The Legend of Zelda - Moss Terrarium Using IKEA Glass Dome

Mossarium is a small and low maintenance terrarium with various species of moss. You can use the moss to create an effect of rolling hills, dense jungle, or wild grassland such as the one in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It brings any diorama to life!

If you want to create your own mossarium with Link standing on a rocky hill inspired by an official Breath of the Wild poster, continue reading!

For the figure:

• Paint (primer, acrylic paints, clear spray paint)
• Brushes
• Glue
• 3D model
• 3D printer (SLA)

For the mossarium:

• Moss
• Glass Dome Ikea SKÖNJA
• Soil
• Activated Charcoal
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• Mesh - can be 3D printed
• 3D printer (FDM) - for the mesh inset, can be made otherwise

When printing such small and detailed figure, the SLA printer is a go-to. I recommend printing multiple Links, so you can test your paints and have a backup in case something goes wrong. (For example, my sword didn't print straight, so I snapped it and used the sword from my backup model.)

You can use beige resin for a nice base skintone color, but I didn't have one at the moment. It would be a nice-to-have though.

While removing the supports, send the SKONJA_mossarium_inset.stl to your FDM 3D printer. It will hold the glass dome nicely in place while keeping the charcoal at the bottom.

3D printing settings:

• solid layers top: 0
• solid layers bottom: 0
• perimeters: 2
• infill: grid, 70%
• modifier: infill 0% on all of the model except where the first layer is

Firstly - before painting, attach your Link figure to some sort of a flat surface or a holder. I used wall gum adhesive for that.

Secondly, I tested various spray fillers on the printed figures. I came across a "thick spray putty filler" which is great for smoothing rough surfaces, but in this case, it hid too many details. Any basic spray filler will do just fine. A thin layer will be enough.

Using another spare test-printed Link, I tried spraying the figure with white spray paint from the top angle just to have some reference on where the shadows should be (third picture) which helped me later during the painting. You can skip this step and use the third photo as a reference.

I can't give you much advice on this, as all you need is just a little patience. :D

Use acrylic paint with the best coverage possible. It is better to start with the lightest colors and then move to the darker ones. From the bigger areas (the blue tunic) to the raised details (brown belts) but you will probably need to go back a few times and do some repairs. Use tiny sharp quality brushes.

At this point I was glad I had another Link figure printed because I could always test the paints before applying them.

This was a dead end for me, but maybe it will work for you. Cell Shading is a comic-like style of shading. I personally think it works only when the light is pointed from one particular direction (first photo) and didn't like it in the end. But it is surely something to consider as it quite fits the artistic style of Breath of the Wild game.

Here's the inspiration and reference I used! I realised while painting the model that it would be convenient to have the hands and and the quiver separated from the body as it is so tiny and difficult to paint. So the model you are downloading has this improvement to save you some time. :D

Using a white spraypaint, I lightly sprayed the rock from the top angle to see where the dark shadows should be. It helped me with shading. For the rock you could also use a technique called "wash" - paint the rock with a diluted black paint and wipe it off using a tissue. The black paint will remain only in the crevices creating a more realistic look.

Once my base colors were 100% dry, I continued painting the details. Sometimes the patterns are raised enough that you can dry brush over them (the patterns on the sleeves) but in the case of others, you have to do it the hard way. Use a tiny sharp brush and a good light source.

Tried the wash technique mentioned above on the test figure, but it looked like he went through some rough times. :D

When everything was completely dry, I glued the Link figure to the rock and coated it with clear protective spray paint.

The safest way to create a mossarium is with store-bought sterile moss like these ones. The reason you should buy terrarium mosses is that they grow it in lighthouses and keep it clean. If you decide to gather the moss in your surrounding, you have to keep in mind that it might contain bugs and you might need to change the moss some time in the future as it might also get moldy over time. I still think it is worth the risk as it was the best part of the project.

I gathered different species of moss on different spots including a roof. :D You want your mossarium to be as diverse as possible!

• If you don't mind your Link ending up in a jungle, you can gather also some small ferns, mondo grass, or tropical houseplants such as small begonia or peperomias.
• Clean your moss after you gather it and trim it using scissors if needed.

Now let's assemble our Legends of Zelda inspired mossarium!

Firstly: inset, then activated charcoal. It’s key function? Filtration. Then mesh, then soil.

Mosses generally prefer compacted, clay-based soils. You can look for terrarium soils, or mix your own using a bit of basic soil, orchid bark, perlite and a dry sphagnum moss.

In hindsight, I would have attached Link's rock to an actual rock, so it wasn't just lying on top of the soil and moss because it was too light and I had to constantly correct the way he was tilting.

Start stuffing the soil with the moss. For now without the metal base. You might need tweezers in this phase.

Place Link on top of the moss and hide the edge of the rock with some more moss. Try different heights of the moss for a realistic look.

We all know Link hates the rain, especially when climbing rocks. Place Your Breath of the Wild Diorama On The Metal Base and cover it with the glass dome.

Where to place your diorama:

Keep you mossarium in relatively shaded area that doesn't get blasted with direct sunlight regularly. :)

How much to water:

The amount of moisture needed will depend on which moss you’re growing. In general, most species like to be evenly moist but not wet. Less is more, as over watering can lead to harmful mold and algae. Use a pipette to water the moss evenly, keep it moist, but not too much. The glass dome should get a little hazy at the bottom, with a few water drops, but never fully cloudy! In case that happens, leave it open a bit to ventilate.

Have fun creating this Breath of the Wilds inspired mossarium with 3D printed Link! I would love to see your vercion of this creation, so feel free to share it on social media and tag me!