Simple Beach and Desert Tutorial

Desert Diorama

You will need:

• a table (I use a plastic folding table I got at the hardware store)
• a bag of play sand (hardware store again)
• a plastic drop cloth or tablecloth (hardware or party store)
• a backdrop (I used a piece of sky blue cardboard)
• a mini shovel or scoop for the sand (I use my daughter’s toy plastic beach shovel)
• (OPTIONAL) a wide paintbrush to help spread the sand around
• (OPTIONAL) model railway ground foam for greenery
• (OPTIONAL) lighting to simulate the sun – not needed if the actual sun is out

And, because two pictures are worth two thousand words:

And that’s pretty much it.  I could have just taped the blue card backdrop to the wall, but I just made things more complicated for myself.

This simple setup opens up a lot of possibilities.  With a change in backdrop or lighting, the mood can be completely altered, as you can see below:

Simple, yeah?  The next one is a bit more complicated, but anyone with even a modicum of skill or creativity will be able to pull it off.

Hit the beach on Page 3!