I Made a Totoro Diorama, but It Really Rains

Added: 2026-05-21

[00:00:01][snorts] >> Well, either let's make a tree stump.

[00:00:13]>> [music] >> But not just any tree stump. I want to make a hollow tree stump.

[00:00:18]>> [music] >> There are several reasons for this. The first one being that it obviously saves a lot of material. But the second more important reason would be [music] that I want it to be hollow. That's because for this diorama, I wanted to make the tutorial rain scene with actual rain, which means I need a place to put actual water.

[00:00:41]Anyway, what I'm doing right now is essentially making the woody part of [music] the tree stump. And I'm approaching this almost like baking a cake where we start off with the bread in the middle and I'll start working on the creamy topping later on, which in this case would be the bark of the tree.

[00:01:00]As you can see right now where I'm scratching out some of the barky details. But let me pause here for a moment. Take a look at the bark and tell [music] me what you think. I'll tell you what I'm thinking. This image looks uh sad. Whereas this one looks even more cozier.

[00:01:19]And you know me, I'm all about cozy things. So I'll make it cozy. But seriously though, on a you know, serious note, I believe it's got to do a [music] bit with time stamp. You know, the bark on a tree doesn't exactly stay [music] for long and they decompose relatively quickly. And if you see a tree stump with bark on it, it makes it feel urban or recent, which I didn't really like in this case. [music] Nonetheless, the tree stump is completed, so let's start working on another tree stump.

[00:01:50]>> [music] >> But this one would be a taller and skinnier tree stump and it will also be hollow just like the other one. And however, [music] instead of storing water or devices, this one will carry water for my rain. It [music] will serve almost like a conduit or pipe. So, to achieve that I'll be using this rolled piece of cardboard, which is a good supporting material to craft on, and it's also straight, which is rather important.

[00:02:19]Now, halfway up the tree stump, I want [music] to add a little flickering light.

[00:02:25]And for that light, I'll go back to the same tea light that I used in my Minecraft Campfire Diorama.

[00:02:34]I'll wire it up and then using the cable as a supporting structure, form some polymer clay around it. This would make it look like a dead branch sticking out of the tree and the lamp is hanging on it.

[00:02:54]Now, in order to create the texture of the bark on this tree, [music] I'll be using this rock to press it onto the polymer clay, and I believe this would make it look like a cracky bark.

[00:03:06]But unfortunately, it looks terrible, and the only useful thing about this is that I now know how dirty this rock is.

[00:03:15]So, instead I decided to do the same thing that [music] I did with the Barbara's Lighthouse, where I leave parts of mortar and masonry exposed.

[00:03:24]Just [music] that in this case, it would be bark and woody things separated. And I don't know, I think that looks very, very cozy. And with that, I think that's enough stumps already, and I want to create some sort of a natural pond. So, to do that, I'll be using a foam core board, which I have cut into a desired shape. [music] Uh you can ignore that box there.

[00:03:48]To form the edges of the pond, I've cut little chunks of XPS foam and bulk up the edge of the pond.

[00:03:56]And from here [music] on out, I can start working on the texture. For that, I could use this freshly ground macadamia. I'm just kidding. It's plaster, gypsum or plaster. However, there are several [clears throat] things I don't like about it. First, I have to mix it and then I have to apply it [music] and then I have to let it to dry and then wash the stuff and all of that. So, I don't want to bother with any of that.

[00:04:19][music] Now, I could use this, the calcium oxide, but you know, it's rather dangerous.

[00:04:25]I could also go back to air-drying clays that [music] I've done before, but all of these are not water-resistant. So, instead, I'll just use this hot stuff.

[00:04:35]This is ideal for me. It should be quick to apply, it's water-resistant, it sticks itself and should be perfectly fine. I just have to make sure to lay it thick.

[00:04:46]However, I was becoming painfully aware of the fact that this is an actually painful process.

[00:04:53]Thankfully, though, after several hours, I managed to complete it and I'll try to [music] do a test to see whether there are any leaks.

[00:05:02]Well, it seems like everything's working, so it's time for some paint.

[00:05:06]But honestly, I'm not really a painter and I have nothing important to say, [music] so might as well just watch a montage of me painting through this romantic green [music] things.

[00:05:23]>> [music] >> Right then, now that all the painting and things have been done, let's start working on some texturing.

[00:05:38]For the vegetation this time around, I wanted to try something different.

[00:05:42]>> [music] >> In the past, I used to apply several layers of different colors, but this time I thought I would mix them all up and give it some spread. Obviously, this is how things happen in nature, and I'm quite sure why I didn't really think about this before.

[00:05:57]>> [music] >> Regardless, what I learned before [music] is not a waste and I'll apply different textures to hopefully create a much more dynamic vegetation.

[00:06:15]Including this [music] step where I realized that mosses don't exactly grow in different heights, so I took a scissor and trimmed out [music] some of the taller ones to make it all even.

[00:06:32]And when that was all done, I noticed that my lamp looked a bit [music] boring, so I took a bit of blue color and applied it on the lamp to make it look like copper corrosion.

[00:06:42]>> [music] >> This is somewhat real because a lot of the oil lamps in the past were usually made of copper and would have corroded in the same way.

[00:06:56]Now, to pump [music] the water, I'll be using this DC submersible water pump, and I'll connect it to this conduit APE [music] TG tube, which is easy to bend.

[00:07:08]And to bend it, I'll be using a hot air [music] torch.

[00:07:12]That seems rather excited.

[00:07:19]>> [music] >> Now, you might be wondering that this is just a ridiculous step and I could have simply used some tubes to go with it.

[00:07:27]That is a very good idea, but I don't want to lose my face as an engineer, so I'll come up with some crap to justify this. Essentially, the rainwater apparatus on the top would be rather heavy, and all the load will be taken by this thing which is loaded eccentrically or not on the center, which means that the glue on this side attaching to the base would take all the stresses.

[00:07:50][music] And to spread the load evenly across all the glue, I'll apply a bit of bend to this tube [music] so that it would resist the load from this side. This is essentially what we do with reinforced concrete. The [music] steel in the concrete provides support to tension where concrete is [music] weakest.

[00:08:11]To glue this to the base, I need a strong glue and I'll be using this. And ladies, if your man doesn't have one of these at home, well And to the men out there, here's an important tip. These type of quick-setting epoxy glues set, well, really quickly. So, to avoid squeezing it out every 1 minute, you can squeeze out little batches and then [music] mix it along the way as you use it.

[00:08:40]>> [music] >> And with that done, I'll start working on the electrical side, [music] which will be housed in the mysterious box that you saw before. And usually, I just skip over my electrical things because, frankly, it's rather boring. [music] But, you know, let me try.

[00:08:59]I've attached a pack of batteries and I've connected [music] two switches for the lights, which will be connected to the positive. And instead of daisy-chaining it, I'll be using a parallel connection so the voltage remains somewhat [music] same. Bear in mind that I'm using a motor which will draw a lot of amps, which could reduce power, but [music] that should be more than enough.

[00:09:23]>> [music] >> I'll then take a bunch of Dupont connectors and then connect them to one end on the battery side and one end on the You see where I'm going with this?

[00:09:33]So, yeah, I'll just say I tidied up the cables.

[00:09:37]Now, what could be interesting is the way I will close this lid. [music] So, I've connected some magnets here, and the good thing is it snaps right into place. Although, it looks a bit boring, so I'll apply it to some stones [music] and give it some moss and make it blend in.

[00:09:54]>> [music] >> With that completed, the whole thing is made of PVA glue, which isn't exactly waterproof. So, I'll be using this varnish and then simply choke everything up with it so that it's water resistant.

[00:10:10]Now, here's an interesting thing. I wanted to populate the pond somehow and didn't really know what to do with it.

[00:10:16]So, I reached out to my Patreon members and asked them what [music] they would like to see, and one of them suggested that we should have some lily pads and flowers. So, I will make some. And to do that, I will create this template out of polymer clay and some dry leaves.

[00:10:33]Unfortunately, even if I used some expired cornstarch, it doesn't really seem convincing. I suppose it's because the lily pads would have the center of its leaf in here, in the, you know, center, and radially spread out, whereas in this case, it's not so. Might as well just make it myself.

[00:10:55]>> [music] [music] >> With all of that baked, I want to solve a problem. See, this are polymer clay and rather heavy, so it will sink. So, I need something [music] to make it float, and for that, I'll be using this tiny cutouts of XPS foam. Now, the other thing is that I also don't want it to drift around, so I need something to anchor it [music] to the bottom, and I'll be using this tiny little jewelry wire to do so. And the reason I'm not using simple thread is because I want a certain level of rigidity and not just flexible threads.

[00:11:52]>> [music] >> I'll also take some green paint and then cover the bottom. I don't think anyone [music] will see this, but well, no harm in good measure.

[00:12:03]Up next, I'll be making some water lilies. I'll make it in the same way as I've done before using air drying clay.

[00:12:11]However, the problem with these is that I don't want to buy a bunch of different colors and they seem to dry out relatively quickly. So, to solve the problem, I bought this, hair chalk. I know, right?

[00:12:24]Someone could please explain that to me.

[00:12:26]Point is, these are normal chalks [music] and I will simply take a bit of color that I like and then scrape off the edges to create a bit [music] of a dust.

[00:12:38]I'll then simply knead it into the air drying clay and that should give me a decent color. I believe this is a very sustainable method and I can get every color that I want in whatever shape I want. So, [music] if you didn't know this, well, now you do.

[00:12:59]>> [music] [music] >> And just like that, [music] the lily flowers are completed. I'll apply a bit of varnish and now it's time to simply glue it onto the base.

[00:13:23]With that done, [music] I think it's time to craft a turtle. So, the funny thing is I was looking up for inspirations on how to craft a Totoro and I came across this. This is technically a toy and it's called Tsum Tsum and you [music] can now see why I bought this because I really wanted to try it out.

[00:13:42]And if you want to try too, you can scan this image and maybe find it. Actually, you can't. It's It's only for sale in Japan.

[00:13:50]Well, fear not. I will play it for your amusement. I'll try to follow the picture that's on the front of the box.

[00:13:57]I'm never really good at these things and especially because my hands are not very steady.

[00:14:02]>> [music] >> And well, well, as you can see, this is rather difficult. I think the biggest challenge is indeed the largest piece here. But, as I always say in [music] this channel, there's nothing a good patience cannot solve.

[00:14:20]>> [music] >> Well, except when you tunnel vision and forget the most important things.

[00:14:27]>> [music] >> You know what? I'll just stick to crafting. Now, it would be such a waste to just simply [music] throw these little things, so I decided to stick them onto the diorama as well. And instead of simply sticking it on, I'll drill some holes [music] into the bottom and then stick some metal studs into it.

[00:14:48]You know, it's not like I'm upset or anything, but you know, it makes it hold better.

[00:14:55]>> [music] >> Now, the Totoro [music] looks pretty good and I don't think I could have crafted a better one myself, but I think I can make it a bit better. [music] See, there are these imperfections on the side that came out of the mold here and there are little things here and there that I would like to fix, so I'll start [music] working on it. I'll try to shave off certain bits and pieces here and then try to rework Totoro. My goal here isn't to make it look real or 3D, but instead to let it match [music] that of Studio Ghibli's Totoro.

[00:15:32]The color here is a pretty good example.

[00:15:35]The one from Studio Ghibli looks slightly different and I think Totoro looks better in that shade as well, so I'll just try to match that as well.

[00:15:46]>> [music] [music] >> Well, I think that looks much more like the Studio Ghibli's version of Totoro, but well, you can let me know how you feel about it. But before I stick Totoro on, my [music] patron members also suggested to add a frog named Zion. And really, that's all I have going with it, so let's try to give him a pose [music] a similar to a chillaxing frog. You know, it's the kind of vibe we do around here and I think that should be good enough.

[00:16:29]Again, I'm not trying to imitate reality and instead giving it a more fantasy [music] Studio Ghibli vibe. And honestly, I think the pose came out looking really well. In fact, look at him chilling in the oven right there.

[00:16:43]Anyway, after Zion's [music] beach tan, I suppose, I'll also give it some appropriate colors.

[00:16:55]And that pretty [music] much completes the whole base, so let's start working on the rain. Now, I have done a bunch of testing [music] to figure out how to make the best rain effect and this is a recording when I was testing [music] it out. But the problem here is that the volume of water on the top here is rather large and heavy and I need to maintain this thing or technically you'd call it the water head to be constant to have the similar drip. But again, it's rather heavy, so instead I decided to use tubes to achieve the same goal. By tubes I mean straws and these are very light and it's very easy to stick them together as well as you can see here.

[00:17:35][music] I'll use a light foam core board as the base and then stick these straws across it in a meandering [music] way. Once I have a decent shape, I'll take of stencil upon which I have some double-sided tape. This will allow me to pick it up and handle it without ruining the formation.

[00:17:56]>> [music] >> I'll then flip it over, apply some of those epoxy glues, [music] and using an old soldering rod, I will make some holes into the straws.

[00:18:08]>> [music] >> And once that's done, I'll take a big piece of fabric and then shove it into the hole ever so slightly so that this will allow water to drip out rather than simply squirt out.

[00:18:21]>> [music] >> I'll then do some testings to see if it really works. Because the interesting thing with water is that although [music] the tubes allow me to preserve the pressure head, the water head or the pressure will drop as the water travels all the way through the [music] tube, meaning that some of the perforations on the end of the exit needs to be slightly larger, you know, to accommodate [music] for the loss in pressure. It's really not as technical as it seems. [music] If you do make it, you will see that it's rather easy. With all of that figured out, I'll simply drill some holes on the base to allow [music] the drops to drip through. And the reason I'm using this is not just [music] a support member for the straws. It will also act as a barrier so that you don't [music] see these gnarly colorful straws. Now at this point I'd like to explain more on the technical reasons why I do such a design, but my mouth is getting really sore from all this voice over. So, let's just say I need some light on this thing. And for that, I bought this remote control light. The remote control part is important because that's the main reason why I even bought this.

[00:19:34]The biggest downside to this is that it's rather heavy, as you can see there, about 80 g, which according to Google is about an average-size kiwi. [music] Ooh, is that important? I don't know. But, since I'll be sharing the power from the DDC booster pumps, I can remove the batteries. And there we go, we are down to half a kiwi. But, I think I'll strip it down even further, down to a quarter of a kiwi. And finally, I've managed to get it down to 10 seeds of a kiwi fruit.

[00:20:04]How cool is that? So, now I'll make some incisions for the lights to shine through, and then I'll fill it up with some UV resin. And I also want it to diffuse the light, so I'll use this white [music] dye to give it a bit of diffusion. Now, what I notice is that, unlike other dyes, this white one isn't necessarily a dye. It's more of a suspension or a colloidal solution, so definitely something to care about when you use this type of colors.

[00:20:35]Anyway, with that completed, I'll take this 3D printed bracket. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. [music] I made it using foam core boards, which would help space out the electronics in case water leaks here.

[00:20:49]>> [music] >> And there you go, a pretty nice table lamp. Now, the reason I add this light is to make the rain [music] waters look better, and also to make this diorama more functional, which this that it can serve as [music] an ASMR rain water table lamp. don't know, something like that. Either way, I've given all of [music] these a nice discreet black color and I'll stick all of these together.

[00:21:17]>> [music] >> Now, the interesting thing here is that I'm using the tree trunk as a conduit itself. The inner PETG tube carries the water up, whereas the other exterior one takes the water down. And I didn't come up with this design. It's [music] fairly common in my engineering works. It's called a containment tube and these serve as dual purpose, either for safety or whatever reasons. You can find this in, say, gas [music] or oil pipelines, um nuclear reactors, or maybe even HVAC systems. [music] Either way, it's been a while and I need to touch some grass. So, I took my kid out for a walk just because I want to blend into society, I went around picking some flowers and leaves here and there until it attracted the local police. So, I decided that should be enough. And what [music] I'll do with this is essentially I'll turn Totoro and its companion into a flower stand. This way, the diorama isn't just a rain diorama, but you can add some flowers or some beautiful lovely roses.

[00:22:26]Anyway, I think that about completes the diorama. So, I'm going to turn off the lights and then turn [music] the rain on. The audio isn't clean with that kid walking around all the time, but for the sake of transparency, [music] I'll let it play out naturally. And with that, enjoy the diorama. Thank you for your patience. Have a good day and cheers. [clears throat] Also, sorry. I wanted to give a huge shoutout to MJ Marshall for joining and all the patron and YouTube members for your patience and support. Thank you.

[00:23:04]Okay, I go now.