Fig. E: Wooden skewers give the cabin a more realistic
feel. Fig. F: The foreground trees should have wider
trunks than the ones in the background.
Fig. G: Glue trees to the stage. Don’t place them too
close to the cabin. Fig. H: Before gluing the second set
of trees make sure that the deer fits comfortably. Once
everything is dry, the stage and trees are ready for paint.
wooden skewers (use the X-Acto knife or scissors
to chop the wood). Cover everything except the tabs.
Glue a small black paper triangle to the left end of
the cabin (Figure E). Set aside to dry completely.
5. Make the foreground trees.
Cut 2 sections of trees out of cardstock (Figure F).
The horizon line on these is lower than on the background trees, and the tree trunks are wider, which
helps the illusion of perspective. Each tree section
covers slightly less than half the width of the stage
(but their bases overlap), and each has a tab on its
outer edge. Fold the tabs toward the back.
Cut two ¼"-wide strips of foamcore board slightly
shorter than the width of each of the foreground
tree cutouts. Glue these foamcore braces to the
back of the trees at the bottom, to give them more
stability when they’re glued to the base.
6. Mount the pieces.
Glue the cabin over the black background trees,
close to their horizon line. Don’t place it lower than
the horizon line on the foreground trees. Tape the
sides of the stage to the base so you’ll be working
with an upright scene for the final steps.
Glue the right piece of the foreground trees
about 1" from the background trees, making room
for the cabin (Figure G). They shouldn’t touch each
other; by leaving the small space between, you
allow the foreground trees to cast shadows over
the cabin.
Glue the foreground trees on the left about
½" from the front of the stage. Place the deer
temporarily to measure a comfortable distance
for the placement of these trees (Figure H). Make
sure the deer’s not too hidden behind the trees, but
just peeking around them. Now glue the deer to the
base of the stage.
Let everything dry and paint as desired. Then
slowly slide your artwork into your frame. Enjoy!
For more tips and variations, check out
craftzine.com/07/design_diorama.
Patricia Zapata is a graphic designer who loves working with
cut paper (
alittlehut.com). She explores crafty endeavors on
her blog (
alittlehut.blogspot.com) and interviews inspiring
artists at Crafty Synergy (
craftysynergy.com).
