Building a tiny neighborhood

This past month I’ve been immersed in building a tiny recreation of my neighborhood. This is the final set piece in my short film – it’s the most detailed set, and has taken me about a month to complete while juggling my day job and other freelance work.

Even though it’s been a busy season, I’ve looked forward to working on this project. It’s been a welcome change to slow down, and really notice all the tiny details surrounding me. When I walk around the neighborhood I’ll take photos of things like stop signs, street lamps, sidewalk grates, and wooden electrical poles. Then I’ll go back to my studio, and using the photos as reference I’ll recreate what I’ve seen.

This whole project has felt like an exercise in getting grounded. I have a tendency to dream big, look up into clouds, and fantasize about what else is out there beyond my doorstep. It’s fun to do so, but sometimes leaves me feeling untethered and anxious. It’s been nice to look down from the clouds and instead notice, appreciate, and focus on what’s around me – what’s real, and right in front of me.

Seeing my neighborhood through new eyes has given me a deeper appreciation for it. The other day I was walking down my usual path and had a moment of recognition – I was walking down the very path I had constructed in my studio earlier that morning! The small suddenly felt significant – my once-dreary daily walk was transformed and memorialized into something more.

I wanted to try making as much as I could, instead of purchasing. There are a lot of miniatures out there that you can buy, but it felt important to make my own version of these things. Sure, you can ‘add to cart’ a mini car, a mini tree, and a mini window – but in the process of purchasing, the joy of making gets lost.

I also like the imperfection of a handmade tiny street lamp – many store-bought miniatures can look too perfect. By making everything in the scene, the pieces share a similar visual language that ties it all together. And it allows for flexibility! I didn’t feel chained to one exact scale or style. There’s room for exaggerated proportions and experimentation when making props from scratch.

The one thing I did purchase pre-made was moss and foliage – which helped so much!

I think the key to making this set feel real was truly noticing the tiny things that are usually overlooked – for me, that included tiny red bricks, dirt on the sidewalk, a security sign, and vertical blinds in the windows. It was important to me that this set felt very lived-in and almost “dirty,” like a real neighborhood! I didn’t want it to feel pristine or plasticky, instead I wanted it to feel organic and welcoming.

I loved making the red curved bricks that surround one of the front yards – it’s a tiny detail I had noticed before and wanted to include. The bricks are made of air-dry clay, and the dirt yard is made from real sand and elmer’s glue. Once the sand had hardened with the glue, I painted it a dusty brown shade. All the green spiky plants are made with paper cut into thin strips, hot glued together, and painted green. I love how the paper can bend and curve to mimic a plant, and gives the perfect crinkly effect.

For the sidewalk I glued together several layers of cardboard, then painted it using gray paint mixed with baking soda for a rough surface texture. I glued tiny pieces of moss, dirt and sand onto the sidewalk so it looks aged and well-worn.

The electrical post is made from a wood dowel – I used a knife to carve out grooves to make it look aged and weathered, and then painted it dark brown. I also made a tiny fire hydrant and lamp post from air-dry clay.

The trees were unexpectedly the most labor intensive, but definitely worth the time! I feel like they added a touch of drama, and really pulled the whole set together. Here’s a deep dive video into how I made the trees:

And that’s it for this set! I’ve been animating on it this week. I’ve done a few tests that I’m not quite happy with yet, so going to try and nail it (hopefully) before the week is over. Time is counting down and I have about a month left to finish this film, wish me luck!!!

Hope you have a great day full of creativity and good snacks <3