Dinosaur Sculpting

This new book, greatly expanded from the 1995 first edition, describes detailed, step-by-step procedures for sculpting, molding and painting original prehistoric animals. It emphasizes the use of relatively inexpensive materials including oven-hardening polymer clay and wire. Additional tips are offered on how to build distinctive dino-dioramas and scenes involving one’s own original sculptures that you will learn how to conceive and build. This book will appeal to a new generation who would like to break into the industry of paleosculpture. Techniques range from “basic” to “advanced.” The authors also discuss what it means to be a “paleoartist.”

Allen A. Debus, a retired environmental chemist, has long been infatuated with dinosaurs, paleontology, science fiction, Godzilla and King Kong. He has written several books addressing prehistoric creatures—both real and fictional—in popular culture, and attends Chicagoland’s Wizard World and G-Fest. He is a member of the G-Fan Hall of Fame and lives in Hanover Park, Illinois.

Writer Diane E. Debus coauthors articles with her husband Allen A. Debus. She lives in Hanover Park, Illinois.

Allen A. Debus, Bob Morales and Diane E. Debus

Foreword by Mike Fredericks

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 292
Bibliographic Info: 205 photos, glossary, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2013
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7205-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0355-1
Imprint: McFarland

Foreword by Mike Fredericks  1
Introduction: The Circle of Life  3
1. Recipe for a Dinosaur  13
2. An Overview of Paleoimagery  24
3. Why Do It? Brainstorming Ideas and Exploring Themes in Paleosculpture  53
4. Constructing Trustworthy Armatures  58
5. Pre-baked Parts  64
6. Sculpting Bloodthirsty Theropods  69
7. Sculpting Super Sauropods  91
8. “Can-Do” Stegosaurs!  102
9. Sculpting “Sharp-Looking” Horned Dinosaurs  116
10. Sculpting Iguanodontian and Duckbill Dinosaurs  127
11. Sculpting Miscellaneous Mesozoic Creatures  137
12. Sailing On to Distinctive Projects: Finbacks and Winged Reptiles  155
13. Sculpting Prehistoric Birds and Feathered Dinosaurs “On the Fly”  172
14. Sculpting Prehistoric Mammals—“Just Do It!”  189
15. Putting It All Together, A to Z: Sculpting Liopleurodon  204
16. A Word on the World of Dino-Diorama Building (Model Bases and Painting)  220
17. Molding Prehistoric Animal Sculptures  238
18. A Painting Primer  249
19. What to Do If Your Model Cracks and Other Eventful Matters  255
Glossary  261
Chapter Notes  265
Bibliography  277
Index  279

“if you are interested in the history of dinosaurs in popular culture, Debus is an author you simply cannot ignore…Debus does a huge service to those who work in the history of science”—H-Net Reviews.