504 Documentary #5 - Character Design

 Now I had some solid colours to pick from, I started with the young adult model, as it would be the face of the character. 

I combined the sandy colours (with counter-shading for camouflage) and the blue/red feathers for display. The forearm feathers are more pointed wing shape for animating and I added tail feathers because it was one of the few areas that feathers may have been (and smaller dinosaurs like raptors had quite heavy tail feathering). I also added spinal proto-feathers as I felt it help spread the display colours across the body better. I used darker colour for natural armour and kept it around the head where much of the fighting tends to centre around and added osteoderms along the back as well, although I may end up decreasing the number. The horns have a darker colour on the outside for better blending whereas there is a brighter colour on the inside (to follow a theory on how their mating displays were performed that we are presenting in the documentary in which the inner part of the horns would be more visible).

Now I had a basis for the full grown model, I moved onto altering it for the different ages.

Adapting a theory on the Tyrannosaurus Rex (in which the adults were featherless, which we known from skin impressions, but the hatchlings/juveniles had feathering for camouflage or insulation), I added more proto-feathering along part of the head and tail and made it a darker colour to aid in counter-shading. I also made the head bigger and darkened the display feathers, creating my own developmental timeline where during puberty, the juvenile would lose some filaments along the spine (and those that remained would change to a brighter red) and the rest of the display feathers and horns would become brighter to signify sexual maturity to potential mates.

I then went back to the Young Adult model and added some scarring for the full-grown model where it would be likely there may have been attacks, around the mouth from hunting (as many prey dinosaurs had bony osteoderms on the back that could cut flesh in certain circumstances), on the neck from fighting rivals, and on the underbelly from either.

For the elder model, I added more scarring, especially around the leg that becomes permanently injured during the final fight (to emphasise how he was pretty vulnerable), I also dulled all his colours (aside from eyes) to help show his age.

Once I had all the stages that we'll use, I created a size chart. 

Now I had the design and the colours for the male, I needed a design for the female (both for mother, siblings, and mates). I decided to remove the spine filaments and make the horns smaller, but keep the forearm and tail feathers for camouflage, insulation in colder months, and to make it look bigger to dissuade rivals or predators. The biggest difference is the duller colours, which I looked at Birds-of-Paradise for, so I used dull browns and reds.

For the mother's model, I altered the shades of colours (as real life individuals will have different shades) and added a couple scars from age.