1:35 Listí - lípa

The floor of a scene that gets forgotten

A large proportion of dioramas have finely worked hardware and empty ground. Yet it is the surface underfoot that carries the information about the season and about how long the place has been abandoned. Fallen leaves are the quickest way of setting the ground in motion, because they add color and irregular texture without covering anything up.

The set is intended for 1:35 scale and it is loose plant material, not a building part. The leaves are spread individually or in small heaps; what is essential is to resist the temptation to cover the whole area with them. A continuous carpet of leaves reduces the legibility of a scene and the viewer loses the islands of bare ground that give the whole thing depth. Empty places work here just as much as the material itself.

Where leaves collect

In nature litter does not settle evenly. It gathers at the foot of walls, in the lee of vehicles, in track ruts and everywhere the wind has blown it. Leaves scattered to follow these natural traps make a scene credible at once, whereas an even sprinkling looks like work done by hand.

Fixing it down

The leaves are sprinkled onto a surface moistened in advance with diluted PVA glue, or once spread they are dripped with a binder and a drop of dish soap so that it soaks in without clumps. It is best to dose the binder with a dropper in small amounts; a large dose pulls the leaves together and a lump results. A base, glue and paints are not in the package.

Before sprinkling it pays to sort the material. Whole leaves belong on top, fine granulate to the roots and into the joints, where the fine fraction settles in reality too.