Dinosaur toy forum diorama contest 2015 - poll

[Simon]

Oooh, I came in 7th place! Mine was 'Triumph of the Skies', it was my first time so its a privelage to have gotten 53 votes, I'm already excited for entering again next time...

I suppose that last shot looked more natural than the final one, but I tried to give it a sunset atmosphere for dramatic effect, and I added some petals from the flowers in the bush, to give the impression they had flown off the microraptor when it burst out, and the 'birds' in the background. I'm not really happy with the integration of these, but I only know the photoshop basics, and I thought they might add to the narrative.


I think I'd like to do a really in depth hand made diorama next year, I like using natural environments but theres something magical about a hand-crafted one 'becoming' real in the photography.

Silvanusaurus, your submission was my choice for #1.  I thought it was a perfect blend of lighting, motion, real background to give the models a more lifelike perspective.

Frankly, I am mystified as to why you only came in 7th, but its one heck of an entry and you should be proud!

[Silvanusaurus]

Silvanusaurus, your submission was my choice for #1.  I thought it was a perfect blend of lighting, motion, real background to give the models a more lifelike perspective.

Frankly, I am mystified as to why you only came in 7th, but its one heck of an entry and you should be proud!

Thank you so much for such praise!

[Kayakasaurus]

Silvanusaurus, your submission was my choice for #1.  I thought it was a perfect blend of lighting, motion, real background to give the models a more lifelike perspective.

Frankly, I am mystified as to why you only came in 7th, but its one heck of an entry and you should be proud!

Thank you so much for such praise!

I have to say the same thing, I really thought your entry would be one of the winners or honorable mentions, and it was super close. Great job! I love the blossoms bursting out, and the pink hue was a great choice.

[Kayakasaurus]

My entry was #27 Ceratopsian Scattering. The Zuniceratops are hand sculpted and will eventually be part of my line, as well as the hollow log. I only had one Zuniceratops but I took three pictures and overlayed them. The Diorama takes place inside this potted plant , is that considered a real Diorama?? IDK. I placed 19th, I guess that's not bad for my first year here. Thank you to the wonderful 26 people who voted for me!

[Sim]

I really liked your entry, Kayakasaurus!  It's interesting!  I voted for it.  I thought the ceratopsian might have been handmade and that it might have been Zuniceratops.  I was going to ask about these things, but now I don't need to!

Two other entries I really liked and voted for also had models I was wondering about:

25. Ferns for breakfast again - the stegosaurs
29. Hard to swallow buffet - the theropod in the foreground

Are they handmade models too?  And what species are they?

[stargatedalek]

25 was custom models, 29 I don't know.

[Simon]

Here's the color version of my entry, using the 1/30 McVey TRex, and a custom made Triceratops kitbash using the Resaurus Trike head and the cheap big hollow Safari Trike body.  I faded it to black and white because I thought the colors were a bit too garish.  (Looking back I think that might have been a mistake, but this simple juxtaposition wasn't gonna win anything anyway). Its an old photo that I never posted online as the TRex is a little out of focus.  Now I can say I participated! 

[Ikessauro]

Oooh, I came in 7th place! Mine was 'Triumph of the Skies', it was my first time so its a privelage to have gotten 53 votes, I'm already excited for entering again next time...

I suppose that last shot looked more natural than the final one, but I tried to give it a sunset atmosphere for dramatic effect, and I added some petals from the flowers in the bush, to give the impression they had flown off the microraptor when it burst out, and the 'birds' in the background. I'm not really happy with the integration of these, but I only know the photoshop basics, and I thought they might add to the narrative.


I think I'd like to do a really in depth hand made diorama next year, I like using natural environments but theres something magical about a hand-crafted one 'becoming' real in the photography.

Silvanusaurus, your submission was my choice for #1.  I thought it was a perfect blend of lighting, motion, real background to give the models a more lifelike perspective.

Frankly, I am mystified as to why you only came in 7th, but its one heck of an entry and you should be proud!

Did Microraptor and T.rex live at the same place and time? That may answer your question I think.

[Ikessauro]

29. Hard to swallow buffet

This was mine! I almost gave up entering this year, have been busy, but decided to give it a try and did this set up just a few days before the deadline.
Thanks to everyone who voted for my diorama!

[Silvanusaurus]

Did Microraptor and T.rex live at the same place and time? That may answer your question I think.

I have to take issue with the validity of the point you seem to be making. If you are going to apply scientific reasoning to the image, then scale alone would render it impossible for the winged dinosaur to be a Microraptor (and as it is a toy, it is at best a questionable representation of any real animal). Therefore one would have to assume that it is a different, possibly undiscovered and entirely speculative species of large winged raptor which, given the overwhelming lack of definite knowledge about the full extent of the fauna of that time, would not be difficult to imagine as a potential contemporary of Tyrannosaurus Rex. I had no intention when making the image that the winged raptor be a Microraptor specifically, because that wouldnt make any sense, nor is there anything inherent within the image that suggests that it is a Microraptor, in fact as I've explained, it's quite the opposite.  All of these images are purely imaginative and I'm sure are all scientifically moot by their very nature. 

[Nebuloid]

Congratulations to the winners ! Only number 2 had my vote, was expecting it to win.
This was my entry, "one for the road" :



And the original photo/setup, some perspective trickery, minimal photoshopping required as you can see :



Hoped (thought) it would do better, oh well...

[Bokisaurus]

Congratulations to the 3 winners!
My own was # 47 Blue Lagoon

A BIG THANK YOU for all who voted for my diorama, all 60 of you! I'm happy to have made it to 4th place this year. It was really a race
For my piece, I have always wanted to do an underwater scene without having to use photoshop, for a long time now. Finally got the figures and a camera that can take underwater photos.
I wanted a photo that showed movement and also really liked how the light ripples turned out.
I have to say that many, many attempts were made just trying to place the figures without them having swept away by the current. I had to chase both figures  used many time when they were swept downstream
I also had many takes since I had to shot the photos blind since I can't see how it was framed underwater
For those interested, I posted photos of my other diorama runner ups on my thread.

Cheers!
Loki

[Gwangi]

For those who haven't seen it, my thread discussing my contest entry.
http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=23.80

[A.Garcia]

Well done to the winners, and thanks to all the contributors for the great time! My entry is #60 Gardeners of the River. Thank you to everyone who voted for it- I'm really happy so many people enjoyed it. I tried to make a naturalistic scene from the perspective of how you might encounter these sauropods. I had only one Nigersaurus, so I took a second photo with the figure moved to the background, then added it to its place in the final image. I like the colors of this model so I was pleased that the environmental colors matched, even if the "ferns" are a bit dry (the dinosaurs didn't seem to mind). My original idea actually used the Carnegie Amargasaurus with the Battat version repainted- I'll share those images sometime, too.

Here's some things I liked about the pictures I voted for:

4. Jurassic titans - This is a surprisingly convincing illusion, as if the photo was taken in a hurry as the animals started crossing the river. I think the lighting/glare by their heads adds to this realism.

8. Uninvited guests - This has strong atmosphere, composition, and lighting that makes the concept effective. I also like the ambiguous title.

13. Sushi - Along with nice, simple scenery, there is something subtle about the shark that makes it really look like a massive dead fish being dragged along by an even bigger biped.

22. Forgotten forest - I instantly liked this one. The green pattern on the Parasaurolophus blends well with the color tone of the foliage (as do the camouflaged dinos). It looks like the dinosaur is pausing mid-stride to listen.

24. The triumph of the skies - The frozen action works well and makes this one stand out. I love the flowering tree- it ties the picture together through the added petals and color tone. The background birds are nice touches that show another reaction in the environment.

25. Ferns for breakfast again - The whole picture is exquisite, with meticulous attention to the plants and good color/atmosphere. Since I had homemade Tuojiangosaurus in my 2013 picture I love seeing someone else's interpretation of these animals going about their routine.

27. Ceratopsian scattering! - I like this alternate interpretation of "ceratopsian vs tyrannosaur." The custom dinos have a sense of motion and the hollow log fits well with the real trunks.

42. The wild and the innocents - This shows an immersive environment and sense of motion. The angle of the trees helps emphasize the forward inertia. The figure colors are perfect for the environment. I like the prey sculptures- they seem to be getting away on this occasion. (I'm proud to be tied with you, too. )

61. Chinese chain reaction - This does a great job of fitting action/narrative, along with lots of dinosaurs and plants, into the limited space. The use of foliage and mist helps build up visual layers in a way that's fun to look at.

Voting was tricky and there were others I really liked, including the Expedition Archive Photo and Family of the Forest. (Also Cretaceous Clifftop Call and Take Me With You.) Catch, When Hunger Strikes..., and Through Stormy Skies used interesting perspectives. Please, Ms. Olorotitan... has nice color and an entertaining approach. I guess they were all fun to see!

[Sim]

This was mine! I almost gave up entering this year, have been busy, but decided to give it a try and did this set up just a few days before the deadline.
Thanks to everyone who voted for my diorama!

Hi Ikessauro, have you seen my earlier post (Reply #264)?  I really enjoy looking at your entry.  It feels like looking at different animals going about their lives.  The environment in the scene is nice too.  I'm still curious about the theropod in the foreground.

25 was custom models, 29 I don't know.

Thanks stargatedalek!  I've seen the posts in the results thread now, but I'm still curious about what species the stegosaurs are!

[Ikessauro]

Hi Ikessauro, have you seen my earlier post (Reply #264)?  I really enjoy looking at your entry.  It feels like looking at different animals going about their lives.  The environment in the scene is nice too.  I'm still curious about the theropod in the foreground.

Hi Sim, I had not seen your post. My bad. Thank you for your vote. The theropod is a Velociraptor, sculpted by Ademar Pereira do Nascimento and cast in resin. One of his old models, released around 2008 or so.

[Arul]

Wahh so many non-toys/hand-sculpted model this year, well done everyone but wait, what is number 16 model made from ? Looks like a...what is it, doll/plush ?

[irimali]

I really liked your entry, Kayakasaurus!  It's interesting!  I voted for it.  I thought the ceratopsian might have been handmade and that it might have been Zuniceratops.  I was going to ask about these things, but now I don't need to!

Two other entries I really liked and voted for also had models I was wondering about:

25. Ferns for breakfast again - the stegosaurs
29. Hard to swallow buffet - the theropod in the foreground

Are they handmade models too?  And what species are they?

The stegosaurs in #25 were Tuojiangosaurus.  I made them out of cardboard, paper mache, beeswax and gesso with poppy seeds and amaranth for scales.  I'm gonna do a making of post this weekend, I'll show some close-up shots of them.

[postsaurischian]

The stegosaurs in #25 were Tuojiangosaurus.  I made them out of cardboard, paper mache, beeswax and gesso with poppy seeds and amaranth for scales.  I'm gonna do a making of post this weekend, I'll show some close-up shots of them.

Can't wait to see these !

[Sim]

Hi Sim, I had not seen your post. My bad. Thank you for your vote. The theropod is a Velociraptor, sculpted by Ademar Pereira do Nascimento and cast in resin. One of his old models, released around 2008 or so.

Thanks!

The stegosaurs in #25 were Tuojiangosaurus.  I made them out of cardboard, paper mache, beeswax and gesso with poppy seeds and amaranth for scales.  I'm gonna do a making of post this weekend, I'll show some close-up shots of them.

Thanks irimali!  Your entry is amazing!  I really like how you've done and arranged the plants, it must've been very time-consuming but it looks great!  The atmosphere and light in the scene is very nice.  I look forward to seeing more about your entry!