Introduction: RuinedTower Diorama

This is an easy project to make.

Step 1: Beginning the Diorama

I make dioramas of all sizes as a hobby: This is a smaller display diorama meant for use with 3 3/4 inch figures. This one started out as a cardboard disc that came with a frozen pizza. The tower is made from foamboard.

I cut out the foamboard using a very sharp hobby knife then used tacky glue to join the edges together, reinforcing them with wooden toothpicks: I used the toothpick to gently poke a hole through both pieces of foamboard, then pulled it out, put a drop of tacky glue on the tip of the toothpick, then pushed them back into the hole. I then set it aside to dry overnight. After it dried I cut off the excess toothpick.

The figure is for scale.

Step 2: Adding "Stone Blocks"

I used the same glue and toothpicks method to attach the tower to the base.

To make the "Stone Blocks" I cut out rectangular pieces of posterboard roughly 1/2 of an inch tall and 1 1/2 inches wide and glued them to the face of the tower. I later trimmed the posterboard around the upper window.

Step 3: Priming the Diorama.

Once the glue dried I gave the tower a base coat of dark brown acrylic paint, both back and front. The disc I used four different shades of brown then swirled them together to imitate the varied color of bare dirt.

After the paint dried I used two different shades of brown on some of the "Blocks" on the tower to make it look older and weathered.

Step 4: Adding More Details.

I added a lighter brown "Roadway" curving in front of the tower, for interest. I also cut up floral moss into small pieces then glued it onto the tower to give it the look of a ruin that had been there a long time. I used photographs of real moss-covered buildings as a guide to place the moss.

Step 5: Adding "Grass"

To make the grass I spread white glue on the base in a "patch" to resemble real grass: For the grass I use Oregano and Parsley Flakes mixed together and sprinkled onto the glue. I then set it aside to dry.

Step 6: Final Diorama

Here is the final diorama with a few figures on it: I used photo manipulation with this pic to isolate it and put it on a background. I also added a foamboard door and chest to this pic.

This is an inexpensive and easy to do project, and can be used with any set of figures.

Cardboard Challenge

Participated in the
Cardboard Challenge