Advice on making life size dinosaurs

[DefinitelyNOTDilo]

Hey all! I'm in the planning stage of my first ever life size dinosaur model, and I was wondering if anyone had any tips. My current plan is to make a frame out of cardboard or more likely thin wood, fill it in with tinfoil and cover it in plastic mesh, then use some clay to make a basic shape and use faux fur for the feathering and some sort of modeling clay for the non-feathered parts. For anyone curious the species is Mononykus. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated!

I also figured I'd ping(?) @Blade-of-the-Moon since you seem to have quite a bit of experience in this regard.

[Justin_]

You'll want something more rigid than cardboard or thin wood to start with, at least for the legs but best for the spine also, otherwise it will be wobbling and twisting whenever you touch it. Maybe draw a simple skeleton on plywood with the legs being separate from the torso, and saw around those. If you just have rigid legs you might be able to use cardbaord for the torso if you glue a few layers together. You'll probably want a solid base too so it is always standing upright and you've got both hands free for sculpting.
I make tiny fantasy creatures at a size where humans would be about 3cm high and even those need a hard, wire armature which is pinned in a cork so I don't ever hold the actual sculpture while the clay is soft.

[Bread]

Besides @Blade-of-the-Moon, @Kayakasaurus is also one who builds life size models here. You may have seen his youtube videos at one point, too.

Another I recommend checking out is ArtByAnz on instagram. She makes life size models and paint ups for museums. Now I don't think she shows too much of the build up process, but she shares updates and WIP on her page. I still suggest you check her out!