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Hatching Triceratops

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I painted a hatching Triceratops for the article on baby dinosaurs in the new issue of Ranger Rick magazine.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01rzyFexAk663hLWVx_I0r3EIElR34x9qpr2QrfUPJ11c3xwuOeis1JsD4lkU2pszT9HkJjQmwL9fO_PCfXvePDe5iIHiR3FQNsevJzHxAS7ahnNfi3a4eii1mkw47DavoHLPkZItB_J_/s1600/Triceratops_Hatchling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01rzyFexAk663hLWVx_I0r3EIElR34x9qpr2QrfUPJ11c3xwuOeis1JsD4lkU2pszT9HkJjQmwL9fO_PCfXvePDe5iIHiR3FQNsevJzHxAS7ahnNfi3a4eii1mkw47DavoHLPkZItB_J_/s1600/Triceratops_Hatchling.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I suppose I could have painted the scene in sweet pastel colors and bright morning light, but I imagined it more as an urgent moment of crisis, where life hangs in the balance. So I set the scene at night, as if dazzled by the intrusion of a photographer's flash.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS39s6SpAMfS75J9ezDxSp2b-eiY3Q7A19h1n9gRlnjvePJq-38Yir7zQ7lVGf5_WOV1e6sBLnDc77Y1jOWvdF_MYvWz8l0mFYHLtEhpcJqmROVg-T7CCIKUfnGryBJH_OuWHxTbbUZTm0/s1600/Triceratops_Hatching.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS39s6SpAMfS75J9ezDxSp2b-eiY3Q7A19h1n9gRlnjvePJq-38Yir7zQ7lVGf5_WOV1e6sBLnDc77Y1jOWvdF_MYvWz8l0mFYHLtEhpcJqmROVg-T7CCIKUfnGryBJH_OuWHxTbbUZTm0/s1600/Triceratops_Hatching.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I limited the colors to yellow ochre and a dull slate blue, leaving out greens, reds, and pinks. The whole composition includes a wider shot of the nest, with shell fragments, and mud caked on the eggs. I painted everything in shallow focus to evoke the impression of wildlife photography.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfjbnFTTsDxFyrFSGhuQ4dpZgHydut6Eqxouw2DCL6TyB-RMRB4gKWrjWpuhhXibnnNUA56QOWn97G5rR-zKym9IiXpjw2eczTO7KDzTQdTVPtNfqeRQgp85TdPr1X95pWVa9iCOgmUWm/s1600/baby-turtle-egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfjbnFTTsDxFyrFSGhuQ4dpZgHydut6Eqxouw2DCL6TyB-RMRB4gKWrjWpuhhXibnnNUA56QOWn97G5rR-zKym9IiXpjw2eczTO7KDzTQdTVPtNfqeRQgp85TdPr1X95pWVa9iCOgmUWm/s1600/baby-turtle-egg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This photo of a hatching turtle provided the stimulus for the pose. I liked the way it reached one foot to the ground, and seemed to be gasping for air. But a photo like this is just a starting point.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtXHDwgZByT8yDqizBTqmLolcC6K93oLBjwNMjRTXdroT8BSAK94EXHIppr4BFFiEjh4YdqWDcWGZXJzEY3hg4Sy-vx_Hj1c_LHisKMi_k6pzbJaBvZgMHmuD78L2jFfGNY4UT0KlMn5A/s1600/dino_babyskulls3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtXHDwgZByT8yDqizBTqmLolcC6K93oLBjwNMjRTXdroT8BSAK94EXHIppr4BFFiEjh4YdqWDcWGZXJzEY3hg4Sy-vx_Hj1c_LHisKMi_k6pzbJaBvZgMHmuD78L2jFfGNY4UT0KlMn5A/s1600/dino_babyskulls3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The shapes of very young <i>Triceratops</i> skulls are known from fossils.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I needed to know the exact light and shadow design of the whole scenario, so I sculpted a small maquette from Sculpey. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZI-N1smB_QJ3KW4yIzfdRQbr0dWwNxA4z4auyxp8HhHWCFLRdNPH36HjX1_ZLSv8vTRwMOar3PlWvvevNTclKzDq3oTT3fSNeKa08zsdCTW721ItkGvtvCDas2O-b1cKIGM1x91jBKJj/s1600/Triceratops+hatchling.maquette.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZI-N1smB_QJ3KW4yIzfdRQbr0dWwNxA4z4auyxp8HhHWCFLRdNPH36HjX1_ZLSv8vTRwMOar3PlWvvevNTclKzDq3oTT3fSNeKa08zsdCTW721ItkGvtvCDas2O-b1cKIGM1x91jBKJj/s1600/Triceratops+hatchling.maquette.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The egg is a thin layer of Sculpey applied over a styrofoam egg. I didn't know what would happen to the styrofoam egg when I put it in the oven. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was awesome! It sort of shriveled up to nothing, leaving the Sculpey shell. I spray painted the maquette a flat gray and took it outside in sunlight to figure out the best lighting. </div><br />

Hatching Triceratops

I painted a hatching Triceratops for the article on baby dinosaurs in the new issue of Ranger Rick magazine. I suppose I could have painted ...

06:06

Where to find eyes for maquettes

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's important to put some care into the eyes on your maquette because that's what people look at and that's what makes them look real. Where do you get the eyes for maquettes?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMHiQuaU61XlBCul4FoZZmsOadgUx31u4lu1iEKbYjfiQBp0P_N0ZMU5kEbMrERKaLWQgo-aOHASJVJBQ87-2J0ezIF0K70G7ATJpXugvOMZ-BT6gtyH0DLWVxvYPW8lDrRRX1sVoLvtD/s1600/Maquette+Eyes.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMHiQuaU61XlBCul4FoZZmsOadgUx31u4lu1iEKbYjfiQBp0P_N0ZMU5kEbMrERKaLWQgo-aOHASJVJBQ87-2J0ezIF0K70G7ATJpXugvOMZ-BT6gtyH0DLWVxvYPW8lDrRRX1sVoLvtD/s400/Maquette+Eyes.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There's a range of available options, depending on the quality you want:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">1. <b>Making eyes out of Sculpey or Fimo </b>(oven hardening modeling material)<b>. </b>The simplest solution is to model spheres of Sculpey and fire them in advance. That way they're hard, and they won't get distorted when you work them into the sculpt. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026C1T8C/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0026C1T8C&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20">Sculpey is available on Amazon.</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0026C1T8C" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Tip: you can also model and fire the teeth first, so they don't get all soft and distorted when you're building the mouth.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">2. <b>Plastic stuffed animal eyes</b> (back row, left). These are available at craft stores, and they come in a range of sizes. I haven't had a problem yet with the plastic melting, though it's a risk, as the curing temperature of the Sculpey at 275 degrees Fahrenheit begins to approach the melting point of the plastic. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NHLOIU/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002NHLOIU&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20">Animal Eyes 30mm on Amazon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002NHLOIU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">2. <b>Doll eyes. (</b>back row, center) For humans, the plastic doll eyes are flat-backed, and come in brown and blue and are very inexpensive at craft stores. It's a good idea to test these in the oven at curing temperatures to make sure they would survive. There are sources for higher quality glass doll eyes available from the online doll supply market. Good sources include: <a href="http://www.crscraft.com/products/vProduct2.asp?pid=Dolleye&L1=1&L2=7&L3=0&L4=0&L5=0&V2=1&V3=5&V4=0&T2=&T3=Style&T4=&cat=doll+supplies&sub=eyes&class=&searchOffset=x">CR Crafts</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3. <b>Solid black plastic eyes. </b>(back row, right) These are solid black, but surprising realistic for a lot of creatures. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XJCLLU/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004XJCLLU&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20">12mm solid eyes on Amazon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004XJCLLU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">4. <b>Glass taxidermy eyes. </b>(all the ones in the foreground). Glass eyes used by taxidermists are extremely realistic. You can get the ones intended for birds, reptiles, rodents, or large mammals, so you can imagine the range of sizes and colors. A good source is <a href="http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/Eyes-C2.aspx">Van Dycke Taxidermy Supply.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Please let me know what sources you've discovered.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There are lots of other practical behind-the-scenes insights about maquettes in my new instructional art documentary (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-E2bGzsDS8&feature=youtu.be">watch the trailer on YouTube</a>) about the making of the Australian dinosaur stamps. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The video download is available at at: <a href="https://gumroad.com/l/ausdinos">Gumroad (for credit card payments).</a> or: <a href="https://sellfy.com/p/FZwl">Sellfy (for Paypal payments).</a></div>

Where to find eyes for maquettes

It's important to put some care into the eyes on your maquette because that's what people look at and that's what makes them loo...