Blade-of-the-Moon's Art

[ZoPteryx]

Wow, that Gorgo's coming along great!

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Pretty good..I'm almost done with the head..might get a pic up tonight.

Here's the body progress :




My camera recognized this frame work for mounting the head as a face..I kinda see it.. freaky. lol

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Head is finished minus paint work :

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

tyrannosaur arms :



Dilophosaurs V.2 head :



Some of you may remember this head as the original one for my Juv. Spinosaurus..this head was too small so it went into storage..but then I thought up a use for it   ...and my old Dilo wasn't so great. I'm sure  I can do much better now.

[Meso-Cenozoic]

Wow, Chris, the Gorgo's head turned out great! I especially like the way the teeth turned out. I also like the way you're wrapping the fingers. Cool idea for a scaly effect!

I do remember this original Spino head. Good recycling idea! BTW, are Dilopho's related/in the same lineage as Spinosaurids? I always wondered but always forget to look it up. I always thought their basic face and jaw shapes were a little similar. I guess especially because they're long and narrow and have that funky notch in the front part of their upper jaw.

BTW, it's funny when you're looking at the persons holding the Gorgo's head in the first three pics, because you're both wearing a grey t-shirt and you can't see the other guy's face. So it looks like you in different sizes, hehe! Keep up the good work, man! I always enjoy these step-by-step pics.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Wow, Chris, the Gorgo's head turned out great! I especially like the way the teeth turned out. I also like the way you're wrapping the fingers. Cool idea for a scaly effect!

I do remember this original Spino head. Good recycling idea! BTW, are Dilopho's related/in the same lineage as Spinosaurids? I always wondered but always forget to look it up. I always thought their basic face and jaw shapes were a little similar. I guess especially because they're long and narrow and have that funky notch in the front part of their upper jaw.

BTW, it's funny when you're looking at the persons holding the Gorgo's head in the first three pics, because you're both wearing a grey t-shirt and you can't see the other guy's face. So it looks like you in different sizes, hehe! Keep up the good work, man! I always enjoy these step-by-step pics.

Thanks ! I'm pretty pleased with it .

The fingers are a method  I came up with and used on the 1/1 JP Raptor  I have and the Juv. Spinosaurus.  I'll do the same on the feet as well.

I'm not sure of their relation..but it seems apparent to me they would be...along with the likes of Cryolophosaurus..unless it's just a case of convergent evolution again.

lol you noticed that eh ? My cousin is quite a bit " lighter " than myself as well.. 

Glad your enjoying the pics..I like posting and discussing them .

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

More body work, test fitted the head :

[Seijun]

Each dinosaur you make is even better than the last!   Do you have any plans to make mammals also?

[sepp]

Wow, the Gorgosaurus is looking fantastic! I have a huge soft spot for Gorgosaurus and Albertosaurus both, they are beautiful animals.
I agree with Seijun, you're getting better and better with each new dinosaur!

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Each dinosaur you make is even better than the last!   Do you have any plans to make mammals also?

Thanks ! I have considered it..one of our local museums is mostly prehistoric mammal oriented and one of the paleontologists from there asked me about possibly doing some for a trail they have in mind.  The thing is mammals don't excite me nearly the way Dinos do...I would def consider a Dimetrodon or Postosuchus though. Another issue is they would want only animals they have found so far..which would be a tapir, some kind of cat and a lot of other smaller misc. just not much there..yet.  

Wow, the Gorgosaurus is looking fantastic! I have a huge soft spot for Gorgosaurus and Albertosaurus both, they are beautiful animals.
I agree with Seijun, you're getting better and better with each new dinosaur!

This guy is right up your alley then ! I used Gorgosaurus and a little Albertosaurus for references.  Everyone kept asking : " Where's the tyrannosaur ? " now i have one.. lol

I think it's because I keep doing things a little differently and experimenting ..with each new piece you also refine your process...wait til you see a comparison between the first Dilophosaur I did and the new one..I think it will be quite obvious.. :lol 

[jhudstone]

These sculptures are fantastic and I am sort of understanding the process, but how does the heated poly work? You spray on foam, carve it(?) and then wrap it with some sort of poly? Could you maybe do one post with a step-by-step? (Or maybe you already have and I missed it...)

Thanks!

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I posted one on another forum, here you go :

Cool, let's take the juvenile Spinosaurus .

For him I first figure up proportions by finding a reputable skeletal diagram like this one :



Since this is a juvenile and are there are no materials for it in the fossil record so far I have to guess a bit based on other finds of juvenile dinosaurs. I figure out how big the skull will be then adjust measurements throughout the body based on it. Now I have a working plan :



For this one I made a stencil to follow :



It was done free hand, but a better way is to  use a projector with you diagram traced onto a clear sheet..then put it up on a drop cloth behind the sculpture.

I create the basic frame from wood ( 2x4 ) PVC which is heated with a heat gun to bend and follow the stencil. The tail is an old metal curtain rod :



I made the head , sail and arms from foam board coated with Great Stuff expanding foam.

I made the first head which was the wrong size and had to do a 2nd :





At this point I've made the muscle frame out of steel fencing wire, available from Lowe's, Home Depot or Tractor Supply.

I have been working on the head inside at night and when it rained to maximize my time on it and started coating with the fiberglass/vinyl material . This was surplus my grandfather picked up ages ago from Semens Corp in Bristol, TN. I've been attempting to get more but no luck so far.



It's hard to see but the steel fencing is covered in chicken wire to remove the pattern of straight lines the steel fencing would cause. Looks more like skin with bumps and scales when coated.



Eyes and teeth are made from Super Sculpey from Walmart. Coating the body continues..



I start to detail with spines, a dewlap, and plates all made from the vinyl coated fiberglass and attach with a heat gun.



I added bumps to the hide here by spraying a dot of foam onto the vinyl and then coating over it.  I drew in some lines and such with a soldering tool..taken carefully over it so as not to burn thorough the material.

This was in August and I had to quite for haunt work. Fast forward to this year a few months ago :

I started painting using different spray paints, Krylon and such from Walmart..teeth and eyes were painted with craft paint and sealed with a clear spray.




Then he was finished and installed :



Also made a half eaten fish for him to show what his species mainly ate :



You can find more pics in my FB albums here : http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2922912428431.217230.1129456954&type=3

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Attaching the arms :

[stoneage]

   This could be your best one yet!

[Meso-Cenozoic]

Whoa! That profile looks fantastic!!

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Thanks guys ! I'm trying to get them done asap then move on to attaching the head.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Arms done , minus detailing :




" What are you looking at ? "


Attaching the head :

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Neck is fully attached, tomorrow the feet !

[Meso-Cenozoic]

Wow, this guy is awesome! I might have said this before, but you did an especially good job on his teeth.

And good catch finding that Luna Moth on old Styraco's horn! He probably thought he'd landed on a huge tree branch. He's in for a rude awakening when he finally figures out this ain't no tree! LOL!

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Wow, this guy is awesome! I might have said this before, but you did an especially good job on his teeth.

And good catch finding that Luna Moth on old Styraco's horn! He probably thought he'd landed on a huge tree branch. He's in for a rude awakening when he finally figures out this ain't no tree! LOL!

heh, I have a secret regarding the teeth, as you may have noticed before I had a skull to work from. I just copied the teeth ( more or less ) from the skull.

Oh yeah..he stayed there all day..guess it was a pretty safe place...maybe he thought so too ala tick birds and the like..lol  I hardly ever see those moths anymore..but I love when they fly..they look like little birds.