TerranScapes ~ Custom Terrain Gallery

Desert Nativity Diorama- Cost Varies on Diorama Specifications
(Completed 12/07)

For this unique project, the customer contacted me with a request to produce a desert scene for the three Kings to travel on as they head to meet the baby Jesus. The request specified that a pool of water be included and that a hill rise up on the right side as the as the path travels down hill and towards the left side of the board set. Other than these instructions, I was given creative freedom in its design. Reviewing the landscape of Isreal, it seemed to be rather arid with areas of growth during the rainy season. I opted for muted greens and tans to reflect this arid climate, with short scrubby growth.

Of interest in this project were the figurines to be displayed. These figurines are produced by Fontanini and have rather unstable centers of gravity. The musician, camel and donkey in the photos are easily toppled if they stray 5-10 degrees from vertical. Therefore, in order to accomodate the models on the hill, carefully leveled plateaus were provided to allow various models to safely be placed on the hill.

The figurines are 5" scale (125mm or so) and the landscape was adjusted in its design to match this scale. In the last photo you can see that a sheep laying down can fit under the shrub on the hill for instance. The hill in the corner rises almost 5" from the surface of the boards and the total dimensions for the set is 40" x 24".