That indeed is the one… I am afraid G-man has a history of unfinished dios. He starts of great and his work is of high quality, but somewhere along the way it comes to a standstill, either screeching or quiet…
Nothing wrong with the concept, as it is very pleasing to the eye and you can put a lot of detail in a relatively small base.
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And on we go with…
The floral dance
This is the vegetation at the pre-painting stage.
This scene is set in May, so there should be plenty of greenery even in mountainous terrain.
The grass is a combination of pre-made clumps from various sources (the sort that come on a backing strip) and good old fashioned static grass laid over diluted PVA glue using an applicator.
Most of the bank in the forground is covered with ‘rubberised horse hair’, which is much-beloved by railway modellers. Although it comes in rectangular blocks, it can be easily torn into irregular shapes and glued in place using UHU. This is just the undergrowth for what will later be clumps of bushes, but I am leaving off the the foliage until after the basic painting. I used the same technique for the brambles on my last diorama.
Of course it all looks a little artificial at this stage, but soon the magic will start to happen (at least I hope it will…)
The next step looks pretty drastic…
Paint it Black
In the past I have avoided painting everything black. But this diorama is about 90% rock, road and bridge so I thought that I may as well go for it.
So I simply sprayed black Mr Surfacer with an airbrush to provide the absolute low-lights. In the odd hard-to-reach spots like the underside of the bridge I also used a brush.
50 Shades of Grey?
The next step was a lot of fun with paints and airbrushes (I actually used both my IWATAs - the basic one for general coverage and the finer one for detail). It was also time to find out if all my clay sculpting had really paid dividends.
So what colour are rock faces in this part of Italy?
I believe the shot above is an original colour photo. Even if you allow for the fact that it’s an old colour negative, I think this looks pretty spot on.
What’s particularly striking is the variation in hues within a single face: greys, browns, even yellows. Also note the grass and vegetation (although this looks like late summer).
Out of interest, it’s not too dissimilar to this shot of a disused railway cutting that I took on the Tissington Trail in Derbyshire a few weeks ago:
So I assembled this cast of characters:
I started with a ‘master mix’ of Mr Surfacer Gray and Tamiya Buff (about 75:25 ratio) and then added the other colours as I went along, e.g. one with added yellow, another with earth and so on… I also lightened each ‘sub mix’ with white to add highlights where required. And then I used the airbrushes to apply these colours, aiming quite sharply from above to ensure that I took advantage of the black low-lights within the crevices.
Of course, this is just the preliminary painting stage. There is a lot more to come with brush-painted highlights, washes, etc. Also, there are no greens or other foliage colours at all. I also have to paint the bridge and road side shrine - which I expect will add a lot more colour variation.
However, as a first attempt at creating a large expanse of rock I am pretty happy with the way it’s turning out…
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Impressive
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Well it’s OK…just…y’know…only some of the best stonework I’ve seen in a dio. I’m sure some geologist is going to shoot me down but being an avid follower of the major cycle races, it seemed to me (in the Giro d’Italia) there were plenty of limestone cliffs & formations laid down in strata over eons up & down the length of Italy. You’ve actually already suggested that – so you scared me saying this was preliminary because to my eyes you’ve already nailed it.
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>> The Floral Dance
How many others got the Terry Wogan reference?
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Even at this early stage of the groundwork it is looking awesome! The highlights and shadows emphasize the shape of the terrain to beautiful effect- the natural lay of the land coming to life with such careful painting.
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Thanks Dan!
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Well praise from another Tim is always welcome - but especially from you!
When I said this was only the preliminary phase, I meant a little extra brushwork here and there - I’m certainly not planning on painting everything again…
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You know what, even I had forgotten that it was Terry Wogan’s song! (Probably one for UK members only)
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Thanks Karl - I think I even surprised myself with how it’s turned out so far…
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Nice start, your usual thoroughness is evident. Seriously, I’ll be following the “climb” up to completion. 
Dave 
Man , that is some awesome painting. The colors , damn wow.
Spectacular build start as usual Tim. I will be following with big interest.