How I Made a Framed Miniature Scene Inspired by 'The Raven'

I love a spooky poem, especially around Halloween time! One of my favourites is 'The Raven', written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1845.

I wanted to make a mini scene inspired by the poem that would fit neatly within a frame that could then be hung on a wall.

Here I'll show some snaps from the process of making this mini scene!

I made the table from balsa wood, and wooden skewers for the legs. I used 3D paint for the raised detailing on the front and legs that I highlighted with silver dry brushing after painting the whole thing black.

I sculpted the Raven out of black polymer clay and shaped the legs and feet out of black wire. Once baked I added 3D paint to the feet to somewhat smooth out the wire, painted the beak and feet dark grey and did some washes on the feathers. Then added a dot of varnish to the eyes to give them a shine.

I made some mini books for the raven to stand on out of paper and foam core.

I sculpted the skull and candle out of air dry clay. I made the candlestick holder by winding and bending wire into shape then added black paint to pick out the texture. The quill is a real feather and I aged some tiny pages before scribbling the poem in black ink.

I sketched the portrait of Edgar in pencil on toned paper, then made the frame from card and wood and created the raised accents with 3D paint.

I found the perfect real pine frame at a local bargain basement thrift store! The only problem was that it was painted yellow and red. I stripped and sanded the paint as best I could, then primed it grey with spray primer before spray painting it matt black.

I cut a piece of plywood for the backing, cut a piece of wall paper to size and created the regency style panelling using thick card stock. The crown moulding and dado rail were cut from miniature moulding that I bought from Freedom Miniatures store.

I used coffee stir sticks to create the wooden floor.