Dino Maquette in Progress
LD Austin -- Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 9:43 AM Here's what I've been working on lately -- WIP version of my newest maquette. His name is Bucephalus, after the horse of Alexander the great.. whose name means ox head (or bull head, or something like that). He's going to have a rider, whose head you can see in the corner there. It's my first attempt at using doll's hair on one of these things, and it's gone so well I may just have to do it again! Pretty simple to do and works a treat. As you can see, I've also made a number of packs and stuff to put on his back -- I'm going to paint him first, paint the packs and attach it all together later. Ehh.. I'll work that stuff out as I go. I've also got some plans for reins, but we'll have to see how that goes as well.
link to higher res version here
It's not much of a guess to find out that I've always really loved Dinotopia (James Gurney has a truly excellent blog that he updates pretty much daily, for those who are interested). Though I don't think the people in Dinotopia would be so crass as to put a bridle on a Styracosaurus, it's not source material so much as inspiration!
Reader Comments (10)
That's awesome! I like the attitude of both the dinosaur and it's rider. Wouldn't mind seeing more WIPs of this project :]
My only little piece of crit would be that the neck of the Styracosaurus is a bit thin, and attaches a little odd to the head maybe. Then again, adds to the whole attitude and pose so I guess som artistic license there is ok :P
great work as always, i just noticed the character has some of the same style the brink characters you did have :)
and also agree with guido that his torso/ribs seem a bit on the thin side.
keep the updates coming :)
Very nice! I'm guessing you are using traditional clay for the dinosaur and Super Sculpey for the rider?
Please keep us updated.
Guido: Cheers! There are some earlier WIPs here if you'd like to see.
Agreed that he's not terribly anatomically accurate where these types of dinos are concerned -- I did go thinner on the neck than they would've been IRL, though the aim was to get some stylistic exaggeration, some decent negative-space around his frill and a bit of the sense of a jauntiness in his step, holding his head higher up than would be his resting pose. Using a bit of the posture of caribou, like this one. Dunno if that's coming through at all, but it was what I had in mind :)
Davi: You're right in these photos his torso is looking a bit thin (especially in the bottom-most one). I'm not sure it bothers me though, cause these types of dinos are often portrayed as mega bulky, and they weren't always actually like that. I'm not terribly concerned with anatomical accuracy with this guy, though tbh I think his general bulk is working ok. Especially as he'll be kitted out with all sorts of packs later on, it might turn out for the better. I guess we'll see then... I could be wrong, though he's already baked, so in for a penny, in for a pound!
And yeah, can't get the brink characters out of my hands, though I'm not too sure I want to. It's not a bad look!
Alicia: They're both super sculpey, actually. Dinosaur's already baked and has a basecoat of brown paint on him. Otherwise he'd be grey from the super sculpey firm.
This is gorgeous!
Amazing sculpt!
That is just so perfect in every way, and I am so excited that you have discovered doll's hair, or whatever, cuz it looks friggin amazing. Waow... Just fucking brilliant.
... And I love its snout. And I love that you put the nostril in the same place that I put my styracosaur nostril in that painting I made for me dear ol' dad. Not sure about our styracosaurus nostril placement accuracy, but seeing you put it there makes it right in my mind. Looks so good. <3
I'm not sure what more can be said that hasn't already been stated- love it, love it, looooove it! The amount of detail is just wonderful, and I love the face of the rider- he looks like a snarky sort of fellow who will make you laugh with clever quips and dirty jokes while frying up a good Pterodactyl egg like his momma used to make by the glow of the fire on a full-moon-night. =^)
Thanks for sharing your work!
And yeah, can't get the brink characters out of my hands, though I'm not too sure I want to. It's not a bad look!