Dantheman9758 on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/dantheman9758/art/Deinonychus-WIP-54234048Dantheman9758

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Deinonychus WIP

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Okay, I decided I need some major critiquing on the head before I go ahead and continue working on the body...

I also must add that I'm not even sure the skull that I'm working with, is a fully modern or accurate assembly of the skull... Almost ALL recent deinonychus reconstructions that I've seen have a face that is NOT shaped like the one I'm making and I'm wondering if I'm using some really out dated skull....

Okay here are a few things I need some help with...(feel free to comment on anything u wish though)

1. How much beak should there be? I've seen some renderings with a huge beak covering the whole front of the face. I chose to put the main "beak" right over top of the distinct grooves that run up the front and on the tip of the skull, and the rest of the face is a sort of tough, primitive beak-like skin. I see no grooves on the bottom jaw so I didn't continue the main beak there, was that a mistake?, everybody seems to put a beak both top and bottom. Also, if the tough beak-like skin is way to inaccurate or stupid of an idea than I will cover it up with something more accurate.

2. Lacrimal horns; how do you determine how large to make them and where to position them? and what are they made out of (bone/cartilage)? because I can't find any good sources on deinonychus larcrimal horns. I simply connected them to the "beak" but I don't know if I should have done that.

3. Feathery snout; how much should be feathered? I had a comment on my full body WIP that the snout needs much more feathers, i kinda think it looks cool without them but If I must put feathers on than I will (which would also remove the thick beak-like skin).

************MAJOR EDIT****************

Okay with my newest Edit, I gave the Deinonychus a "bird of prey" eagle eyeball, the previous eye was from a rhea. (Does it look better or worse?, and should it be bigger? I JUST noticed after uploading this pic, that a larger eye could fit within the skulls proportions)

All of the skull proportions are now attempting to match the proportions of the "latest" Greg S. Paul skull assembly, which Is FAR longer and more narrow than I'm used to seeing, this animal truly does look like a long faced bird!.

The teeth I tried to get to look more realistic, they still need refining.

I added a new layer of display feathers on the back of the head/neck, and they also need refining work to blend better with the head.

Also, at the bottom you can now see previous phases of my deinonychus reconstructions (phase 2 is what I had previously posted prior to this update). My first reconstruction shows how poorly I understood dinosaur anatomy (this is still my first dinosaur reconstruction, and If i can get this done with with good accuracy than it won't be my last). I've been reading up on bird anatomy to better understand how dinosaur claws eventually evolved into wings so that should help me when I go back to making the body of this animal.

Overall, I rushed these proportions and I lost a ton of texture quality because of it, but I wanted to show people what I'm working with now, so they didn't keep critiquing my old reconstruction.... So for now I will be working on these proportions, only I will being trying to do them without loss in texture quality.
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vanteal's avatar

I'm not an expert in any way, but wouldn't the pitting around the lip/snout area indicate some kind of sensory system? And as such, that there would be skin and lips of some kind surrounding the face and mouth instead of any beak? Either way, you can def see modern raptors in them. Gorgeous work my man.