Another new month means the start of another monthly project, this months will be Jeff showing how he works with the green stuff, so lots of ideas with the scenic side of modelling.

Over to you Jeff ;-)

I hope to be starting this month's project in a few days, probably Monday.
You may remember that some while ago, Brian (HP) instigated a diorama project which a few members completed. For various reasons, including the start of organising last year's exhibition, I never got the chance to get very far with mine, but as it's based on a countryside scene, it will be an ideal host for me to demonstrate some of the techniques I've found useful over the years and incorporated into many a layout / part layout.

As ever, the techniques I'll demonstrate are not the definitive way to make your scenery, simply my way of doing things. Some may have different ways of doing certain items, but as long as an acceptable result is the end product, no way is "best". However, hopefully those with scenic skills will pick up some hints and tips and those with a "scenic blind spot" will be inspired to have a go.

I'll be doing this in "real time", posting as I go, so there's opportunity for anyone to ask questions, make suggestions as we go. The object of the exercise is participation, whether on your layout, using a scrap of wood as a test piece, or simply filing away methods for future use, please participate. 

To complete this diorama there will be most of the scenic skills needed as there's back-scenes, rough ground, pasture, small wood copse, hedging, water (pool and stream), bank-side,  country lane, bridge , tunnel mouth, ballasting, a boathouse and a farmer's barn to do.
It may take all of January and some of February to cover it all, as I'm not going to be working on it every day, but I'll keep going as long as there's interest from members. thumbs

This guy is a seriously good scenery man, bretheren.  I'm ebroilled in something other Jeff, so I won't be building - but I'll be watching.  Rest assured.  :thumbs

I wondered how to start off this project, but as the test piece is a small board that was last worked on over a year ago, I thought that a look at where the diorama started and how far it has come would be useful.

The project board is designed to eventually be extended to form a small portable layout and at 18” x 22.5”, this is 1.5” shorter than planned, but I had a piece of ply in stock that size, so I thought I would save the bother of buying a new sheet and having to cut it to size.
I started by laying out the plan, to full size, on a roll of wallpaper backing sheet and then cutting up sheets of polystyrene to suit the desired contours.

The sheets were then stuck to the baseboard using ordinary PVA glue, allowing about 10 minutes between each layer to allow a bond to be made.

I then cut out the relevant sections of the paper plan and pinned them on the polystyrene contours to check everything out.

This also helps the mind’s eye to visualize the final effect and it’s surprising how often this triggers off other ideas!

Here’s a photo. As you can see, it was fairly easy from here to imagine all sorts of detail that could be added!





A bit more playing about and I raised the level of the barn to give me this:-





I did a little initial work, doing a little shaping and then sealing the polystyrene with paint and this was as far as I had got:-




The project will therefore be an account of how I landscaped an 18” x 22.5” area, virtually from scratch. 

As scenery is not me, as in i am no good at it. I shall be deffo follow this and file it and then print off for when i start my scenery.

Phill

I hope to join in Jeff - I've still got most of the scenery to do on my unfinished module…………:oops::oops::oops:

Will you be needing any screws ?

Before we kick on with practical demonstrations (and with apologies to those whom I may be teaching “granny to suck eggs”) take some time to read the following ideas. They are my take on the methods and thought processes involved in scenic construction, but there will be many more ways of achieving as good, if not a better, result.
Use a few scrap pieces of wood to test out some of the methods discussed, or even build a small diorama as we go. There’s nothing like practice to make perfect.

Unlike the skills of scratchbuilding a loco or producing a hand-built turnout, scenic construction is not an exact science. In many of the diverse disciplines of this hobby (those above being two such subjects), the correct way to proceed is well laid out to an exact pattern. Scenery is more an art form than a science and as such requires a different approach if it is to be of a high standard. Therefore, at this stage, it may be an idea to explain my philosophy when thinking about the scenic work.
This post is not meant to be a lecture, but as with most activities, I truly believe that 50% of good modeling is “in the mind”.
 
Firstly, as it’s my biggest interest, I want to produce the most realistic effect I can. I would be far happier with a layout that looked good scenically but had no electrical connections (and therefore didn’t run), than I would be with a complex track layout on bare boards.
It has long been my belief that those that get close to perfection (not me unfortunately) model by a few basic principles and it’s their skill combined with these principles that make them so good. People like MikeC, who are brilliant artists in their own right, have a high degree of skill, but I guarantee you that they also work by tried and trusted principles to produce their best work.

Secondly, most of the skills involved can be taught (or picked up by observation and asking questions) over time, but the perfection seen at places like Pendon requires a natural flair and talent. This we all have to some degree, whether latent or not, but there will always be “another level” to which very few of us will rise.
 
What will be the reason for this??

For some it will be a lack of interest (other aspects of the hobby will appeal more) and this group will always be satisfied with their basic efforts – no problem, that’s their choice and good luck to them.

For others it will be the impatience to see an end result. Invariably there will be those that in their rush to finish a scene (and their desire to find an ever greater number of short-cuts), will never achieve anything like their full potential and will always wonder how they could do better.

Yet more modelers will begrudge spending the money on quality materials and make do with lesser, cheaper, alternatives. I ask these to consider the likely result of Ferrari deciding to build a F1 racing car using the cheapest materials they could find.
In scenic construction, as in F1 racing, cheap is only good if there’s no compromise on quality.

There will also be those that model what they think the scenery looks like and not what it really is. There’s no substitute for looking properly at the real thing (or photos of the real thing) if you want to get it right, very many of us look at nature and the landscape but don’t see it properly.

Finally there will be those that really do want to do a good job, but lack the knowledge, lack the experience or lack the skill to achieve perfection. All three of these commodities can be bought by application and effort, but nobody should be discouraged by falling short of perfection, it’s something that is the preserve of the very few. 

So back to the principles I started talking about:-

1.   Try to model what you see and not what you think you see. Sight is physical and not mental. Research, observe, copy should be the mantra.

2.   Don’t be in a rush to do a good job – sometimes you’ll need to wait a while between stages for things to dry; sometimes you’ll need to knock up some test pieces to solve a problem.

3.   Don’t sacrifice quality materials for cheap, inferior imitations. Fine Regency furniture is never made out of chipboard.

4.   Take a tip from nature and build your scenery from the ground up. Imagine a huge slab of rock at the end of the ice age and copy how the landscape developed. Soil deposits, short grasses / plants / weeds, shrubs, bushes, trees etc. etc. Copy that sequence and you’ll be starting to “build your scenery” rather than “throwing a bit of scatter around”.

5.   Above all, never stop looking, listening, asking and learning – nobody ever knows it all.

Watching with interest Jeff.  We can all learn from each other as you say; no-one has a single "right answer".

This project is brilliant Jeff, I will be following progress with great interest.

You've made some really excellent points there Jeff - many of which have touched several nerves here in Lot et Garonne, S.W. France  !!!!

I'm from the same shool as you - it's the scenery that makes a layout for me but, unlike you, I can't wait for an ice age ………………….:oops::oops::oops:

I'll be reading, watching and hopefully, learning from this project. :cheers

I'm just starting my senery so I will be watching with great interest and I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions:thumbs 

Great intro Jeff...........I am hooked!

Jeff, although my scenery is slowly developing, I shall be watching this with great interest as I expect to learn quite a few things as you progress.

I'm particularly looking forward to seeing how you manage to get the water to stop at the board edge as I'm contemplating a water feature on the final board of Much Murkle.;-)

Great stuff.:thumbs

Jeff while I thank you for the vote of confidence, I'm very much looking forward to learning from this, with so many interesting features included in the diorama.

Mike

[user=8]MikeC[/user] wrote:

Jeff while I thank you for the vote of confidence, I'm very much looking forward to learning from this, with so many interesting features included in the diorama.

Mike

Mike, I do appreciate your sentiments above, it confirms my last sentance "5. Above all, never stop looking, listening, asking and learning – nobody ever knows it all."

It therefore follows that I will also be learning as I go - I'll be relying on you (and others) to weigh in with suggestions about different approaches. Everyone reading the thread may not want to actively build their own diorama to try things out, or test my methods on their own layout as we go, but I'll be very happy if we can get an interactive response to this project.

[user=3]Gwent Rail[/user] wrote:

……………………………………………………

It therefore follows that I will also be learning as I go - I'll be relying on you (and others) to weigh in …………………..

And I thought you were the flipping teacher …………no wonder education's gone to the dogs

You've captured my interest.

Could I make one plea? Can you list any items you use with recommendations on where they can be sourced.

Geoff

[user=371]watcher[/user] wrote:

You've captured my interest.

Could I make one plea? Can you list any items you use with recommendations on where they can be sourced.

Geoff

OK, that will not be a problem, Geoff.
I'll do so with each subject I cover. It's a good idea, actually, because it will be useful in the future for any new member's reference. thumbs

Will it be with a GWR twist to it Jeff, just asking as you know what these GWR guys are like, :thumbs

Phill

[user=9]phill[/user] wrote:

Will it be with a GWR twist to it Jeff, just asking as you know what these GWR guys are like, :thumbs

Phill

Yep, it will, Phill. All the grass will be green and there will be both "light stone" and "dark stone" used.