Zopteryx's Dioramas [Rejected Contest Pics]

[ZoPteryx]

Now that the contest is over, I figure it's a good time to start a thread for my dioramas

I was entery #27: "Feathered Dragon" and scored 4th place, not bad for a first try!

The centerpeice is a hand-made, life-size model of the tiny feathered dinosaur Epidexipteryx hui.  It is primarily composed of foam for the body, tail, and digits; wire for the joints; sculpey clay for the ankles, head, teeth, claws, and as limb reinforcement; glass eyes; and various feathers glued to fabric for skin.  I'll have a more detailed analysis up soon in the customized figures section.   I had many reasons for making this figure: 1) it's one of my favorite dinosaurs!  2) no model has ever been made of it  3) I've always wanted to own a "museum diorama style" model  4) a life-size figure would eliminate bothersome abnormally giant objects like leaves and bushes and  5) it's a fun project...most of the time.
My diorama appeared to suffer from one, eventually fatal, flaw; it had no story, at least the final product didn't.  My original idea was to have the animal eating a bug (a live cricket or mealworm) to really put in perspective how small this thing was.  However, as closing day drew nearer, and construction was still incomplete (tail feathers were added they day I took the photo!), I failed to aquire the prey.  Attempts with plastic bugs looked silly, so eventually I abandoned the idea.  Stability issues also hindered how I could pose the figure and I forgot to bring fishing line to compensate!

Originally, I was going to call the diorama "Jurassic Songbird", but "Feathered Dragon" sounded better and had a nice documentary reference!

I took lots of photos, but here's a generally round up:
#1: bad lighting, and too "posed looking" in my opnion

#2: same as above, and there's grass in the background!

#3: too much blurry water

#4: I liked this one, but you can't really see the body

#5: More in focus than the photo I submitted, but the tail feathers are cut off and the head's position is lame.


So, what do you think?

[Gwangi]

I really thought yours would at least take second place. What you created really does look like it should be in a museum somewhere. I think if there was anything wrong with the picture you chose it is the lack of a story as you said, the animal is a bit static just standing there. Still, it looks like a photograph of a living (or maybe dead and mounted) Epidexipteryx and that alone says something.

[Bokisaurus]

Great job on that model, did you make it?
I think you made the right choice, but I like some of the other pictures. I actually like the one by the water, it showed a lot of movement to it, adding a bit of realism to the picture.
Oh, BTW, I voted for your entry piece 

[amargasaurus cazaui]

I liked the concept, but the bright yellows to my eyes were a bit too....clean and unshaded. Had his snout been greens or a textured set of colors like the body feathers, to me this wins first prize. The bright vivid yellow for the claws and snout to me were just ...busy, and I felt it could have used some difference or variation in that, wether making the yellow more washed and darker in spots or perhaps even highlighted, anything to disrupt the almost curious george type face to it.

[ZoPteryx]

Thanks guys!

I really thought yours would at least take second place. What you created really does look like it should be in a museum somewhere. I think if there was anything wrong with the picture you chose it is the lack of a story as you said, the animal is a bit static just standing there. Still, it looks like a photograph of a living (or maybe dead and mounted) Epidexipteryx and that alone says something.

Thanks for the support Gwangi!   The taxadermy look was really what I was going for (what's more life-like than that?!), but in the end, the lack of a story did me in.

Great job on that model, did you make it?
I think you made the right choice, but I like some of the other pictures. I actually like the one by the water, it showed a lot of movement to it, adding a bit of realism to the picture.
Oh, BTW, I voted for your entry piece 

Yup, all hand made.   I liked the water pic too, but I didn't like that bright green stem in the shot or the plastic bottle in upper left corner!   Thanks for the vote!

I liked the concept, but the bright yellows to my eyes were a bit too....clean and unshaded. Had his snout been greens or a textured set of colors like the body feathers, to me this wins first prize. The bright vivid yellow for the claws and snout to me were just ...busy, and I felt it could have used some difference or variation in that, wether making the yellow more washed and darker in spots or perhaps even highlighted, anything to disrupt the almost curious george type face to it.

Yeah, I noticed that too once I put the pics on the computer, but at that point it was too late to change anything.   I sware, the yellow doesn't look that bright in life, maybe the camera flash messed it up.  The snout does have some texture, but you really can't tell in the photos.  I'm thinking of repainting the exposed parts gray, what do you think?


Here's a quick composite sketch of what I had originally invisioned for this diorama.

[Gryphoceratops]

Its really impressive that you made that!