ice pond

 

	The Ice Pond (Click thumbnails for larger images)
	Materials: HA Ruined Tower mould pieces Skullcrafts winter basing kit CD PVA / White Glue Superglue Basswood Acetate & Blister Packs		Stage 1 Roughen up the surface of the CD. I used a coarse grade sandpaper to do this, but a lot of scoring with a sharp knife will achieve a similar result. This provides a key for the glue to adhere to - if you leave it dead smooth, there is a tendency for things to peel off.		Stage 2 Take each of the floor tiles, and sand the back to make them sit unevenly on the CD. This gives the illusion that they have sunk into the ground over time. Break a few tiles, and do the same to the separate pieces.
	Stage 3 Glue the pillar halves together, and let them dry thoroughly before "ruining" them. I did this using the back (blunt)edge of a kitchen knife, striking the blocks with a firm, sharp blow. This should give you a nice clean break. Save the pieces of "rubble".		Stage 4 Glue the floor tiles to the CD using PVA - they should still be pretty neatly arranged, but not perfect. Once you are happy, stick the walls and pillars on top. Add some of the larger bits of rubble around the broken walls & pillars, and leave the model to dry.		Stage 5 (sorry for the poor picture) Paint all the stone work. Cut a circle of acetate sheet to fit the central hole, and paint it in a watery colour. Cut the same shape from some thicker blister pack material, and add scratches to both sides with sandpaper and a knife. Cut the fishing-hole in the centre and cracks running away from it.
	Stage 6 Fix the acetate pieces into postion using PVA. Add a few leaves from the Skullcrafts kit to the ice, and cover them liberally with acrylic gloss varnish to seal them in. I also added a "dirty" wash to the stonework as I thought it looked too new.		Stage 7 Place some of the Skullcrafts snow flock in a suitable shallow mixing container. Add a roughly equal amount of PVA and the same again of water. The flock material is very absorbent.		Stage 8 Mix the flock/water/glue thoroughly to form a paste. It should slowly run to form a raised puddle - if it stays in a lump, you need to add another drop or two of water to the mixture.
	Stage 9 Using a cocktail stick or toothpick, apply the mixture to the areas of the model where you want the snow to be. I started by filling the edges of the pond, where there were small gaps between the blocks and the acetate.		Stage 10 As the snow mixture dries, a couple of things will happen. Firstly it will shrink down somewhat, and secondly it will become more transparent, so you will probably want to add a second layer in certain places.		Stage 11 (sorry for the poor picture) I wanted a stool to show where the fisherman had been sitting. I cut a small circle of basswood, and drilled 3 small holes into it. I then glued the pointed ends of cocktail sticks into the holes before trimming the legs to size.
	Stage 12 I added more snow, and then fixed the stool into position. The footprints were made using a puddle of the snow paste on a spare piece of acetate. Remove footprint shapes using a clean cocktail stick whilst the paste is wet, and simply peel it off once it is dry.		Stage 13 Cut some of the blister pack material to make some tiny broken pieces of ice, and scatter them around the hole. Add some ripples to the water using neat acrylic varnish. Once dry, add a few bits of broken ice to the water.		Stage 14 Cut a sign from basswood. Paint it and leave it to dry. Drill a small hole in one of the floor tiles to accept the signpost, and glue it into position. Add some snow paste around the base of the sign to cover the hole, and a little on the top.
	The (almost) finished model. I still have a few more details to add, before the story is complete....		Stage 15 Final details added - a tackle box, fishing rod made from plastic rod, and the hat of the unfortunate victim made from greenstuff.		Left View The complete diorama seen from the left side. This shot shows the finishing touches.
	Front View The complete diorama seen from the front, with the claw marks in the ice clearly visible.		Right View The complete diorama seen from the right side, showing the sign.		Rear View The complete diorama seen from the back.