I decided to make a living tree diorama from oven bake clay.

Step 1: Oven Bake Clay & Materials

I used boxes of Oven Bake Clay, Aluminum Foil (for the shape of the trees), Plaster (mix), Primer paint, Acrylic Paints, Clear Paint, Hobby Grasses/Moss, Craft Glue, Sand, Plywood & screws.

Step 2:

First I made a basic frame of each tree using Aluminum Foil, shaping the length and circumference. Once I had the desired size, I started adding clay on top of the foil to completely cover. (The trees I made are approx 9.5 in tall and 5 in wide.) Once covered with clay, I molded out different faces. Now they are ready for the details.

Step 3: Details

I added detail to the trees using any type of anything (metal nail file, toothpick, etc.) to add texture to them. As finished, each tree took about an hour in the oven.

Step 4: Painting

After they were cooled, I was ready to start making the diorama box. I cut a piece of plywood for the bottom of the box and made a layout of where I wanted the trees to fit. Then I poured plaster to set them in place. After the plaster was solid hard, it was time to primer everything. (The brown area where I painted is where the the final sand will go.)

Step 5: Finishing Up !

I had to cut several pieces of the plywood to form an open "box" for the diorama cut to the size I wanted. Before I put it all together, I painted trees & a background on the back piece; I even made some smaller trees out of clay that are in the distance and glued them on top of the background scene. After I painted the big trees and put clear paint (to protect), I glued on the hobby grass and sand on the ground. I also made some vines out of clay, baked them and glued them around the trees. Moss was then added (glued) around the vines. I painted all the insides of the plywood before I assembled the box. To finish, the outsides of the box were painted and clear paint was added on top.