saurian spottings

[Bokisaurus]

I have been quietly trying to learn to paint some of my old models and figures done throughout my life, in a better, more appealing fashion. Working with acrylics and learning by trial and error, and often taking a finished figure and throwing it back on the stack to redo, I have slowly been making some progress, to making them better. Most of them are models and toys I have owned since the sixties or seventies, painted with enamels and an eight year olds eye for detail so the going is often slow.

The trike I think needs a slight redo with more realism to his horns and redoing the raised bumps on his back, then making the stripes a little less smeary looking. Still I somewhat liked the results better than before.
He is somewhat intended to be a "Bokisaurus" type scheme, however.The bokisaurus has been taken back to the drawing board for more work.



The Para I actually am very fond of. I chose to leave this one and call it finished , and shelf it. I have the infant, that I am redoing now as well, and I hope to paint similar but less obvious striping than the adult.



Nothing beats trial and error as far as learning Good start on repaints.
Are you dry brushing after you paint the details (stripes, spots, eyes,etc.)? I would suggest that you dry brush first then do the detailing last.
You may also dilute your paint more when you do the stripes etc., it applies better than thick paint. You will have a nicer, cleaner lines
Keep up the good work!

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Nothing beats trial and error as far as learning Good start on repaints.
Are you dry brushing after you paint the details (stripes, spots, eyes,etc.)? I would suggest that you dry brush first then do the detailing last.
You may also dilute your paint more when you do the stripes etc., it applies better than thick paint. You will have a nicer, cleaner lines
Keep up the good work!

I am totally sorry, I missed this post till just now. I am understanding then you advise painting the base color, and then drybrushing the dinosaur. Then add underside color, patterning, eyes, etc? So then would you do your wash as the final step? Or would you base coat the dinosaur, wash it, dry brush, then detail as the final step?

[amargasaurus cazaui]

[Gwangi]

Great stuff Amarga, love all the repaints and added bases.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Great stuff Amarga, love all the repaints and added bases.

Very kind Gwangi...the bases take up just all kinds of space quickly, so I am going to have to slow down soon or get more shelfing. There just never seems quite enough space to display it all and yet organize as well.

[tyrantqueen]

Cool stuff, there's some great models here. I like how it's unique to your individual tastes as a collector.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Cool stuff, there's some great models here. I like how it's unique to your individual tastes as a collector.

There are alot of the old vintage models from the sixties and early seventies mixes into the scenes. At one point they were all broken up and languishing in boxes in the basement. I have been slowly filtering them upstairs, locating the pieces and getting them off to Martin for rebuilding, repaint and general refurbishing. I am very fond of the repair and redo on the older pieces like the Godzilla monster, the old Protoceratops,and even the Tamiya kits from the 90's. 
I need to point out Copper's work on the Cryolophosaurus in the grouping as well, it is a repaint he gave me as a gift and quite special to me .
The herrerasaurus is perhaps one of my favorite pieces Martin has done, as well as one of his more enjoyed projects for me.
The two small spheres mixed in with the second grouping of dinosaurs were made by my grandfather, before he passed away.I made the grouping in the final shot myself
  The final picture contains a riker mount of ribs. These are hand restored ribs from the Psittacosaurus, as his mount utilizes resin counter parts. The restored pieces would be far too fragile to mount.

[tyrantqueen]

Cool stuff, there's some great models here. I like how it's unique to your individual tastes as a collector.

There are alot of the old vintage models from the sixties and early seventies mixes into the scenes. At one point they were all broken up and languishing in boxes in the basement. I have been slowly filtering them upstairs, locating the pieces and getting them off to Martin for rebuilding, repaint and general refurbishing. I am very fond of the repair and redo on the older pieces like the Godzilla monster, the old Protoceratops,and even the Tamiya kits from the 90's. 
I need to point out Copper's work on the Cryolophosaurus in the grouping as well, it is a repaint he gave me as a gift and quite special to me .
The herrerasaurus is perhaps one of my favorite pieces Martin has done, as well as one of his more enjoyed projects for me.
The two small spheres mixed in with the second grouping of dinosaurs were made by my grandfather, before he passed away.I made the grouping in the final shot myself
  The final picture contains a riker mount of ribs. These are hand restored ribs from the Psittacosaurus, as his mount utilizes resin counter parts. The restored pieces would be far too fragile to mount.

That's nice that you kept something from your grandfather. None of my family members are interested in prehistoric life at all So you were pretty lucky in that respect. Were you close? Both my grandfathers died before I was born, so I always feel a bit envious of people who have relationships with theirs.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

That's nice that you kept something from your grandfather. None of my family members are interested in prehistoric life at all So you were pretty lucky in that respect. Were you close? Both my grandfathers died before I was born, so I always feel a bit envious of people who have relationships with theirs.

In most respects you hit this right on target. The art of making spheres was his hobby and love.....when I was eight he showed me a sphere of dinosaur bone. I wanted it more than anything ever in this world. As it was an expensive and quite rare piece he kept it...and always promised to make me one. When I carried his coffin in 2004 someday had never come. The sphere went to my father . I made it my mission to learn his hobby and more specifically how to make my own spheres.....and now you understand why my signature in the forum is an entire row of hand crafted dinosaur bone spheres. I always identified more with that grandfather than anyone else in my family...time has not changed it that much. His love was rocks and minerals, and the arts surrounding those. Mine lends itself to dinosaurs...we are not that far removed from one another.

[Libraraptor]

Those bases definitely make the figures look better.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

The new "pachy".... all it needed was a little paint and some Martin style love.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Had been looking for a larger and sturdy shelving unit for my displays. Most of the availible shelving that is cash friendly is just not built to handle the weight of fossils, mineral spheres and so forth. Then one day on the way home from work I found a large shelf abandoned along the side of the street for whoever would take it. Brought it home and had been relocating and organzing similar to Gwangi and his recent reset. This is an area that I call Martinville for obvious reasons. As you continue down the shelf, you will notice the dinosaur bone spheres that are part of my signature line. Further down you will notice the four eggs and their accompanying display models. the lower cubby I pictured are the only spheres I have remaining of my grandfathers, along with a small portion of my dino-brary

[ITdactyl]

Very nice...

What's the sauropod on the lower right of the first pic (and who made it)?

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Very nice...

What's the sauropod on the lower right of the first pic (and who made it)?

Sauropod lower right? I am not seeing one....can you provide more information?

[amargasaurus cazaui]

There is a sauropod in the lower left, that is almost between the eggs...that is the Carnegie Saltosaurus, based and repainted by Martin Garratt. Is that what you are referring to?

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Aha, I noticed that you mean the small Brachiosaurus at the very edge of the front of the picture.That model is a Dinotales figure redone by Martin, and given a base. Hardly recognizable in his new colors, and with a base, but there ya go !!

[Libraraptor]

Great "shelfies" - love your improvements on the figures, keep up the great work!

[ITdactyl]

That model is a Dinotales figure redone by Martin, and given a base. Hardly recognizable in his new colors, and with a base, but there ya go !!

Woah, you're right.  I have 2 variants of that brach and I still didn't recognize it.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

A few also rans from my diorama efforts......I really liked them both but ultimately chose another image.

[sauroid]

they look great, amargasaurus cazaui!