My diorama illustrations are small, tabletop-sized worlds. But in this case, size really doesn't matter. Because with the right scale, the right perspective and the right light, this small world looks huge and real.
You immerse yourself and become part of the whole, always discovering something new and wondering what is happening here.
Let the atmosphere take effect on you. Every viewer has their own interpretation of the events.
What all the works have in common is that everything, from the first sketch to the final photo, is handmade and from scratch.
Landscapes are created from model railroad accessories, foam board, wire, plaster and artificial turf. Cut hydrangea branches from the garden are flocked green and turned into trees, houses are elaborately built from foam sheets and polystyrene elements.
Just to name a few.
For example, when a meteorite hits the garden, the fountain is real and is created while the photo is taken. A small “sandbox", hidden behind the front scenery and filled with fine grout or sawdust, serves as an impact field.
If you throw a stone into it and press the shutter release at that moment, the magic happens. Incidentally, this can be done in the studio or outdoors with real light.
You often only have one shot and you never know how it will turn out. Which makes this work all the more exciting.
Photoshop is really only used afterwards for small things like color corrections, contrast adjustments or cheating some meteorshowers in the sky.
