How to Make an Ocean Diorama for a Ship Model
Dioramas are three-dimensional constructions that are drawn to scale and feature a scene, such as an urban setting or the wilderness. Dioramas are often assigned to students, but adults may create a diorama as well, to be used in a theater production. Biology students who are studying the ocean’s ecosystems or pupils who are reading “Moby Dick” in their English class may be asked to create an ocean diorama with a model ship. Dioramas can be effective learning tools for both the creator and the viewers.
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Things You'll Need
- Model ship
- Pencil
- Paper
- Base (shoebox, large box or sheet of wood)
- Paint (white, blue, gray, green and tan)
- Paintbrushes
- Models (plants, fish, mammals, coral)
- Toothpicks
- Foam
Instructions
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1
Purchase or build the model ship that will be used in the diorama. The ocean cannot be constructed until the ship is chosen -- a tiny ocean would look silly with a large ship taking up most of it. Decide on the model ship and construct the ocean around it.
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Sketch the diorama in detail on a sheet of paper -- this will be the reference for constructing the diorama. The larger the diorama will be, the more details can be included. For example, a small shoebox diorama may just have a blue ocean and the model ship, but a large diorama can include a port, animals and plant life.
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Paint the base of the diorama in one shade of blue or several shades of blue for extra dimension. Heavy strokes will create waves. Highlight waves with white paint to depict stormy waters.
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4
Place small models or paint images of the ocean’s ecosystems on the diorama, including coral, lagoons, plants, fish and mammals. The specific location where the diorama is set may need to be researched to ensure that these details are accurate. If the diorama is reflecting a scene from a book, carefully read the book for a description of the setting.
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Add a port to the diorama if the ocean’s shoreline is being depicted. Construct a wooden dock from toothpicks and a “cement” dock from a piece of painted foam. Include buildings and docked ships, and paint the port an appropriate color, like green for grass or tan for a sandy shoreline.
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Tips & Warnings
Miniature trees, buildings, boats and people should be in scale with each other, as well as with the main model ship. For example, the people shouldn’t be too large to board the ship and the trees shouldn’t be larger than buildings.
Young children in grade school don’t necessarily need to create a large, detailed diorama. They can focus on making it visually appealing instead of worrying too much about constructing a huge diorama with accurate ecosystems. Older students, however, should build a historically -- and biologically -- correct diorama, especially if it’s part of a science fair project.
