What makes a good diroama?

[farseerlum]

i think the narrative element is the part that makes a diorama work.

the story HAS to be clear! once the story is told in that first instant the viewer can then flesh it out and look for the details.

that is why victorias squabble works so well. there is only two elements of the story. even thought there is many minis, they are divided between the leader and the squabblers.
the single guy slapping his forehead tells all the story. you do not need to even notice what the other guys are doing.
once you have that you can then enjoy the individual peices.
as long as the story is clear you can have it as busy as you want. true story.

chrispy is right on the money when he says it\'s like a comic. but you have only one frame to tell the story.

thats why most are ambush or rescue or face off types. they are just easier.
the more memorable are a little deeper in story. if i mention the bodyguard most everyone will have a very clear picture of what it was about.
if i mention cold out there. you remember it, but can you remember how many members there were? what they are doing? even what was the story?

so busy isn\'t bad as long as the story is clear. as a rule less minis make the story clearer but not always.

have fun!

 

[Sand Rat]

Kittykat - like everyone has said, a good diorama has to tell a story. Oddly enough, I\'ve seen more dioramas from military modelers than from mini painters. There are a couple of books out there to look at for reference - one by Verlindan, and one by Shepard Paine. The book by Paine specifically covers diorama building for all kinds of models, not just military models.

 

[supervike]

paine book is good...

Yup, that Shep Paine book is definately one of the best on the topic. Wish there were more.

I too have noticed that military modellers seem to favor the diorama more so than fantasy painters, not sure why....

 

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks for the input, I\'ll try and find a copy of the book. As for Trogdor, we\'ve been thinking of a few different ideas, from trying to get him to somehow breathe smoke to some kind of diroama involving some dwarves, a mining barrow full of treasure, with a cutaway showing some TNT....

Regards

Kat

 

[aku_djinn]

Dioramas

As was mentioned before, the purpose of a diorama is to tell a story. It should always start with the base, the layout, and deciding which miniatures and how they are to be positioned. There should be a focal point of the story, a triangle of sorts that leads the viewers eye to the center of the story. If you check out my diorama \"Ambush at Amon-Hen\" Boromir and the hobbits are the center of the story and the enemies facing them form a vortex of sorts pointing right at them... so even though they are not in the center of the base the viewer\'s eye is drawn there. I would recomend to anyone to throw 100% into the base work first after working out their scene. It\'s very motivating to have a stunning scene all set and THEN paint the minis to go onto it. In the end, a few minis often tell a more powerful story than many, and at the Golden Demons at least, it\'s the miniatures they\'ll judge first and the base second. But my theory is to make the most impressive scene possible to draw the viewer into my vision of things. I guess the key is to keep it simple, make the scenery as real as possible and only use minis that add to the story you\'re trying to convey.

 

[supervike]

yup very good.

@aku djinn

your diorama is an excellent example of telling a story, not only with the miniatures, but also the color composition (notice the hobbits stand out more) and the flow of the action towards the focal point.

Good work.

Here is a link for all you other CMONers:

http://www.coolminiornot.com/?id=29052