Welcome to the blog! If you're wondering what this project is all about, read on...
Who: I'm Sam, an artist with a lifelong interest in dinosaurs, and an equally long love of creating. I've collaborated with a few other artists to make parts like teeth or claws, but most of the work on this project is my own.
What: I'm building a costume, or perhaps better termed a body puppet, of Deinonychus antirrhopus, a relatively large "raptor" dinosaur. The costume is intended to be as realistic as I can make it, reflecting current scientific knowledge of Deinonychus and its closest relatives, using easily accessible methods and materials. It will be proportioned after the real animal, and no, you won't be able to see my legs sticking out from the dinosaur's belly.
Where:
- Am I building it? In my apartment, mostly, haha.
- Will I display/wear it? Doing appearances for museums and schools seems most likely, but I can think of a few other options that would be fun, such as becoming the world's latest cryptid.
How: The costume is constructed of materials familiar to any cosplayer, fursuit maker, or prop builder--EVA and upholstery foams, 3D-printed parts, wire, foam clay, acrylic paints, vinyl--and lots of faux fur and hot glue. It will ultimately be something of a contraption, but contraptions are generally pretty cool.
Why: I first wanted to build a raptor suit...mainly because it sounded fun. I was that kid pretending to be a dinosaur on the playground all the time. But as time has gone on and I've seen the successes and failures of other dinosaur costuming and puppetry, I've realized the educational opportunity my costume presents as well. To paraphrase a certain dinosaur theme park founder, I want to give people something they can touch. My hope is that the finished costume will essentially be an "animal ambassador" like you might see at a zoo, to show people a 'real' dinosaur and present an alternative to the monsterized versions seen in films and video games. With any luck, this dream will come true...
Progress so far:
- Head: |||||||||
- Arms: |||
- Body: ||
- Legs: ||
- Feet: |||||||||
- Tail: ||
If you want to ask questions about the project, feel free to! Talking about it gets me hyped to get this thing done :D
