dio17.jpg)

(http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/1898/dio18.jpg)

(http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/8546/dio20.jpg)

(http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/456/dio21.jpg)

(http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/5656/dio22.jpg)

(http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/5656/dio22.jpg)

(http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/1763/dio24.jpg)

(http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/6061/dio25.jpg)

(http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/461/dio26.jpg)

(http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/2899/dio29.jpg)

(http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/17/dio35.jpg)

(http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/115/dio36.jpg)

(http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/2633/dio37.jpg)

(http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/3498/dio39.jpg)

I really do like pixies and I will therefore buy all future ones. It was fun to create this diorama, which can be reused for pirates, dino expedition or any scene in a quite deserted land.
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: Wolf Knight on September 19, 2010, 20:34:21
 :(o): :(o): :(o): :(o): :(o): :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

So this is how a great diorama is set up!!! Many thanks for the step by step pictures!!!
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: skypurr on September 19, 2010, 20:42:46
This is super!  :wow: :wow: :wow:  :clap: :clap: :clap: :wow: :wow: :wow:
I love the effect of the water.  :love:
Thank you for taking us step by step through the set up.  :thanks:

Could you tell me what PU foam is and is the plaster - ordinary wall plaster or plaster of paris?
When Junior made a space landscape he did it with paper mache and it took ages to dry, does this foam and plaster mix dry quickly? 

Where have you set up the diorama?

Elaine (http://www.anchoredbygrace.com/smileys/mgqueen.gif)
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: flatcat on September 19, 2010, 20:43:06
Absolutely amazing :wow: :wow: :wow:

And great as well that the board can be used for so many other themes :yup:

Damo :)
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: sweetking on September 19, 2010, 21:08:28
This is super!  :wow: :wow: :wow:  :clap: :clap: :clap: :wow: :wow: :wow:
I love the effect of the water.  :love:
Thank you for taking us step by step through the set up.  :thanks:

Could you tell me what PU foam is and is the plaster - ordinary wall plaster or plaster of paris?
When Junior made a space landscape he did it with paper mache and it took ages to dry, does this foam and plaster mix dry quickly? 

Where have you set up the diorama?

Elaine (http://www.anchoredbygrace.com/smileys/mgqueen.gif)

Regarding the effect on water, its an accident ! I used a air-stiffening transparent polymer from Faller brand, but it did crack a lot when drying. on a more whitish blue, it would make a nice floating ice area

PU is Polyurethane, which is often used as insulation stuff in house building (mainly around windows). You can find it in spray-cans in any shop I believe. Main inconvenience : the two compounds used to create the foam (isococyanate and polyol) are known as cancer-initiator products. PU itself is safe but when burning (creating cencer-initiator smoke...)

I would now recommend to use PS (polystyrene) foam plates.

Plaster : i used plaster from Paris as you can find it in 1 kilo box when stand plaster is 10 or 15 kg bag minimum... and I used 2-3 kilos only to compensate some holes in the foams and make the surface more rigid. Plaster was added after the foam was solid enough.


I used a bit of paper mache (strange to read this french word "mache" in English... means "chewed paper") on it to compasate some planearity issue under the buliding and did dry really slowly too. PU foam did dry in 24h hours, as did plaster. Paper mache needed 3 times more.

I showed this diorama first for the playmobil "convention" at La Capelle in France, but everything was created first in my lounge and on my 1.5m² fake balcony.


Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: Tiermann on September 19, 2010, 21:31:04
Great display and thanks for the step by step. Here in the US it's common to use extruded polystyrene sheets for diorama bases. It can be found at hardware stores and is the pink board used for insulation. Some paper mache or plaster is recommended if you want to spray paint it - the spray paint will melt it otherwise.
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: sweetking on September 19, 2010, 22:02:33
Great display and thanks for the step by step. Here in the US it's common to use extruded polystyrene sheets for diorama bases. It can be found at hardware stores and is the pink board used for insulation. Some paper mache or plaster is recommended if you want to spray paint it - the spray paint will melt it otherwise.

I fully agree : whatever the material is (PS or PU) you have to isolate it by covering it with plaster, paper mache or a layer of glue for wood... otherwise paints or warnishes will destroy it.
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: Gis on September 20, 2010, 07:31:27
Thank you so much for for sharing this Sweetking. How-To guides are really useful and it certainly gave me some good ideas.

The diorama is very beautiful, and I will definitily be showing these pics to my daughter!

I loved seeing a piece of Huysmans2005 road in the background!
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: Klickus Mobilius on September 20, 2010, 07:50:27
Very impressive!  Thanks for sharing the steps!
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: Jimbo on September 24, 2010, 14:00:16
Great job, Sweetking. :clap:

That is a perfect setting for many Klicky type adventures.

Jimbo
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: macgayver on September 29, 2010, 12:18:33
very nice display
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: Celeste in New Orleans on October 17, 2010, 22:19:24
Great display!  :)
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: Sylvia on October 18, 2010, 10:31:43

Gorgeous diorama! :love:

The fairies are one of my favourite themes! I would love to create something similar to this myself one day. :)

Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: sweetking on October 27, 2010, 09:37:40
Would you try to win a game about his diorama : how many mice can you find on it.
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: socrates on October 27, 2010, 09:44:32
A marvellous diorama! Very nice to see how things are evolving!   :love:
Thank you for sharing!  :wave:

Would you try to win a game about his diorama : how many mice can you find on it.

I counted 3. Not much, but as I also counted at least two cats...  ::)  :P

best,
socrates
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: sweetking on October 30, 2010, 05:37:07
A marvellous diorama! Very nice to see how things are evolving!   :love:
Thank you for sharing!  :wave:

I counted 3. Not much, but as I also counted at least two cats...  ::)  :P

best,
socrates

you missed it !

3 is not the number...
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: bonniebeth on November 02, 2010, 01:21:14
Ok, it's driving me crazy.  :wall:  :lol: I only see three mice. Lots of squirells, but no more mice.
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: shirona33 on November 02, 2010, 15:15:32
 :hmm: I also can only find 3 of them! :glasses:
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: sweetking on November 03, 2010, 13:35:54
hard to notice grey on grey ?
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: Wolf Knight on November 03, 2010, 13:48:24
you guys are good... I just found one... :-[
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: bonniebeth on November 03, 2010, 14:22:30
I just spotted a fourth one!

Spoiler alert for anyone who wants to find it himself.

for those who want to know:











































He's near the water's edge right by the little girl floating on the lily pad with the pink umbrella.

So is 4 the number?
Title: Re: Pixies ! I saw pixies ! Pixies everywhere ! I must be mad !
Post by: sweetking on November 03, 2010, 19:53:09
I just spotted a fourth one!

Spoiler alert for anyone who wants to find it himself.

for those who want to know:







He's near the water's edge right by the little girl floating on the lily pad with the pink umbrella.

So is 4 the number?

4 is the number, count up to 4 but not 5. Count not less than 4,  3 is not big enough... (reference to "Monthy Pythons and the Holy Grail")