With the first pair of Caudal (Tail) Spines sculpted I decided to sculpt a pair of spines based on a plaster cast of an unusually tall spine.
In preparing for the reconstruction of the Polacanthus model I had made some simple line drawings of the spines I had to hand. It was a simple task to produce a just over half scale line drawing as a template. (Note the missing tip was added to the line drawing).
To check the accuracy of the template I placed it on the cast to check the curvature of the spine. So far so good, now I could mark the foam with the outline of the template.
Once the outline was marked on to the foam I carefully cut around the outline and proceeded to carve the first spine. As soon as I had finished the basic shape I compared it with the plaster cast to check the accuracy.
Now it was a case of sculpting the opposite spine of the pair.
(Note the groove on the rear and underside of the spine will be added later on but before the spine is finally mounted, when its final position has been decided).
Happy with the final result, I decided to take a photo of the spines so far!
With the first five pairs completed the next spine to be sculpted will be the spiked shield-like spine known as a ‘Splate’.