Terryl Whitlatch Creature Course #3

Terryl Whitlatch Creature Course #3 - Avians & Dinosaurs

During this weeks lesson I spent my time studying birds and their ancient ancestors, Theropods.

I had taken a while to really try and understand how the anatomy of birds can be traced back down the evolutionary tree and so did detailed studies of examples of both, making notes as I went.

As you can see I studied bones, muscles, posture, and wingspans. It definitely revealed a lot about how theropods transitioned into the birds we see today. Here's a closer look at some of my notes:

Unfortunately I couldn't find the species of the deceased bird I was referencing

In the image for the theropod you'll notice how I've highlighted the pelvis of the creature. This is because this is what defines a theropod as it is 'lizard-hipped., This is to create a stronger support for it's leg muscles. As opposed to 'bird-hipped' dinosaurs such as the triceratops, who have closer hips to allow for more digestive tracks to break down the large amounts of vegetation they consume.

And here's a small GIF I compiled to better illustrate how these aspects of the anatomy fit into one another.

Once I had a grasp of the fundamentals of avian design, I had to create a combination of the two.

Essentially I tried to keep certain aspects from both species. The fused enlarged sternum of birds, the tail and pelvis of the theropods, and a beak with teeth combining the two.

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Sam Santala - Concept Artist | Illustrator

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