Dolls, Plush & Miniatures How-Tos

How To: Duplicate diorama pieces with plaster casts

Watch this instructional video to make cheap molds for casting miniatures. You can then duplicate pieces for building your diorama or game terrain. Sculpt original forms using polymer clay, and layer on latex to make a cheap rubber mold. Or, you can use pre-made forms to press shapes into a soft mold. This video provides several modes of creating plaster forms and duplicates for miniature sculptures.

How To: Simulate brick wall effects for dioramas

Here are some examples of brickwork for dioramas or war game terrain. Create a fine grit coating for foam carvings using a mixture of white glue, paint and fine sand. Press in brick patterns into foam, or if working in smaller scale, you can coat cardboard with a thin coat of plaster. Find old pieces of dry flat wood to create miniature slats of wood for sides of a barn or haunted house.

How To: Make 15mm scale miniatures

This video provides an introduction to building 15mm scale buildings for Warhammer or miniature dioramas. Simulate roofing shingles and with small pieces of cardboard. Create a haunted scene with real spider webs. Preserve tiny spider webs with a protective spray or make miniature spider webs out of milkweed. Build small scale grapevines with toothpicks, wire, and painted leggy moss.

How To: Make miniature trees

watch this five part instructional modeling video to make miniature trees for dioramas, architectural models, and game terrain. You can use expensive artificial leaves, or you can use this more resourceful method. Go outdoors and collect small twigs and dried branches to add to the wire structures for a more natural look. This tutorial demonstrates how to make deciduous, coniferous, and several other types of miniature trees.

How To: Paint the base coat on your Warhammer figurines

Watch this five part instructional video series to experiment with base coats on your Warhammer miniatures. Using thin coats of paint and small brushes, leave a wider margin for experimentation and highlight coats. The rich and impressive detailing on Warhammer figurines comes with patience and perseverance. Warhammer miniatures need several layers of primer and original fill color for a deep base coat.

How To: Paint shading on your Warhammer figurine

This instructional video demonstrates how to add shading to your Warhammer miniatures. With a small paintbrush, add thin washes of shading over the basic fill coats. In this video, the painter adds passes of paint on top of the manufacturer's Scab Red. Media extenders can keep paint from drying. When painting Warhammer characters, careful coats of shading color illuminate the details of the original figurine.

How To: Make a working matchstick medieval catapult

this miniature catapult really works and can be used as a toy or in a diorama. You'll need the following materials: Matchstick 1/8" stock: 4 pieces 1-1/2 inches (36mm)long - 5 pieces 5/8" (15mm) long - 4 cross brace pieces 1/2" (10mm)long (45 degree cuts) 1 piece at 9/16" rounded (for the winch) - 1 piece at 2" shaped for the swing arm - 3/8" doweling for wheels, white glue, sequin pins, needle and thread. Watch this video tutorial and learn how to build a matchstick catapult.