! ! ! RAWRR ! ! !
If you checked out my series of posts about the dragon diorama, here is the final result. I spent around a total of 20 – 30 hours of work trying to get this dragon to look just right. I was really trying to get the castle and the dragon both to look realistic. If you click on the small images they will open larger if you want to see better detail.
Materials Used
The dragon itself is a ceramic figure I acquired which I painted the whole project in a series of different acrylic paints using various techniques. I also added some ground cover details which I bought at my local hobby store and scrounged in the yard for some neat rocks to add to the display and make it a little more realistic.
Once I had everything glued down where I wanted it, I went back over the ground cover and painted in a few high-lights with some light green paint. Which I think lends to the realism and looks kind of like new growth.
My favorite part is the base. I lucked out and found this neat piece of gray felt which was pre-stamped with a rock wall design (I would had added a picture, but my lighting made it turn out a sickly green color.) I added the felt to cover up the ceramic bottom and to keep it from scratching my furniture.
I did seal it lightly with a few coats of a spray matte clear coat as well.
Conclusion
All in all, I really liked this project even though I always dream too big. While my dragon didn’t wind up “harvest colors” like originally intended, and there is no moving flames, or even a giant cavern with ambient lighting — I still consider this a success.
My dragon turned out super realistic, the castle looks amazing, and my tufts of green sponges look like real little bushes.
Personally, I think my other half is just glad I got it finished. I’m pretty sure he was tired of me moaning about trying to get it perfect.
As always: I’m ready for the feed-back. If you have any comments or wish to share please give proper credit (where its due), or just leave a post. I’m always looking for new ideas and challenges.
Don’t forget I also paint miniatures for gaming too (make a request under the custom order link at the top of the page). Hopefully I will be able to get some decent pictures posted soon for you all to see. I have a “Skeleton Horse” and a “Red Draconian” miniature I just got finished this week!
Check below for some more images of the dragon. Thanks for Stopping by!