Grimm's Build: The Diorama Base & Scenery

I had an idea of what I wanted the overall scene to look like, so I penned it out with marker.

I knew several views I wanted viewers to see, so I tried to frame them in with the landforms and tree placement.

I dug out the marsh and the road and then added hills at the sides.

After everything was satisfactory, I put a layer of Sculptamold down.

Once the sculptamold was dry I painted with artist acrylics and sanded off some high spots.

The marsh needed a base color, which was made by mixing all of these wonderful colors.

Here is a fine layer of screened dirt that is drying. You can also see the final color of the marsh.

Actual rocks and sifted dirt were added.

I placed the larger trees back in to test sightlines again.

The trees frame the marsh and house nicely from the front.

I knew I wanted this creepy side view, and the trees once again frame the shot.

Here is a top view of the poured marsh. I believe I used Envirotex Lite for this one.

I used a lighter green to make the mossy areas.

I dropped a tiny amount of the mossy green in and either let it float out or dragged it to get what you see here.

I used many different commercial products to add plants around the marsh. Variety!

I wanted fallen trees in the water and placed them before the pour.