Lil Project- Undersea diorama for Mermaid Chuchu dolls

Just a thread of my progress on this diorama box for the LuckyDoll Mermaid Chuchu dolls, which are little offtopic ABS dolls I've been waiting for the release of since Spring 2023. When their preorder opened at Kikagoods, I bought a couple! I can't wait to see who I get. They're all so pretty!

I use foam board to build my diorama boxes because it's way lighter than wood and I can cut it myself.



Then I bought some pastel colored pipe cleaners and twisted up some cute branching undersea corals. I'm not going for super realistic here so much as a lovely underwater fantasy scene for these mermaids to sit/float in.

The bit of cardboard in there is the next step- building out shapes in the box space to decide what the scene is going to look like in terms of mass and space. I like to use bits of packing material I already have for the bulking out stage. It doesn't need to be pretty just to fill space the way I want it to.

 

Thank you!

 

Thank you! I might try some other craft materials for the embellishments and see what I can do with what I've got. I surely have some fun textures and colors in my stash of ribbons and things.

I did look at aquarium decor, but it costs more than I wanna spend this time. For this one I bought some lights, and I bought pastel pipe cleaners, but I am trying to see what else I've already got in my craft hoard that I could use. I have.... a LOT of stuff, heheh. I think the polymer clay may be coming out, and maybe some of this green faux minky-fur I bought for a Different mermaid, an MSD one, and her little perch throne thing.

I'd love to see your aquarium! Be sure and make a thread or post about it if you can. I got the pipe cleaners from the evil empire of Amazon- I have to order things because I can't go out much. Your local craft shop might have them in pastels, but I found bright bold primary tones were more common in the shops.

 

This is my undersea diorama with some styrofoam from packaging stuck in there for a basic layout of some rocks. I also painted in a watery background.

 

Thanks! I think maybe both

Thank you! I wasn't sure if I could pull it off and get color that worked without looking too fake or too real.


Next stage! We use tissue paper and paper towels to bulk and reshape all these straight lines into something more organic. Watered down Elmer's Glue is what I use to paper mache this together.

 

oh that's clever! I've used those for my custom Nendoroid dolls.

 

Here the paper mache is all done and I built up a nice set of more organic shapes I am satisfied with.

 

They're here!! And I am delighted!

I liked all of the mermaids but the one I was hoping I could get is our redhead with her teal tail and there she is! And the other two are super cute and they look so good as a trio! However I cannot get anyone's little side fins to fit into those holes or stay once they have. I don't quite get that.

 

I've added some soft seaweed 'carpet' to my diorama, painted with pearly purple, and a lot of bubbles! I hotglued the corals into their places and look at the results!

 

Thank you!

Good eye! They are. I made them on my silicone mat and then stuck them on the walls. Thank you!

Thanks!

Thanks very much! I've always wanted to display more of my tinies in dollhouse rooms, roomboxes, or scenes like this.



I added the finishing touches and now it's complete!

 

thank you very much! I can't wait to see what you do!

 

Thank you!

 

Thank you!

 

Thanks very much! It's really fun to build a little display for them to hang out in. I need to do this for more of my dolls, in wall niches and wall boxes.

You should give it a go! Thank you!

 

Oh that looks great! I love the aquarium background!