DIORAMA 101:
How to make 1:6 scale dioramas
Let me say first that, although I am working in 1:6 scale, this should work for any scale diorama or dollhouse!
When I first started making dioramas, I could find almost nothing on how to do things, so I faked it and some of my results were better than others. I began searching the internet and ran across a number of blogs or websites that had helpful information that made things a lot easier. I'm going to share what I've learned with you and update the information as I learn and discover new ways of doing things.
This "course" is designed for beginners who just want to try their hand at making simple dioramas or designing doll rooms. I will be referring you to other websites for more advanced ideas.
There are a lot of things to consider when building a diorama or dollhouse and I will talk about them briefly here.
When I first started making dioramas, I could find almost nothing on how to do things, so I faked it and some of my results were better than others. I began searching the internet and ran across a number of blogs or websites that had helpful information that made things a lot easier. I'm going to share what I've learned with you and update the information as I learn and discover new ways of doing things.
This "course" is designed for beginners who just want to try their hand at making simple dioramas or designing doll rooms. I will be referring you to other websites for more advanced ideas.
There are a lot of things to consider when building a diorama or dollhouse and I will talk about them briefly here.
Diorama size
Okay, I admit that this one is tricky. If you really look at the houses put out for Barbie, most of them are drastically under scale. When using one sixth scale, which is more or less Barbie size, one foot equals 2 inches. So if Ken were human size, he would be six feet tall. But in one sixth scale, he is 12 inches tall. Now, consider that a lot of rooms in Barbie houses are one foot or less across. That means in real life the rooms would be six feet across or less. It would be like living in a closet!! One of the dimensions in my real living room is 24 feet. so if I were to make a diorama of my living room, it would have to be 48 INCHES LONG!! Most of us don't have the space to build dioramas or dollhouses on that scale, so you have to compromise. In the Big Doll House, I compromised with rooms that were about 28 inches across and 16 inches high and about 18 inches deep. Not as big as I'd like, but better than Mattel ever does.
I have seen rooms done in 12x12 inches that were really well done, but usually you should choose something larger if you are doing more than a very small, simple scene.
I use foam core for most of my walls. The sheets come in a standard size of 30x18 inches. (I get them for $1.00 each from Hobby Lobby when they are on sale at half price, which is quite often. You can also get them at some dollar stores, but the quality is not as nice and you have to be careful because some are warped or crooked, or warp later if you don't store them properly.)
The standard size makes an excellent room, big enough to do almost anything you want. There is a size larger, which I have used several times, that works well for very large scenes, but mostly I tape several pieces together if I need bigger dimensions.
The first thing you need to do is figure out what you want to put in the room. I often do a set up of approximately how I want the room to look, but without walls, and photograph it just to see whether it will all fit nicely. I then measure and choose the dimensions I will need and cut my walls accordingly. For more on this, see the section on walls.
Keep in mind room height as well. The standard sheets of foam core are 18 inches tall- 9 feet in Barbie world.
Again, many Barbie houses have ceilings that are 13 or 14 inches- 6 and a half or 7 feet in the real world! I like high ceilings in real houses and in dioramas I don't usually show the ceiling at all unless there is a reason.
Sometimes the size will be dictated for you by the space you are working in- say a cabinet or bookcases you are using to display your dolls. That was the case in the Grandville Public Library Diorama display I did. The shelves were only 8 1/2 inches deep so I had to create rooms that looked natural while basically just lining everything up.
Whatever size you are working in, remember to get down to eye level and really look at what you are creating from a doll's perspective, as well as taking pictures to make sure it looks real and natural, that everything looks in proportion and that the effect is pleasing.
I have seen rooms done in 12x12 inches that were really well done, but usually you should choose something larger if you are doing more than a very small, simple scene.
I use foam core for most of my walls. The sheets come in a standard size of 30x18 inches. (I get them for $1.00 each from Hobby Lobby when they are on sale at half price, which is quite often. You can also get them at some dollar stores, but the quality is not as nice and you have to be careful because some are warped or crooked, or warp later if you don't store them properly.)
The standard size makes an excellent room, big enough to do almost anything you want. There is a size larger, which I have used several times, that works well for very large scenes, but mostly I tape several pieces together if I need bigger dimensions.
The first thing you need to do is figure out what you want to put in the room. I often do a set up of approximately how I want the room to look, but without walls, and photograph it just to see whether it will all fit nicely. I then measure and choose the dimensions I will need and cut my walls accordingly. For more on this, see the section on walls.
Keep in mind room height as well. The standard sheets of foam core are 18 inches tall- 9 feet in Barbie world.
Again, many Barbie houses have ceilings that are 13 or 14 inches- 6 and a half or 7 feet in the real world! I like high ceilings in real houses and in dioramas I don't usually show the ceiling at all unless there is a reason.
Sometimes the size will be dictated for you by the space you are working in- say a cabinet or bookcases you are using to display your dolls. That was the case in the Grandville Public Library Diorama display I did. The shelves were only 8 1/2 inches deep so I had to create rooms that looked natural while basically just lining everything up.
Whatever size you are working in, remember to get down to eye level and really look at what you are creating from a doll's perspective, as well as taking pictures to make sure it looks real and natural, that everything looks in proportion and that the effect is pleasing.
Diorama Basic "Wardrobe"
Just as in a woman's wardrobe you should have some basic wardrobe items- one good suit, tank tops in different colors, one little black dress,etc.- you should have a basic "wardrobe" of diorama items that you can build dioramas around. I suggest a bed, a neutral colored couch, at least one or two rugs, one or more side tables, one side chair, and a lamp or two. With these you can build any number of sets just by varying the colors and adding a few knick knacks (see One Wall Dioramas.) Most of these things you can build yourself or make by putting together some easy to find components. See my Links page for links to some wonderful places for furniture or, if your budget doesn't stretch to that, see some of the pages under this "How To" section to see how to make your own.
Once you have your basics in place, start looking for little objects to enhance your rooms. Start by looking around your house to see what you already have. In the Antique Booth, you will see a number of objects that aren't what they look like: the African mask and the green and gold fan are both pieces of jewelry. Garage sales and thrift shops are your best friends. I find most of my diorama items there for next to nothing. Not only will you find doll size items, but all kinds of things you can make into other things- wooden coaster holders become coffee tables, candle holders become tables or lamps, etc. You should also look for wallpaper there as well. As you become more involved with dioramas, you will soon find yourself looking for small objects in every gift shop you visit and asking yourself: "What can I turn this into?" about all kinds of objects.
Inspiration
Sounds crazy to discuss how to get inspiration for a diorama, huh? Some people build them just to show off the dolls. Others are telling stories. Some, like me, do it as set design. Your reason will dictate what you use and how you use it.
Some of my dioramas have begun because of one object. In the Black and White Room it was the rug that started me off. I loved the curves and wanted to do a room in black, white, silver and olive green. Later I added some red to make it pop. I became obsessed by the curves and nearly everything in the room reflects the curves over and over again. (Ironically, I came to dislike the rug because I could never get it to lay quite flat and it didn't photograph as well as I would have liked.)
The Antique Booth was made just to display some of my treasures. The Contemporary Living Room was done to showcase the fireplace Kirk made for me.
Other dioramas I have in the works are based on all sorts of things and ideas. One is a cottage we stayed in when I was a little girl, another is based on a book I read recently, yet another on a picture I saw in a magazine.
To build your diorama, start with a focal point. This may be a piece of furniture, a really knock-out wallpaper or a wall or window. Recently I saw a number of wonderful window seats made by Deb Buckner of Disenchanted Designs on Doll Divas. Each one became the focal point for a One Wall Diorama. Deb, who built the windows and window seats used coordinated fabrics, wallpapers and knick knacks to give a different feel to each set.
Sometimes you just say: "I'm going to make a bedroom," and just start seeing what will work. That isn't a bad way to start, but it's better to visualize what you want to say about the doll or the mood of the room, and try to choose colors and objects to reflect that. In the bedroom I created to display my Diorama Swap bedding, I thought the bedding looked rather masculine, so I visualized what a rather masculine room would have in it and looked for things that would fit that criteria. You can see the results on the One Wall Diorama page. That diorama took about 5 minutes, other I've done take me weeks.
Start simply. Building massive rooms with all sorts of special features takes time- and experience! Also patience and the ability to not get too upset when your wall falls over knocking all your furniture on the floor, or your wall paper keeps coming unglued.
Some of my dioramas have begun because of one object. In the Black and White Room it was the rug that started me off. I loved the curves and wanted to do a room in black, white, silver and olive green. Later I added some red to make it pop. I became obsessed by the curves and nearly everything in the room reflects the curves over and over again. (Ironically, I came to dislike the rug because I could never get it to lay quite flat and it didn't photograph as well as I would have liked.)
The Antique Booth was made just to display some of my treasures. The Contemporary Living Room was done to showcase the fireplace Kirk made for me.
Other dioramas I have in the works are based on all sorts of things and ideas. One is a cottage we stayed in when I was a little girl, another is based on a book I read recently, yet another on a picture I saw in a magazine.
To build your diorama, start with a focal point. This may be a piece of furniture, a really knock-out wallpaper or a wall or window. Recently I saw a number of wonderful window seats made by Deb Buckner of Disenchanted Designs on Doll Divas. Each one became the focal point for a One Wall Diorama. Deb, who built the windows and window seats used coordinated fabrics, wallpapers and knick knacks to give a different feel to each set.
Sometimes you just say: "I'm going to make a bedroom," and just start seeing what will work. That isn't a bad way to start, but it's better to visualize what you want to say about the doll or the mood of the room, and try to choose colors and objects to reflect that. In the bedroom I created to display my Diorama Swap bedding, I thought the bedding looked rather masculine, so I visualized what a rather masculine room would have in it and looked for things that would fit that criteria. You can see the results on the One Wall Diorama page. That diorama took about 5 minutes, other I've done take me weeks.
Start simply. Building massive rooms with all sorts of special features takes time- and experience! Also patience and the ability to not get too upset when your wall falls over knocking all your furniture on the floor, or your wall paper keeps coming unglued.
One Thing More You Should Know About
I do not consider myself a diorama expert. I am just someone who really enjoys this and wants to share what I've learned so far with other newbies. I just love doing this so much that I think everyone should try it! There are people who do much better dioramas than I do. I'm just trying to help with the basics.
When getting instructions from me, you should probably know that I can't sew, I can't measure properly, I have no tools except a Dremel tool, and I even have trouble operating a glue gun!
So if you are waiting for instructions like this: "Start with a miter saw, a jig saw, two C clamps and 3 sheets of quarter inch pine 11 1/2X18, twelve phillip head screws..."- you aren't going to find them here. There are lots of guys on the internet with power tools who really measure well, and put 4 coats of paint on things (sanding well between each coat.) You should probably watch some of their videos. I am not that type. I do whatever works. Sometimes it's very fast and sloppy because most of what I do will be used once then torn down. If you are building permanently, you will want to be more careful and/or enlist the help of someone who can sew or knows how to use power tools. I'm just here to give you ideas!
When getting instructions from me, you should probably know that I can't sew, I can't measure properly, I have no tools except a Dremel tool, and I even have trouble operating a glue gun!
So if you are waiting for instructions like this: "Start with a miter saw, a jig saw, two C clamps and 3 sheets of quarter inch pine 11 1/2X18, twelve phillip head screws..."- you aren't going to find them here. There are lots of guys on the internet with power tools who really measure well, and put 4 coats of paint on things (sanding well between each coat.) You should probably watch some of their videos. I am not that type. I do whatever works. Sometimes it's very fast and sloppy because most of what I do will be used once then torn down. If you are building permanently, you will want to be more careful and/or enlist the help of someone who can sew or knows how to use power tools. I'm just here to give you ideas!
In the pages I will be adding, you will see some of the things I've tried and learned. There are a million ideas floating in my head, so keep checking back to see what new things I'll be trying and feel free to email me with any questions or ideas you have.
diorama101@thehouseatonesixth.com