How I build dioramas.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Canada Aviation Museum names new Director General

April 29, 2010, Ottawa - Denise Amyot, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation, is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Quick as Director General of the Canada Aviation Museum.

“Mr. Quick brings a heartfelt passion for aviation to his new position at the helm of Canada’s national aeronautical museum,” says Ms. Amyot. “With his extensive experience within the public and private sectors, and more than thirty years as a professional artist, Mr. Quick is uniquely qualified to guide the Museum in showcasing Canadian achievement and innovation.”

“As museums,” says Mr. Quick, “we should not only function as stewards and guardians of our collective past, but be proactive in introducing future generations to the tools that will help forge their future. We should act as extensions of established learning institutions, helping to shape the future and engender pride in Canadian endeavours by telling the stories of those who have dared follow their dreams, and by showcasing the next wave of exploration and innovation.”

Deeply involved in Canada’s arts and culture sector, Mr. Quick has been painting professionally since 1978, and has been a professional aircraft and military illustrator since 1984. He spent 27 years in the Canadian publishing industry, including senior positions with both McClelland & Stewart and Stoddart Publishing. He has also worked within the public sector, including positions at the Department of Canadian Heritage and the National Gallery of Canada, prior to becoming Associate Director General of the Canada Aviation Museum in 2008.

The Canada Aviation Museum is Canada’s finest aviation museum, with an internationally renowned aeronautical collection. The Museum, a component of the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation, is located at the intersection of the Aviation and Rockcliffe Parkways, just ten minutes from Parliament Hill.

It is really nice to know that a fellow artist is finally running the show!

Edited December 18, 2010 by JohnReid

[JohnReid]

Meet Harley the company mascot.His bark is worse than his bite ! All the employees love him ,in fact if you look closely through the engine shop window you will see a picture of him hanging on the wall.One of the pilots took it of him sitting in a mail plane cockpit usually however he sits here on the chair just inside the dispatch office door and keeps it warm for the pilots.

[JohnReid]

On the top R/H side of the pic you can see the dispatch office door that opens onto the hangar floor.The boss looks like he is discussing the next booze run .As you can see the carpenter's shop is a closed unit separate from the main shop floor.The door on the left leads to the WC/coal storage room which then leads to the backdoor.

As you can see part of the tail of the Canuck has been replaced with a JN4 wooden one.Interchanging of parts is a common practice around here depending upon what is available at the time.Pilots will often ask us to change the flying characteristics of their airplanes to suit themselves.Often the C of G will be modified to carry heavy loads or make the airplane a little more unstable for some of their aerobatic maneuvers.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Ya know sometimes I wonder if I am going to way too much trouble with this diorama to tell a basically very simple story,an airman's return from the war and his continued relationship with his backyard Flyer.At times I wonder if there is enough of a storyline to justify such a huge space.

Rockwell's painting is tight with lots going on ,mine is spacious with little going on.His painting is of a joyous occasion ,my diorama is somewhat the opposite,just a GI and his thoughts for the future.

It is an old story told in many ways before.The split in the road and the road not taken tells of fateful decisions made that change everything forever.

I remember as a child being around men such as these,how important family and just being alive was to them.A lot were great fathers while others were just lost in their memories. I remember how important things like growing a community garden was to them,how they tended those gardens and how everybody respected those tiny spaces .I have included a garden in this diorama for that very reason.

Roads,gardens,airplane it just grew over time I guess.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

This is where I am right now with this diorama,getting ready to shingle the roof.As you can see it is a fairly large area to cover .It is very important to get this right as to texture and color and to add a few things of interest for the eye.

I have ruled out having a separate roof over the doors as the eves extend quite far beyond the facade and provide some shelter over the backdoor.In Canada on old steep pitched roofs like this we often put a snow gate along the edge of the roof for safety sake.

[7000in5th]

Excellent work, John, very impressive! Can you tell me what material you use for the stone window sills? I am doing a 1:24 scale garden railroad.

Thanks,

[Tony T]

Wow, some awesome work there!

I take it by your November posts that the dioramas were shipped to Ottawa, to the Aviation Museum? I haven't been since they've done the renovation/expansion. I'll have to go check it out, and look for your Dioramas (I live in Ottawa, in Greely (south of the Airport)). Did you build those specifically for the museum, or just donated them to make space?

What area of Montreal are you in? I grew up in Pierrefonds, and moved to Ottawa as a teenager in '79.

Great work, and love what you are doing now!

Edited January 23, 2011 by Tony T

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Slowly getting the roof shingled,this is a long process of making each one,painting it and gluing it on.Should be finished in a few days and I am really looking forward to getting on to something different.

Art does have its boring moments ,so I try to compensate by having different stuff to work on at the same time, like the storyboarding and scratchbuilding threads.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

Wood always looks best for scale modeling! No artist can begin to duplicate mother nature.We can come close but..........When carefully selected it works for any scale.Take these roof shingles for instance.Each one has been treated as an individual piece,no two are exactly alike, just like in nature itself.The important thing is to maintain this individually and just artistically enhance it here and there.Subtlety is the key. Sure it takes a long time to do but it is really worth the effort in the end.

To make these shakes or shingles he is what I do.

-research the real thing, especially pictures for size ,color,pattern etc...

-Find a source of tongue depressors,coffee stir stiks work well for the smaller scales.

-Decide on a glue,I use Shoe Goo or Goop.It is cheap and you will use lots of it.

-Decide on a paint you want to use.I like JoSonja gouche acrylic in Nimbus Grey.

Application of paint.

-thin the paint with water.Start with 75% water 25% paint.I add a few drops of flow medium to the mix.

-do not seal the raw wood in any way.

-The first steps are the most important and will determine your success or failure using this method.********Apply only as much paint as it takes to color the wood ********* do not obliterate the color and texture of the natural wood underneath.One or two thin coats should do it.

-to not worry about irregularities in the wood knots ,warping,curling,coloring,frayed ends or irregular cuts it all helps add character.

-treat each piece like a little canvas all of its own, be creative.

-Shade and color using pastels.On this rough surface there is no danger of it rubbing off.

[Foxer]

Impressive work here and a very interesting thread. Please do keep it up!

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

The backyard flyer could actually be finished pretty much like it is right now.With a little weathering it could be made to look like it has stood right there for a couple of years while awaiting the return of its builder.Whatever I decide to add at this point will be for looks and not storyline.This is what I love about the "under construction "theme as it leaves you lots of leeway for stopping whenever it suits you and still get the idea across to the viewer.

I would now like to add the ailerons(or whatever Curtis called them)to the wings.Why ? because I think that it is important to show this step away from wing warping.Logically anything this delicate would be in storage probably along with the tail feathers etc...I will leave it to the viewers imagination ,why not?

I have positioned the old burned out "T" at the end of the back lane way,facing a fence that will have an" Enlist Now" poster.This will help add to the story of "the road not taken ". The car really doesn't draw attention from the main airplane/aviator storyline where it is positioned but it adds a lot to the sub-storyline without being intrusive.

I had a navy veteran in here the other day and he could really relate to the whole idea which was wonderful to see.