r/Paleontology 2d ago

PaleoArt Tips?

I made this stylized Proceratosaurus head mount about six months ago. I plan to make a full body Buitreraptor soon… but I’m wondering if anyone has any tips on how to make this or my future project look better? Or if it’s good as is?

(I did use a skull as reference… well as much of the skull as has been found… and I’m pretty sure the neck is too thick. Correct me if I’m wrong on that one.)

895 Upvotes

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156

u/Tytoivy 2d ago

It’s a bit more engineering, but using glass for the eye would make a huge difference. In my experience, people will see something that looks moderately realistic and say “oh my god, it looks totally real” if you can get the eyes right.

29

u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Yes! You’ve got a point! I did plan on using resin when I make my buitreraptor… do you think that would work well instead of glass?

22

u/Tytoivy 2d ago

As long as it’s shiny and has a sense of dimension to it!

3

u/monkeydude777 majungasaurus fan 2d ago

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u/i_haz_rabies 2d ago

That looks awesome and I hope someday I have enough money to commission one from you

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u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

This is a small compy I did! And btw the fact that you said that made my day :)

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u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Thank you!!! I’ll be here! Totally willing to take commissions!!

And I can make smaller ones for $100-$200 :)

39

u/toms1313 2d ago

As long as it was ethically hunted I don't care.

Impressive for sure! The top of the flap looks kinda plastic with the light through (red cellophane in-between would help) and the eyes up close need more 3d feeling

6

u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Thanks! Can you rephrase what you mean by “top of the flap”? Sorry Im just not sure what you’re referring to… 😅

And yes! The eyes are definitely in need of improvement! Thank you for the feedback! 😁

2

u/toms1313 2d ago

The nasal flap, no idea what's it's name. The light shines through and you can see it being beige, whilst in living things when light goes through skin it comes back as red

Nasal crest? Maybe lol

2

u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Oh like the crest in the head?? I think that’s all just the coloring I chose. I might not be seeing what you’re seeing but I’m not sure where light is shining through. Everything is quite opaque.

6

u/MSI5162 2d ago

Looks good, i like it 👍

4

u/StyleMedium8641 2d ago

I think the neck is good. And of anyone complains, I'd blame it on the plumage. What strikes me as odd is that I think the eye is too low, and slightly too small. I just feel like if you pictures the whole eyeball, it would be strangely in the way of the inner mouth

2

u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

I can see that. I did use a skull as reference but things get shifted as the project goes, so it is very likely that you are right. And in hindsight I do think the eyes are a bit too small as well. All of these mistakes will help me make the Buitreraptor even better! So thank you! :)

1

u/StyleMedium8641 2d ago

And I can't wait to see it, It would actually be the first reconstruction of Buitreraptor I'd be exposed to. So I'll choose not to look any up until I've seen yours :)

1

u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Aw thank you!! I hope I do it justice! I’ll be doing my best to keep it accurate! But I’m no expert so we will se how it goes 😆

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u/Farty_Mcflyyy 2d ago

This is absolutely incredible, if you haven't already you should make a post explaining your process, Id love to make something like this as a fun project!

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u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Thank you so much!! My process was very flawed as it was my first one, but I plan to record the process of making a full, life size dinosaur model and I’ll post it in YouTube hopefully… but if you don’t want to wait, I can always try to lay out my process for you! It’s a super fun project if you have the time for it!!!

2

u/Knight_of_Rohan1964 2d ago

someNo theropods where harmed in the creation of this head mount.

This is totally amazing. I don't think the neck is too thick; given the appearance of modern tropical birds, it could totally have a lot of muscle, body fat and specially fluff. It would look good slimmer as well, but I guess that's more of an artistic choice of yours.

I want to see your Buitreraptor when you finish it. I find it one of the best looking dinosaurs imo, and I'd love to see it in your style.

1

u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Thank you so much!!! That means a lot! I will definitely make a post when I finish the Buitretaptor! I have the pose drawn out and that’s about it. So it’s safe to say it’ll be a while… 😅

This is the pose I plan to use… it’s inspired by a great blue heron:

2

u/Napkinkat 2d ago

This looks so cool!! If you’re going for a more realistic look I would use glass/3d printed irises set in resin half spheres. I would also use lots of reference of reptile scale patterns and bird skin folds!! And reference any close-ish relatives skin fossils if there are any! Feature scales go a long way. I recommend checking out Kayakasaurus’s stuff on YouTube as he makes a lot of dinosaur sculpts and talks about his process a ton!!!! Also this very cool lady’s work!! https://youtube.com/shorts/qx4JnMWENSI?is=wfyQxbT1xMwxT6vi

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u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Yes! I plan to make the eyes that way on my buitreraptor! And I actually looked at some of that guy stuff when I was thinking about starting the buitreraptor project!! He has great work! And I love the suggestion about the scale patterns! Thank you!

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u/Napkinkat 2d ago

I loveee drawing feature scales hehehee its so fun :3

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u/Napkinkat 2d ago

Also here’s a link to Kayakasaurus’s channel :3 https://youtube.com/@kayakasaurus?si=I6U0ryjSLZiIl8bu
This one I think would be most useful for you as it’s a lifesized dinosaur sculpture! https://youtu.be/0ttg_ULqLX8?is=a__ql32HBFtgP2Sh

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u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

That is actually the one I watched!!! 😆

2

u/Space_obsessed_Cat allosuarus is best + nanotyrannus hate club 2d ago

One thing that always bugs me, the eyes shouldn't really be slit it's usually only seen in low to the ground nocturnal animals, I'd say round pupils would also look nicer

2

u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Yes I totally get that! I plan to do that next time!

2

u/stillinthesimulation 1d ago

For all the work you put into it, I’d give it glass eyes.

1

u/FuzzyFrogFish 2d ago

Did you use a foam core, if not sculpting a foam core is a good idea, than use clay to start adding details. Use glass eyes and seat them properly.

1

u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

No. It’s all stuffed cardboard and paper maché. But the details are built up with clay. However… when I build the full body buitreraptor, I plan to use spray foam for building structure in my armature

1

u/FuzzyFrogFish 2d ago

Id say start using sculpting foam, it's gonna give you way more structure definition

1

u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

How do I get my hands on that and how would I go about building something structurally sound from it? And how expensive is that likely going to be? I’m on a tight budget.

1

u/FuzzyFrogFish 2d ago

You want high density foam

https://shop.rca.ac.uk/collections/modelling-foam-boards/products/styrofoam-block-large

Excuse the price, you can get it cheaper on Amazon, usually it's something like high density, closed cell foam or some name along those lines

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u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Perfect! Thank you

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u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Also do you have a suggestion for that clay to use? I have a hard time finding one that won’t crack.

1

u/FuzzyFrogFish 2d ago

Normally apoxy sculpt is a good shout, but it has to be fresh and WELL mixed, the foam core is normally stable enough to prevent cracking from the armature moving

1

u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Sounds good. Thank you

1

u/Dark_Dragon117 2d ago

Certainly good enough to the point I would shit my pants if I saw that hanging on a wall anywhere at night.

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u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

lol! That’s amazing! Thank you! Ironically it’s on the wall in my bedroom.

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u/BoredByLife 2d ago

Give it the ability to mimic human speech. Go full Weird Birds up in this bitch

1

u/Particular_Novel8795 2d ago

Wait that would actually be so cool

1

u/BlueDinosTiki 1d ago

It’s looking good! I’d like to see the fur thinning out more as it goes the face? You can see animal references where their head and face normally had shorter and finer hairs. Also the eyeballs could be rounded dimensionally and shiny to really make it pop. I’ve used mountain lion glass eyes on my Raptor sculpture before and it looks nice! Keep up the great work!

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u/Particular_Novel8795 1d ago

Thank you! I did want to trim the fur down more towards the face stop up, but that was about as low as I could shave it and I didn’t want to make it look choppy with scissors

1

u/BlueDinosTiki 1d ago

Maybe hair clippers if you have it, but if not I think it’s fine as is! What material is the sculpt, is it carved foam?

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u/Particular_Novel8795 1d ago

It’s cardboard that i stuffed for structure and I paper mached over it. And the details like the lips and eyes are made with clay

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u/Royal-Grapefruit4450 23h ago

Put some clear nail polish on the eye for that extra shine. Its what I used for my pterosaur mask and its clay eyes.

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u/Particular_Novel8795 21h ago

That’s actually exactly what I did! Definitely an easy way to get some shine!