Progress of a Small Diorama. All the work are from John Cubbin (www.ztrains.com)

How everything started...

I just shot off a couple of quick photos of the "test" piece I'm building here for future photos.. this isn't completed of course, it's very rough right now! It's not nearly as fancy as the other pieces... but I'll be adding much grass, trees, etc... also a little water right down in front. This was built with an almost vertical back rock wall to make taking quick photos easier. The track may be too close to the rocks... I may add some wire to act as a falling rock barrier.
I'll test the new NOCH static grass gun on this Diorama.

Having just received the new NOCH static grass applicator I'm testing it out now. Now this will need cleaning up, that is for sure... there is excess grass all over. My initial reaction is that is doesn't really work 100% but I do believe it may be better than applying grass in my older method. Again there will be water right up front on this piece, but overall I'm now deciding if I like this. Also, this is the new
and longer Silflor brand grass... they do make nice colors! What do you think?

What I usually do is to apply the grass long then use a small electric trimmer to contour and cut the grass down to size... I like this as it gives me a little more control. Just before I went to sleep I added even more grass... LOL! I have to say that even though it needs a trimming... it does have an interesting look using this new NOCH machine. As I sit here now and look over at this piece from about 6 feet away, the grass has a really nice lush feeling.

Thought I'd show you the piece after it's "haircut" :)

I have to say I'm a little surprised as I'm liking this piece more and more. As a quick test I've just added a couple of your trees to the scene. I think this scene heavily forested with these trees and the water I'm planning will
look very good. Of course it has a good but different look with no trees!
It's almost like that thing I mentioned... always trying to "out-do" myself.
Does that always mean more trees, more rocks, etc? Or can it simply be a good scene that is detailed well?
I still have to do track and ballast weathering, add water, etc. This was supposed to be a simple fast scene. I guess I should know myself better!

I have to say that I'm glad I experimented with this static grass applicator on this diorama. I'm almost thinking that any sort of static grass applicator in Z is going to make close up shots impossible. For larger scales it may be ok, but once we get down to extreme close-up photos like you take, it can become a problem. If you look at the dioramas you have, the grass is relatively light / sparse and there is no stray pieces of grass. Once you use this applicator to add heavier grass... many stray grass pieces appear. These few stray pieces really screw up the believability of the whole scene I think. They tend to look like long pieces of steel rod! Given that I want to be know for truly great work... I think the grass gun may be out. On your earlier pieces I've used Silflor mat grass and cut it and shaped it. All the grass is of course firmly attached AND pointing in the right direction and perhaps most important... no stray pieces.  It's quite a bit more expensive, but I think it ends up looking better.... particularly in Z! Now I just shaved the grass on the new diorama but the problem is not just the length, but the stray pieces. I'm pretty unhappy about this realization. But if the goal is to have really incredible scenes unlike any other... do I have a choice? I'll clean up the stray pieces on this diorama and it will look good, but I now realize I think the grass gun may be out for me. Again if I was making just any scenes this would not be an issue, but I really want great scenes... scenes where macro shots are taken from any and all angles.

Hi Jürg, We had some late afternoon sun so I took the piece outside.

Hi Jürg,

I will add water to the small basin right in front of the tracks. I think maybe add just a little texture to it... sort of like wind moving the water just a little? I think this adds just a bit of realism and makes the photos
look a bit more interesting as it can catch the light a bit better than dead flat water in photos.

I was on the fence about the trees late last night, put them on or take them off. I have to say a continuing issue I'm having is tree quality. I see most layouts and the trees are quite often the give-away that it is a model.
Now the other trees, the taller pines, are the same trees I'm using on the snow piece. I like their color as well as their structure and on the snow diorama they will have snow on them... they work perfectly there. One thing
however... I find they don't blend in with the other wire-wrap trees all that well (in my view). This is because they are produced using different methods, and these methods become apparent to the camera in close up shots.

Here's a suggestion and you let me know what you think. I add more of the tall pines and can pack the trees tighter in this group, and also add some more of the dead trees. In addition I can also add some more of the natural
material trees in among these tall pines but lower to the ground. I have not done this tighter grouping of trees before, but I think it would be very effective. I can also add some subtle brown color with weathering powders to portions of the pines.

Really this issue in my view is the availability of great trees in Z scale. There are trees that look ok, but I think to better make the scene convincing in this case, going with this "more trees of the same variety"
will work well. Mixing and matching man made trees looks a bit... off, to my eye. I think by adding more of the dead trees, this will sell the believability of the scene nicely... of course adding the additional natural material trees will offset the tall pines (both live and dead) nicely.
Let me know what you think Jürg.

I was thinking about this last night and thought I'd try a test this morning. This is for some color using a wire wrap tree armature and some Autumn colors. In these photos the green trees / bushes are the natural material and the Autumn colors are the synthetic materials. What do you think?

Hi Jürg, I've got the new piece mounted in the frame, this must be done prior to the water bring poured so the water doesn't not shift it's position. I'm now going to go around the edges and add material for a completely snug fit to the frame. I'll be pouring the Envirotex late this afternoon and give it time to cure properly. After that it's just going to be adding the additional foliage and that tree you liked, the dead one. Maybe a few of them?

I have been going over this piece to do the touch-ups prior to pouring the Enviro-Tex. There's been something about it that was missing... so I ordered 2 dozen cat tails yesterday. You can see them in the attached photo.

These are 1 inch tall but will be sunk into the pond edge to make then correct height. I've never used these before and I thought this was a perfect time to try them. In addition I'm today adding debris and the taller field grass to the pond's edge. The additional fine leaf foliage that is in the initial photos came yesterday so we'll have a good amount of bushes... I like this material. Beyond this is the pine tree kits I purchased and the sagebrush armatures. As soon as they arrive I'll photograph them to see how they look in the scene. I really do like this scene now... it's has some really nice subtle touches that will be great for photos. It's a bit sunny here today so If you'd like a few photos I can take them for you. Since I'll be trying several new things with the pond, I'm pretty excited to get this done!

I've just taken the piece outside and have a few photos for you here.

Now the tall field grass will be added to and it will also be cut down in length once I see the cat tails. You can still see some glue at the base of each grass clump. One new grass / moss I bought yesterday but am unsure of
it the grass with the arrow pointing to it. Now this moss may be too light in color... I could go and get a darker color. If it is used in small amounts in may be interesting around the water. What do you think... shall I get the darker moss and add it?
These are not great photos, but I wanted to get them out to you quickly. It's funny how even a "simple" scene needs a lot of detail work!

Just began cutting the grasses down to a good length. Next step is to see where more is needed,then begin cutting the grasses so that they don't look quite so manicured. The cat tails didn't arrive today... need those to pour the water. They should be here tomorrow, I can then see if I like them, plant them and pour the water.

Just a few shots of camera angle tests. Since there is to be marsh grass (along with the cat tails) I want to make sure that the track can be photographed from a low angle... this determines how much of the tall field grass I need to cut. In addition have a look at the color of the grass as opposed to the earlier photos I sent. I've dusted this grass with weathering powder to mute the colors a bit then sealed them with a spray dull coat. Some more work on the grass will be done when the cat tails arrive. I'm still undecided on the color of the water. It will need to be dark of course, and I'm leaning towards a very dark blue.

OK... the cattails arrived... and while they look interesting I don't think they really work here, I think they look out of scale and frankly, a little fake to me... what is you opinion? This is so frustrating because of the cost as well as the waiting time for these to arrive. I'm afraid if I want cattails I need to find my own way of building them.

I know you like to keep updated... but here's some bad news tonight. I tinted and poured the water but there were two problems with it. First it was too dark, second I believe it was not "fresh" Enviro-Tex, and it had many series of air bubbles that would not clear up. I couldn't send it to you like that of course. I had to remove all the epoxy (a very messy job), and will let it dry overnight. I will go with a fresh pour after I go to the store and buy fresh Enviro-Tex tomorrow. A frustrating night overall between cattails and water I'm afraid!

The Exxon Valdez indeed... LOL!

This was frustrating because I used a new liquid dye for the coloring... I wanted a blue with a hint of green, not exactly what I got! I'm not sure yet how much of the grass I will need to pull out and replace, but I do know
I'll need to resurface the bottom of the basin with fresh soil prior to the next Envirotex pour.
When something goes wrong, you learn from it and you then fix it. We'll make this right :)
By the way... that captain for the Valdez was raised in the same town as I live in... Huntington!
Ok, it's 3:30 AM and I definitely need some sleep and to stop staring at the water.

Hi Jürg, What I've done this morning is to add an entirely new layer of soil and stone to the bottom of the pond area. The thin coat of Envirotex that remained after last night had dried sufficiently by today to do so. I'll now wait for this new coat of soil and stone to dry, then pour the Envirotex again. What a pain, but really it had to be done this way.

I feel better about it today actually... I've added additional color rocks and soil to the bottom of the pond and I think it will look even better now once the new water is in. When you make mistakes, you have to learn from
them, make subtle changes, then go on! I just snapped a photo outside, I'm keeping it in the sun to cure faster. Much of this rock work will be covered by the water but it will add a good effect.

Once interesting side effect to all this... we are getting more depth I think, more and more layers of soil and rock really gives it a sense of geological history. I really like the way I've toned down the grasses as well here, they look good in the sunlight.. not too green as they are right out of the package. I'll probably add more grass as well after the water is
poured.

As you can see the new pond bottom is dry and the new grass has been added. I like it better now with this additional grass. I'm really struggling with your water. I think, after seeing the last pics where I had to tear the water up, that I'd prefer to go with a light green tint. I think green would blend better with the scene. Also the Envirotex really crept up on the grass stalks, so I'm concerned about that too. I have some ideas but I need to be very careful for those macro shots!

After looking at this for some time I have decided the best way to go is with a similar color to the bridge diorama. As with the bridge diorama I've now "painted" the base of the pond with tinted gloss medium. This acts as an additional sealant layer prior to Envirotex. Having a small shoreline is incredibly important on this piece so after the Envirotex creeps up the sides, I'll go in and reestablish a good shoreline, then top coat the water with more gloss medium. It will be beautiful.

Very good news today. After waiting for the bottom coat to dry on the pond I repoured the Envirotex today. I did a little color blending, very subtle but I like the look a lot! Once this cures I'll establish the shoreline to eliminate the Envirotex "creeping" and add some very subtle strokes to the surface of the water. Not nearly like the bridge diorama's water... just a little air movement across the pond. Very subtle, but these subtle strokes will add much detail and depth to the piece. Especially in close-up photos these strokes are pretty important I feel.

I've cleaned up the shorelines and just now have added the top gloss coat (don't worry, it dries clear!). I really think that all the additional time spent on the grasses, weathering them darker towards the roots and trimming them has paid off. I really like this water and grass. Too many times this field grass looks... too new, too shiny. I think this grass has a great feel.

Really I always take a couple of things into account with Envirotex water. One is how it looks in photos, and the other is how it looks in person. They actually can be different things. I always want them to look good both ways.
I find Envirotex alone with no water movement is a real dust magnet. It doesn't sound like a big problem, but remember dust specs do show up in photos. While it can be cleaned with a cloth... too many time the cloth them
leaves behind some kind of mark too. With some water movement you really don't have to worry about this too much. Also, with some movement in the water... when you look at it in person, the "water" tend to refract just a
little bit, making the bottom of the pond much more realistic.

What I can do is to lay in several coats of this top coat to:

1) Minimize any Envirotex imperfections (There are always some)
2) Give you a nice reflection

It's always a balance really, and I feel confident that doing it this way will help make this piece look beautiful for years. On a straight Envirotex pour... the top gets very dirty (even in a clean room) in a relatively short time. When the water is a little uneven, a quick wipe down from time to time keeps it looking great.

Another quick water note before I head off for sleep. I have applied 2 coats of the gloss top coat over the Envirotex and I just do not like the way it looks. Given that it is clear to the bottom of the little pond, when looking
at it in person is has an artificial feeling to it. I was hoping to eliminate this artificial effect with the gloss medium liquid but I do not love the look. I would really like to apply brush strokes, as in the bridge diorama, then coat that with gloss. I strongly feel that these small brush strokes would be important to the overall believability of the scene. It's
2:00 AM now and frankly I need sleep as I've been playing with this water all night.

Yes I did decide, and I think it is the right decision. Now in the attached photos the gel medium is not quite dry so you will see some bits of blue... this will be cured by late tonight. I will then add some of the thinner gloss coat here for extra shine. Also I will trim some of the grass and touch up the shoreline under magnification.

I have to say I really do like the complexity all the little ripples add to the scene. If you shoot from the front it looks like a pond or the side of a river, if you shoot from the side, it does look like a river. I think there are good photographic possibilities here! I'm also going to remove some of the larger stones tonight on the ground on the cliff side of the tracks. Little touches to make it look more real!
Ok, now that I made the water decision... are you pleased with it?

I'm very glad you like this ripple effect, I do think it adds quite a lot when photos are taken from various angles.

Now I love the surface detail but one of the coats of clear gloss has gone a little "milky" on me. This I believe is the effect of adding layers too quickly, not having the previous layer completely cure first. I now have the layout curing outside in the sun, and I'm hoping that this will dry out the layers. If it does not, and I cannot believe I'm saying this, I believe I will have to pull this water out and begin again on the water.

Later...

Fingers crossed here, it does look like it is curing. I won't know for sure for a few hours yet, but I'm at least a little optimistic now. I'm so happy that the water appears to be drying properly. In the earlier photos it was just a bit "milky", but no more! I think the color in these photos is better :)

Really I am thrilled that the water cured well. Ok, lots happening here now, I just got the tree supplies. As I was afraid... I really don't see using a lot of this new tree material... just not fine enough for our work. Now some of it IS good I think. The sage brush tree armatures. By themselves they are too big for Z, but I'm hoping I can break them apart and form good pieces. At the very least I have your sun bleached tree on the ground! I'm tempted to use some of these other sage armatures as dead trees here and there. Also, I still have to add more of the smaller, original bushes / trees.

I had your piece again out in the sun for additional curing. I really want this piece bone dry. I snapped the attached pics quickly to illustrate. Actually I wanted to work a bit more on:

1) More Shoreline debris
2) Flowering color on the grass: yellow and purple
3) Maybe some additional sagebrush dead tree armatures

If it's ok, I'd like to continue to touch this up in spots, allow it to dry properly and mail it out Monday morning.

I was very disappointed as I mentioned in the other tree kits I bought, really none of them useful for Z scale. A waste of money perhaps, but I had to know if they would work for Z, so in that respect is was not a waste of money at all really.

In addition I did want to take a day and just touch up all the small diorama details that the naked eye can't see, but the camera can. That is one reason why I've been snapping so many photos the last couple of days... "mini camera tests"!

Hi Jürg,

I'm glad you like this... I think this turned our very well too! One noticeable thing I did was to put the majority of the weeds, sunbleached trees, etc. in front of the track. The rear rock wall does not have much of this. I did this so it would allow for more photos from the front and sides without having the recognizable trees behind your locos. The star of the photos as always is the trains, and I think be keeping the grass scenery in front, it sets a good "stage" for the rolling stock. As for the water, I did apply that additional thin coat of gloss, so it should be quite dry by tomorrow for shipping! As always I'm anxious for you to see this piece in person. Again this piece was interesting to do because it has a more gray, grittier feel to it. It should really highlight your pieces well.

Now you can see some Testpictures I've took on the new Diorama: