Reconstructing Chirostenotes

My reference sheet and orthographic drawing of the oviraptorosaurian Chirostenotes pergracilis.  I've been having a lot of fun reconstructing this guy.  I based his proportions primarily off of a skeletal reconstruction done by Scott Hartman, an amazing paleo artist whom I reference a good deal when I'm doing this type of work. There are also many other skeletal drawings of not only Chirostenotes but its relatives in addition to photographs of actual skeletons.  There are a lot of bird references mainly Emu and Cassowary, I used these to help get a feel for the face and crest of the dinosaur as well as its feet.  I think the most challenging part of this whole drawing was finding reference for the dimensions of the front and top of the animal.  There are plenty of references for the side views but images of these dinosaurs from the top and front are few and far between I found.  This was pretty frustrating considering that knowing these dimensions is essential for the sculpture I'm preparing to make of him.  In the end I had to make a series of educated guesses using what I could find of other oviraptorosaurs, similar therapods and birds.  The ortho still isn't finished, hes featherless right now showing just the basic reptillian skin texture.  The feathers will be added as an overlay so I can experiment with different degrees of coverage.  

Artwork © Raul Ramos All Rights Reserved.