Like in my previous article From Sketch to Screen, I normally make sketches or drawings of what I intend to build as the first step. The reason is simple. I need to able to see how the final diorama is going to be and how all the things relate to one another. It is always a good idea to take the trouble of fleshing things out when creating an original and complex miniature diorama like this.

Building miniature dioramas are different than building terrain for tabletop games. Dioramas need to tell a story when everything is placed together at the end. Art people call it having a good composition.

The Story

Every diorama have a story to tell. In this case there are 2 scenes with separate stories.

1)In this diorama I’m isolating a scene from the Last March of the Ents where an Ent or a Tree Giant is attacking Isengard. You can expect to see several Orcs making a desperate defence of their lair. Isengard had been transform into a weapons and Orcs production facility, so you can expect some crude Orc machinery at work in this scene as well.

2)Isengard is also the home of the evil wizard Saruman. Saruman will be in an underground scene giving orders to his Orc commander, Lurtz.

The Miniature Characters

The main characters in this Isengard miniature diorama are the Birch Tree Ent, the wizard Saruman and the Uruk Hai Captain Lurtz. I will also add several Snot-lings on top of the Orc guards to add more variety in this miniature diorama.

The Sketch

In the planning stage, I decided to draw 3 different views of the scene to aid me in my construction. Being able to see the scene in different angles will give you a better picture of what items and materials you require to build the miniature diorama. This will save you time and cost during the whole process.

Since the diorama will have internal and external scenes, having different views of the diorama  can aid you in breaking down the scene into different parts. The biggest plus point to planning is that you can build the miniature diorama in stages and concentrate on one part at a time. This will make you stay focused in the project and not get distracted  thinking about too many things- which may tire you out unnecessarily.

Though most of the ideas are sketched out, the project is constantly ever evolving. Don’t be afraid to add more interesting items to the miniature diorama along the way to make it even better. Be flexible!

In the upcoming articles, I shall cover the topic on converting miniatures and making Orc machinery based on this miniature diorama. Till then happy sketching and planning!

For more info on miniatures please visit : 2PaintMiniatures.com

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