In 1910 a German Aristocrat, Ernest Stromer headed to North Africa in search of Dinosaurs. He and his assistants discovered a large sample of fossils, many were new dinosaur species. One of these was the gargantuan Dinosaur – Spinosaurus! Crocodile like skull and what appeared to be a sail along its back. Unfortunately, these fossils were destroyed in 1944 during WWII. All that were left were Stromer’s descriptions & illustrations.
In early 2000 a US team headed out on a 7 week expedition, hoping to rediscover Stromer’s original sites. Dr. Josh Smith chief palaeontologist, Ken Lacovara chief geologist and their teams had to contend with sandstorms, threat of dehydration and risk venomous creatures – camel spiders, centipedes, death stalker scorpions and pit vipers. Nizar Ibrahim, Dr. Dave Martill, Samir Zouhri, Paul Sereno and their Italian Colleagues revealed a completely unique Dinosaur in a paper they published in “Science” late 2014. This Spinosaurus looked very different than Stromer imagined it. It was huge, but unlike the Spinosaurus pictured in “Jurassic Park” it would not have walked upright on long hind legs and probably not taken on predators like T-Rex. Spinosaurus had small strong legs and conical teeth vs. serrated knife like for bone crunching in the typical predator. Spinosaurus was most likely semi-aquatic. Apart from living birds, this is the only swimming dinosaur yet discovered! Earlier Spinosaurs – Baryonyx (United Kingdom), Irritator (Brazil) and Suchomimus (Niger) were fish eaters that hunted in riverine and coastal environments, but evidence suggests they did not spend most of their time in the water. Most Theropods have low density bones full of air pockets like birds. Spinosaurus has much denser bones resembling the bones of aquatic mammals like hippos or prehistoric early whales.
References for the above information: “Dinosaurs” by Steve Brusatte and “Weird Dinosaurs” by John Pickrell
We left Spike in a Rusty Brown Primer coating. Now it’s time to have fun with Color! Metallic Copper Rose will cover Spike’s Underside & Sail. Hammered Light Blue will take care of the Upper Body. The Metallic Copper Rose is paint and primer in one. This is the first time I have used this type of paint. I start with Spike on his side to reach inside the legs and the bottom part of his frame. The parts of the Sail I can reach is painted at this time, as well. After a couple hours to cure, Spike is back on his feet and the remaining areas to be covered with the Metallic Copper Rose are completed.
The Hammered paints are Great! I rarely need to mask off areas when using them. I hold an 11 inch by 14 inch piece of cardboard in the other hand to block potential overspray. Using the Hammered sprays for a while has given me the ability for blending them with other paints to make a more natural change of color edge. I really like the Light Blue with the Metallic Copper Rose! What do You think?
Next the Claws and Mouth were masked for Cobalt Blue Metallic. All but the top of the Sail was masked to add a band of Sunburst Yellow. Blue Tape and Recycled Plastic Bags helped to complete this task. The next morning time for the unveiling.
The next step, the Tongue was painted Metallic Apple Red. I like the Metallic Paints. They add a little sparkle which gives a wet look. For a Dinosaur that hung out around lakes and rivers, this is a nice touch.
An Orange band was added to the Sail by masking off another section. While the Real Orange Gloss was in between coats. The Teeth were painted Gloss White using Artist Brush and spraying the paint into the cans cap. It took a couple of coats to cover the Cobalt Blue Metallic. After the unveiling, I wasn’t completely trilled by the bands. I attempted to blend them by using the paint in a cap and artist brush. However, I still wasn’t happy with the bands. A little sand paper & paint returned the Sail to All Metallic Copper Rose. A first coat of Marigold Gloss was added to the Eyes. A final touch up of the Tongue and Teeth were accomplished while the Sail was curing.
I have one more accent concept for the Sail. It’s always good to experiment with colors. Some of my best ideas came after trying something that I ended up not liking. You never know when inspiration may present itself.
Stayed to See other Cool Color ideas for Spike’s Sail!
“Encouraging the Appreciation of Art and Education through the Inspiration of Dinosaurs”
Don’t Forget “Antarctic Dinosaurs” at
The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles
Special Exhibit opens April 3rd
Paul & Prehistoric Pals
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