- Some of the basic tools used by craftsmen in miniature model scenery creation include foam pencils for drawing designs on foam without damage, special foam nails and knives, hot wire foam cutters, foam putty and tack glue, a glue gun, and acrylic paints and brushes. These basic tools are available at hobby and craft shops and will get you started in the miniature scenery field. You can also purchase miniature buildings and people to go with your scenery at hobby stores.
- Scale refers to the size of the miniature in relation to the size of the original. For instance, 1/72 indicates that one inch on the miniature equals seventy-two inches on the original. Most model and miniature artists use a scale conversion to help them maintain realistic dimensions. Most miniature scene builders devote a good portion of their home to a work space that allows them plenty of room to work and display.
- It isn't necessary to have a guide as you work, but it's a good idea for larger scenery projects. Some miniature hobbyists sketch out the scenery they intend to reproduce, while others work from photographic guides. Extremely skilled miniature hobbyists will sometimes create strictly from imagination.
- Most miniature scenery designers arrange and paint scenery as they go. The process of cutting and shaping foam, then adding external materials such as sand, gravel, shrubbery and paint is a painstaking process that miniature hobbyists take seriously. The realistic results produced with this sort of care and attention to detail are often astounding.
