DIY Ancient Greek Vase Diorama (Herakles Vs. the Trojan Cetus)

Craft your own Ancient Greek artifact using recycled materials!

Travel back to ancient Greece and bring mythology to life with this cardboard and paper mâché vase inspired by an artifact from 530–520 B.C. Depicting Herakles battling the Trojan Cetus, this project is based on a piece from the Stavros S. Niarchos Collection in Athens. Instead of flying to Greece, why not build your own version at home?

Even if clay isn't your thing, this trompe-l’oeil project uses common materials like cardboard, yogurt pots, and paper towels to create the illusion of ancient pottery with the bonus option of turning it into a diorama of classical Athens!

Large plank of cardboard (for the back)

Corrugated cardboard (from a parcel)

Cereal box cardboard

Kraft paper

Paper towels

Paper mâché paste

1 large party balloon

Blocks of Styrofoam

1 small yogurt pot (top part of vase)

1 medium yogurt pot (top part of vase)

1 hummus/dip pot (bottom part of vase)

Glue gun & glue sticks

School glue

Painter’s masking tape

Heavy-duty scissors

Box-cutter knife

Sculpting tools (optional)

Paints: ochre tones, beige, brown, gold, copper, caramel, sand, cream, yellow

Graphite pencil

Fine-tip black marker + regular black marker

2 medium large square head brushes (one for painting, one for applying the glue)

One medium rounded head brush

On small rounded head brush

Plastic or paper straws

Modeling grass and trees (from train/model stores)

Static grass applicator (optional)

Start by inflating a balloon. This will form the body of your vase. Spray it with a little water.

Then use small pieces of paper towel dipped in a mix of school glue and water to cover the surface. A brush can help press the pieces down smoothly.

Add three full layers, and let it dry completely. Near a heater, it may take several hours; at room temperature, a couple of days.

Once dry, wrap the entire surface in kraft paper. Cut little fringes at the edges to help it curve around the shape.

When that layer has dried, pop the balloon.

You now have two options:

1. Leave the shape whole if you want to make a full vase.
2. Cut it in half for a wall-mounted, flat version.

If you want to turn it into a diorama, go ahead and cut out a window in the front.

To strengthen the structure:

1. Cut a flexible piece of cardboard and roll it to match the curve of the vase’s interior.
2. Tape it into place on both sides.
3. Then glue the entire piece to your large background board.

Now build the foot and neck of the vase:

1. Use the dip container for the base.
2. Stack the medium yogurt pot on top, then the small pot above that.
3. Fix everything in place with hot glue and masking tape.

Wrap the full structure in kraft paper again so everything blends together.

If you're building a scene inside the vase:

1. Break up blocks of Styrofoam and glue them inside the vase to make different levels.
2. Cover everything with kraft paper.

Use paper mâché to sculpt rocks and texture.

Build miniature temples and houses using cereal box cardboard and straws for the columns.

Tape everything together and cover with kraft paper.

Apply paper mâché to the roofs, and draw tile lines into the surface while it’s still wet.

Use more paper mâché to create a cliff or hillside for your Parthenon or other structures.

Mix white and sand-colored paint to mimic Pentelic marble — the stone used to build the real Parthenon.

Use grey for shading and black in the recessed areas like under the roof or inside colonnades to give a realistic effect.

Paint the rocks and cliffs in limestone colors.

Now sketch the Herakles vs. Cetus scene on the outside of the vase using your pencil. Look up a reference image from the original artifact to help guide your drawing.

Once the sketch looks right, trace it over with black marker for a clean, sharp design.

Mix ochre and earthy tones to create a terracotta color and paint the entire vase.

Make a paper template of the vase’s outline.

Use that template to cut a matching shape from cardboard to frame your vase.

Paint the frame a soft bronze or cream.

Peel the top layer from a piece of corrugated cardboard to get the wavy texture underneath. Paint it gold, cut into strips, and use them to decorate the frame’s edges.

Paint the rest of the background to match the vase.

Cut long strips of cardboard to create a final outer frame. Trim the corners at an angle for a clean finish.

Add bronze-painted decorative shapes to the top corners to complete the look.

Roll two equal-length coils using aluminum foil to form the handles.

Wrap each coil with kraft paper to give them a smoother finish and better surface for painting.

Paint the handles in a color that closely matches the body of the vase. Let them dry completely.

Once dry, use a hot glue gun to attach one handle to each side of the vase. Make sure they are positioned at an equal distance from the top rim to keep the design balanced.

Use a hot glue gun to securely attach the houses to the base.

Then, enhance the realism of your diorama by adding model trees and bushes and applying model grass to the ground surface. If you have access to a static grass applicator, use it to make the grass stand upright for a more lifelike effect.

And that’s it! You’ve created an awesome diorama! I hope you had as much fun making it as I did.

I’d love to see how yours turns out!

Have fun, get creative, and happy crafting!