I'm not a paleontologist...but I'm a professional sculptor and I can say that you have done a great job. Also that the problems you have had are an absolutely normal part of the profession. Each project is totally different. Congratulations and cordial greetings from Spain.
Thanks for lending some of your expertise! It's been really awesome to hear from all types of professions sharing some of their tips and tricks. Much appreciated!
This is unironically one of the best foam prop tutorials on the platform. Great job! Also this process can definitely be used to make a whole skeleton... ideas
Thanks! Seems like the full skeleton is definitely something people want to see. I'll have to make some efficiency gains but I'm piecing it together in the back of my mind so to speak. No promises :P
A few tips which I hope are helpful: You can use Gorilla glue to stick the foam together. I have used that for making wargames terrain with foam (at least the stuff you stick in the caulk gun), it has a super strong bond. You can also water down the wall filler, or at least I know you can do this with a product like Polyfilla. You could also try using a product like Sculptamold, which is plaster powder mixed with paper fibers. 14:06 You could try mixing paint with matte Modpodge and brushing it on, again another terrain making trick. That provides a hard surface which protects the foam underneath if you want to spray it afterwards! Also this is awesome and would love to try making one myself!
These are very helpful tips. It seems this project has a lot of overlap with some tabletop and cosplay techniques that I never knew about and the tabletop community has run into a lot of these issues before. Thanks for taking the time to share some knowledge, it's always appreciated!
The gorilla glue thing works really well but it can displace whatever you’re sticking together as it expands when it cures so you may need to weigh or clamp your piece down.
@@TrionAlpha I think it depends what type you use. I used the stuff in the cartridge that goes in a caulk gun and didn't get any expansion from what I remember. Grabs extremely well too.
Plain old PVA glue for wood work will give an excellent bond on polystyrene or construction-grade foam - I like Weldbond, and have used it on many an art project. Dressmaker pins work well for temporarily "tacking" the pieces in place while the glue sets up.
That's pretty impressive even compared to museum quality replicas. It would be cool to see a lower jaw or a fully articulated skeleton! Great video though! I look forward to seeing what comes next
I absolutely love this video. It’s so inspiring to see a total amateur doing something like this and actually showing how painful and complicated things can get but still just keep doing and learning and eventually achieving something amazing 😍
I really should thank the TH-cam algorithm for bestowing upon me this great channel haha 😆 I saw the cat counter video you made and enjoyed it so much I clicked on your channel to see more, and I was honestly so surprised when there was only three videos! I was convinced that you would have a channel full of great videos like that one. I really like the easy going feel of your videos, the subtle humor and the fact that you really show the trial and error process that goes into making this stuff. I really hope to see more of your videos in the future!
This popped into my feed randomly, and I'm subscribing! I love your voice // voiceovers and the way you take all the downsides in stride, a true "trust the process"
Your video was so good I created an account on TH-cam to let you know. I found it very wholesome to watch someone work on something they are passionate it about. Looking forward to more videos!
I really LOVE the use of an existing 3D file without a printer and the fact that it works for larger 3D objects is actually a bonus. Great project with a hack that I will use on puppet builds for sure. Thanks!
In some cases it's actually the solvent mediums in aerosol spray products that is melting the foam, so you can try spraying from much farther away which gives the solvents time to evaporate before landing. I've done it with spray paint before and it worked pretty well.
My favorite "glue" is Great Stuff expanding foam. Pin your pieces together so the foam doesnt expand and push your parts apart, but you can also re-fill holes and gaps with the great stuff, and razor off any flashing.
10:00 get you some gloves. Then hold the teeth by the sockets, and paint them individually. An airbrush is not a rattlecan. But after 66m years in the ground, you can brush-paint the teeth.
Love this - mostly because this clearly makes you happy and you managed to put in the hours to complete it. We should all prioritise this sort of productivity. Looks so good as well.
It’s been such a long time since the last time I just sat down and watched a video, start to finish focused on only doing that. I take that as an indicator that I really like watching you do whatever you do. So please keep doing stuff!
I don't know how I found your channel, but I'm so very glad I did! 😊 I've just watched each of your videos and I loved them all. Great projects, great videos.... And I love your honesty and humor. Keep posting! I'm happy to be a new subscriber. Cheers and love ❤️
@@makermeditations Aww, lol... Thanks! Benji's our baby! Your next project idea: making some kind of giant tortoise lift!! 😅 He's over 100 lbs already at 11 years old and will keep growing... Meanwhile my husband and I are getting older and weaker. (We didn't think this one through when we adopted him 3 years ago) 🤣🤣
I had no idea that tortoises were filled with lead weights, that's a solid boy! You guys are going to need a furniture dolly with a strawberry on it, or maybe a forklift.
This is so cool. My suggestions would be: 1. Replace the foam board with balsa wood. 2. Replace the hand-drawn cutouts with paper cut on a cricut. 3. Use a dremel to make the initial cuts and the bonification bumps.
This is a great project! Foam clay (cosplayers use it a lot) is great for detail work like the teeth, because it air dries, and with something light like your foam skull, it might match the weight and feel a bit better. Plus, you can stick it to many surfaces before it dries, and it stays in place really well.
I did similar with a CNC machine and a T-Rex skull. It took nearly a year to do and required a massive amount of hand finishing - I ended up only doing half the skull and mounting it on a mirror on the wall so that the mirror would give it a "depth" feeling. Great job dude - sometimes we can only get the things we love by doing the long yards!
This build came out really well! I can see some short cuts I would take, to save a little time. Printing the layer references to scale and just tracing them. And maybe for the exterior layer, instead of plaster, maybe wood/plastic putty. Can be less brittle, and more flexible and just as sand-able. So you wouldn't have to struggle with cracks and breakage. Though it can get a bit more expensive than plaster. Also found that exterior wood glue is a great sealer for stuff too, and it can also be sanded.
Hey there! Love this process its super cool! I make terrarium backgrounds using a very similar process. I typically use Hot Glue to cement the layers together like you said, but sanding it is tough. A really great thing about this kind of foam though is that you can Heat Treat it to make it much much stronger! A hot air gun makes it shrink slightly but also meld together after detailing the foam. I use a can of Drylock to cover up all the foam, wait for dry, then paint with Acrylic. Great video and the result was well earned.
End results speak for itself! One thing i would have done, as some cosplayers do, would have been to print the templates of your cut outs in the scale that you wanted, cut, and then just transfer that onto the foam; opposed to the printed screen shots and grid lining. lol as far as glueing foam goes, its best to glue foam with foam. Spray foam, and lay your part over. That way there will be no hinder in sanding. Halloween industry for large prop making and car custom bodies do this way.
when i used to use an airbrush, sometimes i'd turn up the PSI on purpose, like 60 or even 75. Sometimes it just looks better or works better for your project
I mean it kinda makes sense to aerosolize the paint a little more in theory but it's good to hear from someone with experience. Often the best way to do things is just the way that works. Thanks for chiming in on that
This is incredible work! The amount of trial and error and just problem solving made the piece even more worthwhile in the end. It was great to see the process and the final result is literally jaw dropping. Allo's are my favorite dinosaur so I may also be biased. The whole video is so well done, thanks for taking us along for the journey!
as someone who loves these kinds of projects but has no idea where to get started, this is really cool to see. (also i love dinosaurs) So thanks for filming and for showing us it's okay to make mistakes!
Love this! I was terrified when you didn't mention sealing the foam when so many products can melt and evaporate it, but glad it all worked out. It looks good, especially for a first try!
I did a vaguely similar project a few years back. I do fairly elaborate Halloween displays and one year I did Jurassic Yard. One of my features was a 13 ft. Tyrannosaurus skeleton. I spent most of the winter before carving that thing out of insulation foam in my garage. Not anywhere as detailed as your skull. I bought a T-Rex model and used the individual pieces for reference. Your video brought back memories, some good some bad! Great job!
omg, this makes me so excited! I need a hobby that isn't drawing this year and almost all modelling vids I've seen require so much equipment and cash, this is so innovative and encouraging, thank you! If I do get to try this I think I will use pine wood instead to give it a cool look and be a little sturdier (plus I already have enough wood)
through watching this video i was so surprised when it got to the bit you said it was your first video! the editing, narration, and touches of humor gave the impression that this was made by a long time creator who already had their audience. i came here from the kitty chair video and got the same impression!
---> *_Good job._* *_Here's some tips/info:_* *_The scale of how much detail you can get out of XPS foam is the following; from least to most:_* •Pink •Blue •Green.
That is so damn cool, and I love how realistic it looks. That is so easily recognizable as an Allosaurus skull, and if I ever get the chance, I am 100% making one of these. Very very well done. Also with the first time video, I would never have guessed that if you hadn't told me that.
Great video. I like how at the end you give some suggestions on personalizing the skull. How-to videos are always better when they show the maker's mistakes and how they got fixed. I've watched your entire channel now, and really looking forward to seeing your feature content. Keep up the momentum!
How about scaling it up, but you only make the left or the right side of the skull. Like it was sliced neatly in half. Mount that flat on a board. Then cut, plaster, and texture the board so that it looks like the skull is protruding from a slab of rock. Then the whole thing could be mounted flat toba wall. It'd look great over a real stone fireplace.
I think you're doing a great job filming, editing, and DIYing your way here. I love the honest representation of the windy and error full way to creating something truly cool and wonderful. If you enjoy it - I hope you keep making videos. I'm always looking for more imperfect creators. Either way, I'm subscribing
A little tip use some more colours than tan and browns to give it that extra depth. I made a sheep horn replica and used alot of deep purples, bright yellows and some reds underneath the browns and tans to create more depth and variance. But yeah great work it looks realy nice.
That came out nice! Any time you make something new, it is an adventure. You might do it differently next time, but that is because you did it this way this time. Thanks for sharing.
My red flag is thinking I could do something this impressive so easily. Also it is insanely impress that this is one of your first videos, because it has the exact same feel as the Blacktail Studio table guy. Amazing work
I love this project. I have always wanted to make a foam dinosaur skull, this method seems so much easier than anything I have considered. To eliminate the hot glue spider webs, hit it with a hair dryer.
barge cement is made for shoe construction and repair, but cosplayers use it for foam armor all of the time. it sands pretty well, but no adhesive will be perfect.
I really enjoyed the narration I’ve done a fair amount of the processes in this for tabletop terrain for gaming but the fusion 360 slicing was something I would have never thought of before.
I could see this working for tabletop terrain for sure. Horizontal or vertical slices could be cool (vertical easier for overhangs or tall terrain). Its just a sketch of a bunch of lines that get negatively extruded through the model. Good thinking, also thanks!
Damn! It's the exact same process I used to make my dragon skull for the dnd room. I did print the horns and teeth though,I don't think I got the patience in me to work the teeth out like you did. Amazing work!
That looks so cool! I love seeing the whole process. I bought a miniature t rex skelaton once that was made out of pvc. It was kinda white with a bit of green and a paint job made all the difference. A full sized skull would be so much cooler. I really like your approach with the 3d model and cutting it out of foam. This is a project for on my wishlist
I would love to see you make some more skulls if you have room for them (and the desire to make more). This was wonderful to watch. Perhaps a pterodactyl or other pterosaur skull? or whatever else rocks your boat.
such a great construction method! this also seems super helpful for intricate cosplay armor. thank you for sharing cost-effective alternatives like this
Turned out really great! Also a helpful tip for working with the pink insulation foam, you can try using gesso to cover the entire thing before you paint it so that the paint doesn't eat away at the foam. I tried making cosplay props out of the same material and that was in one of the tutorials I remember following.
hey, I love your video! Until you said it, I didn't realize you weren't a professional youtuber. Great content, excellent work and very good filming/editing. Keep up the good work!
Damn you are so charming and inspiring!! Thank you for sharing not only the ups but also the downs of such a project! Definetly keep putting out videos, you're such a precious add-on for the whole crafty community on youtube 😊
Woah, this is super rad!! I hope this blows up man, its actually shocking that you have so little attention towards this right now :0 I dont make quite the same type of stuff, but as a crafter and a cosplayer it's super refreshing to see the full, unfiltered process. Its nice being able to see that these super cool projects dont always go according to plan, but they still turn out awesome anyways. It reminds me that my own projects And costumes will be fine even when im struggling with em :D also bonus points here because dinosaurs are just freakin awesome
Wow that’s so cool and being a crafty person I really want to try this myself the only issue is that I’m having to add it to the list of other projects that I want to do also it’s probably already been said but gorilla glue and spray foam are other ways to attach that pink foam together (though the spray foam method is better if you have large surfaces that need to be glued together) also it seems like a layer of mod podge could be used to instead of the aerosols in the spray paint, also you could carefully tap the end of the hot glue gun to the hot glue string to cut it off or I’ve heard of people using a heat gun and using it to trim and melt the strings (don’t know if a hair dryer would have the same effect though)
In my experience normal PVA glue can hold foam sheets together just fine. It does take a while to dry, so there's that. There's also a special glue (which smells like chalk, and looks like drywall filler paste) for attaching foam decorative elements to the ceiling (forgot what it's called), which should work even better
As an actual fossil technician whose main job it was to clean and repair dinosaur teeth, yours are surprisingly accurate but for all the wrong reasons XD A lot of dino teeth have breaks in them as they can be pretty fragile and where the outer layer of the tooth cracks you get chips and scratches like your "dino battle damage". Actual wear of the teeth would come in the form of very smooth flat spots just where one tooth was rubbing against the other and the general surface texture is a lot like our fingernails - smooth but with ridges!
This is so insightful, thanks for leaning in. I'm so surprised by the amount of people that are able to lend knowledge from actual experience in the field. The number of people that handled real fossils commenting here embarrasses me frankly but I'm so happy to have the advice.
@@makermeditations No problem at all! It's really interesting stuff and yours are impressively accurate to real teeth you might dig up or buy :D A lot of times they break in half and are poorly glued together on the dig site leading to big cracks and misalignments or they break in your hands while cleaning, almost like popping the cap off a sharpie - so the break line is much less noticeable as you're able to glue it gently and properly. The only dino damage I saw teeth wise was the occasional big tooth mark in a bone somewhere where something chomped down on something else!
Amazing work! I’ve been trying to figure out how to do something similar for a while and I think you’ve just given me exactly what I need! For sealing the foam, I think most tabletop terrain crafters use at least one layer of modpodge glue. I love the texture the spackle gives though!
So you effectively did manually what a 3D printer does on a larger scale, interesting. For adhesive I would suggest foam-safe super glue (normal super glue will melt the foam). It's a bit pricey but from what I've heard it doesn't inhibit carving much.
Haha, you're not wrong. A CNC machine could crank these things out much better as well. I haven't seen foam-safe super glue before so I'll have to look into that. Thanks for the heads up!
Brother I've got three words for you Foam Safe Superglue. Also is you add the smallest amount of dish soap to your washes it helps break the surface tension of the water and the wash flows into the details a lot better. Awesome build man, the end product is stellar.
Dude this is amazing! It looks like an actual fossil!!. I once tried to make a life size t-rex skull, using a 3d model and putting paper on my screen, drawing out all the parts.I made a tiny paper version, and when that worked I scaled it up on cardboard, cutting all the parts, and used glue and paper mache. It looked awesome but the paper mache started to loosen whatever I tried. I had to give up on all the work I put in it. Awesome to see you succeed in replicating a skull! I might try to use something like foam now (or something stronger for a t-rex skull), since the cut up layers will probably have stronger connection as well. Great video!!
It's awesome that you arrived at the same conclusion for replicating the design. I'm confident that success is just around the corner for you. Keep up the hard work!
I've been telling myself for years that someday I'll try and make one of those, and thanks to your experience I think I will soon :) thanks for the inspiration !
awesome job i love it theres an special adehesive for foams that doesnt sisolve the foam and bond it together very nice also you can print the layers on the size that you want and just glue the templates to the foam to make it easier than drawing
Great work! I may now have to make one for my son…I’m a table top gamer that enjoys making terrain for my games out of insulation foam, and wood glue is my glue of choice. Keep up the fantastic work!
This is my goal. I've done smaller simpler projects, fossils, neolithic tools and weapons With similar results. But I started a sabortooth cat skull and didn't get very far due to my lack of carving skills. My tech skills fall quite short to create a computer model. So the skull sits on my "wait" shelf. But your museum quality is absolutely fantastic! I dream of attaining that level of craftmanship in the not to distant future...
Klicked to see if you would slice the 3d model and use foam (since that's what I thought of first as well), stayed for your entertaining take on the journey to the finished sculpture. Well done, liked and subscribed 👍
This is freaking great! You had better be ready to make some more videos like this and be commissioned to do some others. I’m sure we all would love to see another. Maybe how you would tackle doing a lower jaw.
All the materials were less than $10, but the real cost was this guy's sanity 😅
Seriously though, amazing work!
Thats art for you :D
I'm not a paleontologist...but I'm a professional sculptor and I can say that you have done a great job. Also that the problems you have had are an absolutely normal part of the profession. Each project is totally different. Congratulations and cordial greetings from Spain.
Thanks for lending some of your expertise! It's been really awesome to hear from all types of professions sharing some of their tips and tricks. Much appreciated!
"dont let the perfect be the enemy of the good" life changing quote right there
this turned out incredible! definitely considering doing this now :)
This is unironically one of the best foam prop tutorials on the platform. Great job!
Also this process can definitely be used to make a whole skeleton... ideas
Thanks! Seems like the full skeleton is definitely something people want to see. I'll have to make some efficiency gains but I'm piecing it together in the back of my mind so to speak. No promises :P
A few tips which I hope are helpful:
You can use Gorilla glue to stick the foam together. I have used that for making wargames terrain with foam (at least the stuff you stick in the caulk gun), it has a super strong bond.
You can also water down the wall filler, or at least I know you can do this with a product like Polyfilla. You could also try using a product like Sculptamold, which is plaster powder mixed with paper fibers.
14:06 You could try mixing paint with matte Modpodge and brushing it on, again another terrain making trick. That provides a hard surface which protects the foam underneath if you want to spray it afterwards!
Also this is awesome and would love to try making one myself!
These are very helpful tips. It seems this project has a lot of overlap with some tabletop and cosplay techniques that I never knew about and the tabletop community has run into a lot of these issues before. Thanks for taking the time to share some knowledge, it's always appreciated!
The gorilla glue thing works really well but it can displace whatever you’re sticking together as it expands when it cures so you may need to weigh or clamp your piece down.
@@TrionAlpha I think it depends what type you use. I used the stuff in the cartridge that goes in a caulk gun and didn't get any expansion from what I remember. Grabs extremely well too.
@@nozyspy4967 that would make sense. I’ve only used the stuff in the bottle and that definitely expands similar to insulation foam spray.
Plain old PVA glue for wood work will give an excellent bond on polystyrene or construction-grade foam - I like Weldbond, and have used it on many an art project. Dressmaker pins work well for temporarily "tacking" the pieces in place while the glue sets up.
I like how the topcoat actually added to the weathered effect by melting the foam.
same!
me too, to think the holes it created were realistic against the bone fragment you showed on screen.
Honestly? I would pay you to make a utahraptor skull for me. I don't have the time to be crafty like this. Your allosaurus skull came out amazing!
Exact same but for a baryonyx skull I love that dinosaur sm lol
You can't afford to pay this guy by the hour.
@@tonyennis1787 Maybe, maybe not.
……. Utahraptor costume
That's pretty impressive even compared to museum quality replicas. It would be cool to see a lower jaw or a fully articulated skeleton! Great video though! I look forward to seeing what comes next
Thank you, that's very kind
I absolutely love this video. It’s so inspiring to see a total amateur doing something like this and actually showing how painful and complicated things can get but still just keep doing and learning and eventually achieving something amazing 😍
Underrated work! Keep up the work man!
Your comment is doing some heavy lifting. Thanks, brother
@@makermeditations gotta show love for an awesome creator
I really should thank the TH-cam algorithm for bestowing upon me this great channel haha 😆
I saw the cat counter video you made and enjoyed it so much I clicked on your channel to see more, and I was honestly so surprised when there was only three videos! I was convinced that you would have a channel full of great videos like that one. I really like the easy going feel of your videos, the subtle humor and the fact that you really show the trial and error process that goes into making this stuff.
I really hope to see more of your videos in the future!
This popped into my feed randomly, and I'm subscribing! I love your voice // voiceovers and the way you take all the downsides in stride, a true "trust the process"
Thanks! I actually really struggled with the audio so the next ones should be better. Welcome!
Same here!!
Your video was so good I created an account on TH-cam to let you know. I found it very wholesome to watch someone work on something they are passionate it about. Looking forward to more videos!
That's so kind of you! I really appreciate the gesture and the feedback. Welcome aboard and I'll see you soon!
I really LOVE the use of an existing 3D file without a printer and the fact that it works for larger 3D objects is actually a bonus. Great project with a hack that I will use on puppet builds for sure. Thanks!
In some cases it's actually the solvent mediums in aerosol spray products that is melting the foam, so you can try spraying from much farther away which gives the solvents time to evaporate before landing. I've done it with spray paint before and it worked pretty well.
Perfect, came down to the comments to say this
you just awakened my inner child
My favorite "glue" is Great Stuff expanding foam. Pin your pieces together so the foam doesnt expand and push your parts apart, but you can also re-fill holes and gaps with the great stuff, and razor off any flashing.
10:00 get you some gloves. Then hold the teeth by the sockets, and paint them individually. An airbrush is not a rattlecan. But after 66m years in the ground, you can brush-paint the teeth.
This was great, I am inspired.
Love this - mostly because this clearly makes you happy and you managed to put in the hours to complete it. We should all prioritise this sort of productivity. Looks so good as well.
It’s been such a long time since the last time I just sat down and watched a video, start to finish focused on only doing that. I take that as an indicator that I really like watching you do whatever you do. So please keep doing stuff!
I don't know how I found your channel, but I'm so very glad I did! 😊 I've just watched each of your videos and I loved them all. Great projects, great videos.... And I love your honesty and humor. Keep posting! I'm happy to be a new subscriber. Cheers and love ❤️
Welcome I'm happy to have ya! I just watch some of your videos and Benjamin is so cute and handsome! I can't wait to see more of him!
@@makermeditations Aww, lol... Thanks! Benji's our baby! Your next project idea: making some kind of giant tortoise lift!! 😅 He's over 100 lbs already at 11 years old and will keep growing... Meanwhile my husband and I are getting older and weaker. (We didn't think this one through when we adopted him 3 years ago) 🤣🤣
I had no idea that tortoises were filled with lead weights, that's a solid boy! You guys are going to need a furniture dolly with a strawberry on it, or maybe a forklift.
@@makermeditations 🤣 Exactly!!!
This is so cool.
My suggestions would be:
1. Replace the foam board with balsa wood.
2. Replace the hand-drawn cutouts with paper cut on a cricut.
3. Use a dremel to make the initial cuts and the bonification bumps.
This is a great project! Foam clay (cosplayers use it a lot) is great for detail work like the teeth, because it air dries, and with something light like your foam skull, it might match the weight and feel a bit better. Plus, you can stick it to many surfaces before it dries, and it stays in place really well.
I did similar with a CNC machine and a T-Rex skull. It took nearly a year to do and required a massive amount of hand finishing - I ended up only doing half the skull and mounting it on a mirror on the wall so that the mirror would give it a "depth" feeling. Great job dude - sometimes we can only get the things we love by doing the long yards!
i love how honest this video is
This build came out really well!
I can see some short cuts I would take, to save a little time. Printing the layer references to scale and just tracing them. And maybe for the exterior layer, instead of plaster, maybe wood/plastic putty. Can be less brittle, and more flexible and just as sand-able. So you wouldn't have to struggle with cracks and breakage. Though it can get a bit more expensive than plaster. Also found that exterior wood glue is a great sealer for stuff too, and it can also be sanded.
man this was awesome! can't believe its your first big video, the editing felt so natural. hope to see more vids from you!!
You're amazing!! I'm so glad you started filming this, it was an absolute joy to watch. Thank you!
Your sense of humor gives me hope for humanity. Well done, sir. Great project.
Hey there! Love this process its super cool! I make terrarium backgrounds using a very similar process. I typically use Hot Glue to cement the layers together like you said, but sanding it is tough. A really great thing about this kind of foam though is that you can Heat Treat it to make it much much stronger! A hot air gun makes it shrink slightly but also meld together after detailing the foam. I use a can of Drylock to cover up all the foam, wait for dry, then paint with Acrylic. Great video and the result was well earned.
What a painful process but good on you for persevering because the final product looks amazing! Well done!!
End results speak for itself! One thing i would have done, as some cosplayers do, would have been to print the templates of your cut outs in the scale that you wanted, cut, and then just transfer that onto the foam; opposed to the printed screen shots and grid lining. lol
as far as glueing foam goes, its best to glue foam with foam. Spray foam, and lay your part over. That way there will be no hinder in sanding. Halloween industry for large prop making and car custom bodies do this way.
Great video man.super suprised its your first!
when i used to use an airbrush, sometimes i'd turn up the PSI on purpose, like 60 or even 75. Sometimes it just looks better or works better for your project
I mean it kinda makes sense to aerosolize the paint a little more in theory but it's good to hear from someone with experience. Often the best way to do things is just the way that works. Thanks for chiming in on that
This is incredible work! The amount of trial and error and just problem solving made the piece even more worthwhile in the end. It was great to see the process and the final result is literally jaw dropping. Allo's are my favorite dinosaur so I may also be biased. The whole video is so well done, thanks for taking us along for the journey!
as someone who loves these kinds of projects but has no idea where to get started, this is really cool to see. (also i love dinosaurs) So thanks for filming and for showing us it's okay to make mistakes!
Love this! I was terrified when you didn't mention sealing the foam when so many products can melt and evaporate it, but glad it all worked out. It looks good, especially for a first try!
"Every tool is a hammer" sounds like a book title oh wait it is by Adam Savage. What a brilliant project, looking forward to more, it's so cool.
I did a vaguely similar project a few years back. I do fairly elaborate Halloween displays and one year I did Jurassic Yard. One of my features was a 13 ft. Tyrannosaurus skeleton. I spent most of the winter before carving that thing out of insulation foam in my garage. Not anywhere as detailed as your skull. I bought a T-Rex model and used the individual pieces for reference. Your video brought back memories, some good some bad! Great job!
Man, this sounds amazing! Having kids and parents comment on the props is the best. Halloween is such a fun time
if im honest, i love dinosaurs. my favorite dinosaur is a spinodaurus, and seeing a skull of it would be awesome
Oh man - thats a lot of work. Thank you for finishing and bringing the video to us!
Dude, when I clicked I could've sworn you had at least 100k subs, super video, super interesting, can't wait for more! Great job!!
omg, this makes me so excited! I need a hobby that isn't drawing this year and almost all modelling vids I've seen require so much equipment and cash, this is so innovative and encouraging, thank you! If I do get to try this I think I will use pine wood instead to give it a cool look and be a little sturdier (plus I already have enough wood)
Love to hear it, you got this!
Randomly finding this in my recommended is pretty damn neat and to think feels so real when its not its pretty incredible :d
through watching this video i was so surprised when it got to the bit you said it was your first video! the editing, narration, and touches of humor gave the impression that this was made by a long time creator who already had their audience. i came here from the kitty chair video and got the same impression!
Thanks! I still have so many things that I want to improve but the I really appreciate the feedback! See you soon
---> *_Good job._*
*_Here's some tips/info:_*
*_The scale of how much detail you can get out of XPS foam is the following; from least to most:_*
•Pink
•Blue
•Green.
Woah, I've never even seen green. That's helpful thanks!. I've also had some people mention polyurethane based foams that hold up super well.
That is so damn cool, and I love how realistic it looks. That is so easily recognizable as an Allosaurus skull, and if I ever get the chance, I am 100% making one of these. Very very well done. Also with the first time video, I would never have guessed that if you hadn't told me that.
Great video. I like how at the end you give some suggestions on personalizing the skull. How-to videos are always better when they show the maker's mistakes and how they got fixed. I've watched your entire channel now, and really looking forward to seeing your feature content. Keep up the momentum!
Thanks! It's good to know that people appreciate the process and not just the end result. More to come soon and I appreciate the feedback!
How about scaling it up, but you only make the left or the right side of the skull. Like it was sliced neatly in half. Mount that flat on a board. Then cut, plaster, and texture the board so that it looks like the skull is protruding from a slab of rock. Then the whole thing could be mounted flat toba wall. It'd look great over a real stone fireplace.
This is a great idea!
Run with it!
I think you're doing a great job filming, editing, and DIYing your way here. I love the honest representation of the windy and error full way to creating something truly cool and wonderful. If you enjoy it - I hope you keep making videos. I'm always looking for more imperfect creators.
Either way, I'm subscribing
A little tip use some more colours than tan and browns to give it that extra depth. I made a sheep horn replica and used alot of deep purples, bright yellows and some reds underneath the browns and tans to create more depth and variance. But yeah great work it looks realy nice.
That came out nice! Any time you make something new, it is an adventure. You might do it differently next time, but that is because you did it this way this time. Thanks for sharing.
Dude! Been chipping away at an eva foam T- Rex replica after seeing one at a museum. My brother in adult childhood. Keep it up!
My red flag is thinking I could do something this impressive so easily. Also it is insanely impress that this is one of your first videos, because it has the exact same feel as the Blacktail Studio table guy. Amazing work
Great first video you nailed it man
I love this project. I have always wanted to make a foam dinosaur skull, this method seems so much easier than anything I have considered.
To eliminate the hot glue spider webs, hit it with a hair dryer.
So you physically did what an MRI scan does . Cool idea ! The result looks great. Thanks for the share. :O)
barge cement is made for shoe construction and repair, but cosplayers use it for foam armor all of the time. it sands pretty well, but no adhesive will be perfect.
I really enjoyed the narration I’ve done a fair amount of the processes in this for tabletop terrain for gaming but the fusion 360 slicing was something I would have never thought of before.
I could see this working for tabletop terrain for sure. Horizontal or vertical slices could be cool (vertical easier for overhangs or tall terrain). Its just a sketch of a bunch of lines that get negatively extruded through the model. Good thinking, also thanks!
Regardless of the trials and tribulations, the end result is superb. You should display it. If it were mine, I sure would.
man your channel is going to blow up for sure. very good stage presence haha.
Thanks so much for this video. So inspirational. Such a perfect mix of computer technology and hands on creativity!
This is so cool! And I love your sense of humor and approach to the happy little accidents.
dude i hope you keep making videos, you have a great personality for youtube and this was a great video
Damn! It's the exact same process I used to make my dragon skull for the dnd room. I did print the horns and teeth though,I don't think I got the patience in me to work the teeth out like you did.
Amazing work!
That looks so cool! I love seeing the whole process. I bought a miniature t rex skelaton once that was made out of pvc. It was kinda white with a bit of green and a paint job made all the difference. A full sized skull would be so much cooler. I really like your approach with the 3d model and cutting it out of foam. This is a project for on my wishlist
I would love to see you make some more skulls if you have room for them (and the desire to make more). This was wonderful to watch. Perhaps a pterodactyl or other pterosaur skull? or whatever else rocks your boat.
such a great construction method! this also seems super helpful for intricate cosplay armor. thank you for sharing cost-effective alternatives like this
Turned out really great! Also a helpful tip for working with the pink insulation foam, you can try using gesso to cover the entire thing before you paint it so that the paint doesn't eat away at the foam. I tried making cosplay props out of the same material and that was in one of the tutorials I remember following.
Gesso is a really good idea, I'll add it to the list. Thanks!
Please make more of these videos! I love your idea of making fossils by your self
hey, I love your video! Until you said it, I didn't realize you weren't a professional youtuber. Great content, excellent work and very good filming/editing. Keep up the good work!
Damn you are so charming and inspiring!! Thank you for sharing not only the ups but also the downs of such a project! Definetly keep putting out videos, you're such a precious add-on for the whole crafty community on youtube 😊
That's too kind, thank you!
Woah, this is super rad!! I hope this blows up man, its actually shocking that you have so little attention towards this right now :0
I dont make quite the same type of stuff, but as a crafter and a cosplayer it's super refreshing to see the full, unfiltered process. Its nice being able to see that these super cool projects dont always go according to plan, but they still turn out awesome anyways. It reminds me that my own projects And costumes will be fine even when im struggling with em :D also bonus points here because dinosaurs are just freakin awesome
Wow that’s so cool and being a crafty person I really want to try this myself the only issue is that I’m having to add it to the list of other projects that I want to do also it’s probably already been said but gorilla glue and spray foam are other ways to attach that pink foam together (though the spray foam method is better if you have large surfaces that need to be glued together) also it seems like a layer of mod podge could be used to instead of the aerosols in the spray paint, also you could carefully tap the end of the hot glue gun to the hot glue string to cut it off or I’ve heard of people using a heat gun and using it to trim and melt the strings (don’t know if a hair dryer would have the same effect though)
It only took 10$.....and a week of labor.... and a ton of specialized expertise honed to perfection!
This was an awesome project and a great documentation. You may have a promising TH-cam future! Bravo
Man this video rocks! Hilarious narration i loved the ups and downs and super informative, the project turned out amazing man 👌
Absolutely love it. Thank you for sharing the fails. You must be a very patient person
That's impressive, dedication is incredible
In my experience normal PVA glue can hold foam sheets together just fine. It does take a while to dry, so there's that. There's also a special glue (which smells like chalk, and looks like drywall filler paste) for attaching foam decorative elements to the ceiling (forgot what it's called), which should work even better
As an actual fossil technician whose main job it was to clean and repair dinosaur teeth, yours are surprisingly accurate but for all the wrong reasons XD A lot of dino teeth have breaks in them as they can be pretty fragile and where the outer layer of the tooth cracks you get chips and scratches like your "dino battle damage". Actual wear of the teeth would come in the form of very smooth flat spots just where one tooth was rubbing against the other and the general surface texture is a lot like our fingernails - smooth but with ridges!
This is so insightful, thanks for leaning in. I'm so surprised by the amount of people that are able to lend knowledge from actual experience in the field. The number of people that handled real fossils commenting here embarrasses me frankly but I'm so happy to have the advice.
@@makermeditations No problem at all! It's really interesting stuff and yours are impressively accurate to real teeth you might dig up or buy :D A lot of times they break in half and are poorly glued together on the dig site leading to big cracks and misalignments or they break in your hands while cleaning, almost like popping the cap off a sharpie - so the break line is much less noticeable as you're able to glue it gently and properly. The only dino damage I saw teeth wise was the occasional big tooth mark in a bone somewhere where something chomped down on something else!
Looks pretty good to me! I love some of your humorous descriptions.
Amazing work! I’ve been trying to figure out how to do something similar for a while and I think you’ve just given me exactly what I need!
For sealing the foam, I think most tabletop terrain crafters use at least one layer of modpodge glue. I love the texture the spackle gives though!
Love to hear it and I appreciate the tip. Thanks and good luck!
I feel lucky to have been recommended this. Good video!
It's important to note that there's different weights of this foam with different density and strengths. A higher weight foam will sand smoother.
dude i vcant believe youre not like a professional youtuber this is great keep at it
So you effectively did manually what a 3D printer does on a larger scale, interesting. For adhesive I would suggest foam-safe super glue (normal super glue will melt the foam). It's a bit pricey but from what I've heard it doesn't inhibit carving much.
Haha, you're not wrong. A CNC machine could crank these things out much better as well. I haven't seen foam-safe super glue before so I'll have to look into that. Thanks for the heads up!
This looks amazing, the sheer dedication is incredible
Brother I've got three words for you
Foam
Safe
Superglue.
Also is you add the smallest amount of dish soap to your washes it helps break the surface tension of the water and the wash flows into the details a lot better. Awesome build man, the end product is stellar.
Hey, that's a good tip. Thanks!
Dude this is amazing! It looks like an actual fossil!!. I once tried to make a life size t-rex skull, using a 3d model and putting paper on my screen, drawing out all the parts.I made a tiny paper version, and when that worked I scaled it up on cardboard, cutting all the parts, and used glue and paper mache. It looked awesome but the paper mache started to loosen whatever I tried. I had to give up on all the work I put in it. Awesome to see you succeed in replicating a skull! I might try to use something like foam now (or something stronger for a t-rex skull), since the cut up layers will probably have stronger connection as well. Great video!!
It's awesome that you arrived at the same conclusion for replicating the design. I'm confident that success is just around the corner for you. Keep up the hard work!
Did the same with papier mache and plaster. 70 cm long skull. Love your version. Like that paintjob on it.
That awesome! Sounds like the end result was pretty imposing. Thanks!
I've been telling myself for years that someday I'll try and make one of those, and thanks to your experience I think I will soon :) thanks for the inspiration !
I love to hear that! Please let me know if you do
awesome job
i love it
theres an special adehesive for foams that doesnt sisolve the foam and bond it together very nice
also you can print the layers on the size that you want and just glue the templates to the foam to make it easier than drawing
Great work! I may now have to make one for my son…I’m a table top gamer that enjoys making terrain for my games out of insulation foam, and wood glue is my glue of choice. Keep up the fantastic work!
cool video! congratulations for 1000 subscribers!
Thank you!
This is my goal. I've done smaller simpler projects, fossils, neolithic tools and weapons With similar results. But I started a sabortooth cat skull and didn't get very far due to my lack of carving skills. My tech skills fall quite short to create a computer model. So the skull sits on my "wait" shelf. But your museum quality is absolutely fantastic! I dream of attaining that level of craftmanship in the not to distant future...
Weathering and imperfections covers a multitude of sins for old weathered asthetics...
Klicked to see if you would slice the 3d model and use foam (since that's what I thought of first as well), stayed for your entertaining take on the journey to the finished sculpture. Well done, liked and subscribed 👍
This is freaking great! You had better be ready to make some more videos like this and be commissioned to do some others. I’m sure we all would love to see another. Maybe how you would tackle doing a lower jaw.
WOW !!!!
GREAT job !
(I love that you put it out there that you didn't need a 3D printer to accomplish this.