minimalist diorama

One day last fall I decided to cut some of my micro sized buildings in black paper. I wanted an example of using one of them so I created a tiny scene. It was designed to sit on top of the cash register at the local coffee shop I frequent. A fun way to share paper modeling with my neighbors. The scene was created based on the concept of black silhouettes. The paper tree with bare branches plus a single house tells the entire story. Instructions for tree at bottom of this post.





The piece is lighted with an LED tea light. Just cut the flame shape off to revel the little LED bulb below it. I punched a hole in the lid of a small gift box and glued the tea light to the bottom of the lid. Makes for a hidden light with easy to change battery and easy access to the switch too.







A small scale gnarly, bare branched, tree is easy to make and inexpensive. Take a rectangle of crepe paper. The crepe paper adds texture to the bark and it twist nicely. Fringe the upper end, those fringes will become the branches. Leave the center solid, that becomes the trunk. Fringe at the lower end becomes roots. Twist the center trunk first, then twist the branches and roots. Trim the branches to desired length. You can rub some PVA glue into the paper to secure the twist. Position the branches and let the glue dry then paint if desired.



So a minimalist diorama that makes a fine gift or an little object to put on the desk at work.