1:35 Glasses and Pitchers

The small things that make a scene

A scene with soldiers at a table lives off small things. An empty table reads as a backdrop, but as soon as a pitcher, a few glasses and scattered coasters stand on it, the whole situation starts to have a story. That is exactly why tableware is among the most rewarding diorama accessories, and it suits a country tavern, a canteen and the doorstep of a farmhouse equally.

What is in the set

• Three pitchers
• Six glasses
• Two sets of three tankards
• Six beer coasters
• Scale 1:35, that is for the usual figures of ground equipment

The make-up is well thought out: the tankards can be stood in a group as if someone had just brought them, the glasses spread over the tabletop and the coasters used individually too, for instance under a vessel left on a windowsill.

A tip on the work

Glass is not made transparent in this scale but pretended. What works best is polished varnish with a drop of an amber shade inside the vessel and a white dot of foam on the surface. Leave the coasters matte and slightly soiled; that creates the contrast the eye reads as shiny glass. Finally unify the whole table with a light brown toning, so that the objects visually belong to it.

Where to place the tableware

It need not stand on the table alone. A pitcher looks good on a windowsill, a tankard in the hand of a seated figure, and an overturned glass on the floor tells straight away what happened a moment ago. Consider a broken piece too, whose shards you suggest with a drop of gloss varnish on the floor.

The tableware is also a guide to scale. The viewer knows its size well, so it subconsciously helps them judge the dimensions of the whole scene. That is exactly why it pays to place at least one piece in the foreground, where it will be clearly visible.