Safari Ltd.: New for 2018

[Faelrin]

Thanks for posting that postsaurischian. I googled green ara and I can totally see the resemblance in the color scheme of their Anzu, assuming it was based on this bird: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_green_macaw

Regardless if the sculptor of the Anzu copied the color scheme of that artwork, the original color scheme was derived from nature. I suppose this would be like if I used the colors of a Dwarf Gourami on some dinosaur, or other prehistoric creature and someone went and did the same for a figure. I suppose at this point it was just merely copying someone's idea, since the color scheme itself was derived from nature, and not a completely original design. I'm not sure where the lines are to be drawn in a case like this.

Honestly, it would be nice if no one copied anyone else in this market, but that's not how it is these days, and that's not even counting bootlegs. Of course there's various degrees of it. You have either nearly complete copies of someone's artwork (in the case of the Schleich 2018 Carnotaurus with the color scheme, and scale and scute shapes, or the Safari Ltd Oviraptor with nest, with colors and pose, etc), or just the color schemes copied, but used on a different species (in the case of the Papo Cryolophosaurus using the Sideshow Ceratosaurus color scheme). There's also all the JP (and Sideshow) knockoffs out there from Papo, other companies, but that's one company using another company's design, versus a company using an individual's design.

As someone who creates things, I'm not sure I'd want my ideas or designs used and then sold without credit, or perhaps without even asking permission, in the least, so I can't say I look favorably on this practice, but ultimately it is also up to the original artists to go out of their way to protect their works (although they also can't do anything if they don't know about it). Of course there's also those that are completely fine with it. So for me this is a hard line to draw, and it would probably have to be a case by case basis.

[Reptilia]

But I do think it's worth talking about, even though clearly some people are tired of it.

Maybe we should have a specific thread?

[tanystropheus]

Is it just me or do models feel more authentic if they are directly inspired by Paleoart or Museum sculptures.

It kind of makes me want the model even more.

Take for example the Vagaceratops. I absolutely love the fact that it is based on the following model. It feels real to me. It speaks to me. We have a personal connection now.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Vagaceratops_irvinensis%2C_models.jpg/1200px-Vagaceratops_irvinensis%2C_models.jpg

[Fenestra]

I doubt that the artist that sculpt the figure has any say on how the figure gets painted.
I think those are two different departments.

Then you would be wrong, in my case anyway and I didn't do this one. My sculpting department is upstairs, then the moulding dept is downstairs, finishing and painting is back upstairs. I can't get along with any of them. In case you don't get it they are all me.

I'm glad to read that I'm wrong about this.
It must be satisfying for the artist to also have a say in the colour scheme.

Just imagine you would've created a beautiful Polacanthus but it would end on store shelves with,
let's say,
a bright purple coat....
I kid I kid!     

[Doug Watson]

Is it just me or do models feel more authentic if they are directly inspired by Paleoart or Museum sculptures.

It kind of makes me want the model even more.

Take for example the Vagaceratops. I absolutely love the fact that it is based on the following model. It feels real to me. It speaks to me. We have a personal connection now.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Vagaceratops_irvinensis%2C_models.jpg/1200px-Vagaceratops_irvinensis%2C_models.jpg

Actually the sculpture itself has nothing to do with the life size version except for the colour. I had previously restored the holotype skull for the museum under the supervision of Dr. Robert Holmes (Watson & Dr. Holmes, neat eh?) After years of bugging Safari Ltd they finally let me do this first horned dinosaur.
The life sized sculpture was done by another artist in Toronto without the help of Dr. Holmes and the skull itself has a lot of inaccuracies so as with all my pieces I based mine on the actual fossils. We did decide to use the same basic colour but I added my own take on it with stripes on the tail. So you are correct about the colour just not the sculpt.

[Doug Watson]

I doubt that the artist that sculpt the figure has any say on how the figure gets painted.
I think those are two different departments.

Then you would be wrong, in my case anyway and I didn't do this one. My sculpting department is upstairs, then the moulding dept is downstairs, finishing and painting is back upstairs. I can't get along with any of them. In case you don't get it they are all me.

I'm glad to read that I'm wrong about this.
It must be satisfying for the artist to also have a say in the colour scheme.

Just imagine you would've created a beautiful Polacanthus but it would end on store shelves with,
let's say,
a bright purple coat....
I kid I kid!     

As I said I only speak for myself there could be some artists that don't paint their own for the most part I don't interact with the other artists. My first client in the giftware company never let me do any paint guides and I was almost always frustrated by the production results. The paint job has to be geared for a production line so it can't be over the top but I do try to make my guide look as good as I can under those restraints.

[Doug Watson]

Just one personal note and only speaking for myself and NOT talking about the Anzu, it is really getting hard to come up with an "original" paint scheme especially with the explosion of the internet and computer art. I sit here every time I have a new dinosaur to paint and try to come up with something I haven't done before and especially something that someone else hasn't (plus I usually do 5 at a time). I do Google searches to see if what I have planned hasn't been done before but I don't have hours and hours to use every search engine in every possible language and there is always that fear that someone with way more time than me will find something that kinda looks like mine or heaven forbid used the same colours. The Deviantart web site is a good example, I am not a member and when I have ended up there I can never figure out how to navigate it, so I just hope if there is anything there similar it comes up when I use Google. Sometimes I may have even seen something and subconsciously it comes to me without me remembering I saw it somewhere else. I am not saying no one copies that would be ridiculous but before people judge just try to come up with something on your own that no one has done and looks natural. Anyone could paint it hot pink with fluorescent yellow stripes and say that's original but who would buy it?

[CityRaptor]

I agree. Speaking od Deviantart, I once saw someone claiming that someone ripped-off their OC. The "original" in question was an anthro wolf with bright blue fur, green eyes and bright yellow nose and mane, the supposed  "rip-off" was an anthro horse with a more subdued blue coat, red eyes and a subdued yellow mane. Not only is that a common color scheme, the owner of the horse also made her oc first.  And blue wolves are never original...

[Sim]

I think people have sometimes been too inclined to suggest a prehistoric figure is based on another reconstruction, when the resemblance really isn't that much.  An example of this is someone on Safari's Facebook page suggesting the Safari Anzu is based on the version of the Saurian Anzu in the image they included due to "the model is very similar to Saurian's Anzu, in both color, tail design, and mouth gape.": link

Someone in the previous comment also said the Safari Anzu's colour scheme comes from Saurian.  In reality though, there is practically no resemblance between the Safari Anzu and that Saurian Anzu.  Both have the mouth open, but the gape isn't even similar enough to see a resemblance there.  The tail design again doesn't look that much like that Saurian Anzu's.  As for the colours, little is shared by the Safari and Saurian Anzu, and the colour placements are very different.  And we know now that the Safari Anzu's colouration is very similar to that Anzu seen on DeviantArt, which further supports its colouration not being based on Saurian's.  Respectfully, those Facebook comments about the Safari Anzu being inspired by that Saurian Anzu contain exaggerations, I don't understand why people would make these comments.  Why do people say a prehistoric reconstruction copies another when there isn't good reason to think that?

[Doug Watson]

I think people have sometimes been too inclined to suggest a prehistoric figure is based on another reconstruction, when the resemblance really isn't that much.  An example of this is someone on Safari's Facebook page suggesting the Safari Anzu is based on the version of the Saurian Anzu in the image they included due to "the model is very similar to Saurian's Anzu, in both color, tail design, and mouth gape.": link

Someone in the previous comment also said the Safari Anzu's colour scheme comes from Saurian.  In reality though, there is practically no resemblance between the Safari Anzu and that Saurian Anzu.  Both have the mouth open, but the gape isn't even similar enough to see a resemblance there.  The tail design again doesn't look that much like that Saurian Anzu's.  As for the colours, little is shared by the Safari and Saurian Anzu, and the colour placements are very different.  And we know now that the Safari Anzu's colouration is very similar to that Anzu seen on DeviantArt, which further supports its colouration not being based on Saurian's.  Respectfully, those Facebook comments about the Safari Anzu being inspired by that Saurian Anzu contain exaggerations, I don't understand why people would make these comments.  Why do people say a prehistoric reconstruction copies another when there isn't good reason to think that?

Yes that little drive by with a "Hmm" resulted in a face palm from me when I saw it. It was surprising that she didn't claim Saurian copied the work from Deviantart and only went after Safari Ltd. But then I don't believe Saurian copied but why were they immune?

[SabertoothKittens]

The Anzu toy did make me think of the Saurian one, but that has more to do with the fact that Anzu doesn't show up much in pop culture, and that feathered dinosaurs AND brightly colored realistic dinos are rare in pop culture as well. If Saurian is one of your first/only/primary reference points for what Anzu is, any Anzu will make you think of it. With closer inspection they look very different. (although, the Saurian association made me like the Anzu toy more and I plan on getting it at some point!) Also, who uses mouth gape as an example of ripping off? Most dinosaurs in toys and other art have their mouths open.

[Shonisaurus]

I understand as I have said that he is making a world of something that is not. The anzu is an excellent paleoartistic work and I very much doubt that a company of the caliber of Safari (although I bet a bit of the same for other companies) makes a plagiarism of a paleoartistic painting.

I honestly do not think that Safari, which is a prestigious brand with the likes of paleo-illustrators, paleontologists, important sculptors, among which Mr. Doug Watson is among other great artists apart from advisers, does a plagiarism. I think that the relationship that exists between the anzu of paleoart work like that of the Safari brand has nothing to do with each other. It is simply a coincidence. One should not sincerely mention such a question in such a repetitive manner.

[Sim]

I feel it would be good to mention, to avoid people missing it, the most recent posts relating to the Safari Anzu's colouration have been moved to a new thread: http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=6576.0