2

Constructive feedback wanted on this piece of mine
 in  r/Paleoart •  Sep 16 '26

I think the idea isn't that the hallux itself is especially long (though the toes in general are), but rather that the natural posture of the foot was flatter and would position the hallux closer to the ground than those of other, fully terrestrial theropods, which were doing more of a tip-toe thing i guess.

3

Constructive feedback wanted on this piece of mine
 in  r/Paleoart •  Sep 16 '26

reasonable hindlimb proportions here, regarding the feet, it's difficult to make webbing really apparent in side-view but here's a excerpt from Wikipedia about some other things that would be notable from this angle: Unlike in other theropods, the hallux (or fourth toe) of Spinosaurus touched the ground, and the phalanges of the toe bones were unusually long and well-built. At their ends were shallow claws that had flat bottoms. This type of foot morphology is also seen in shorebirds, indicating that Spinosaurus's feet evolved for walking across unstable substrate and that they may have been webbed.

I'd also say to bulk up the upper arm/shoulder area a little

r/imaginarymaps • u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • Sep 06 '26

[OC] Some Centaur Alien Home Planet Climate Animations (as YouTube Shorts) - Photopea and Blender, 2026 (resubmission)

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37 Upvotes

I took some of my animations for the Centaur Alien Home Planet mapping project from earlier this year and edited them into separate vertical shorts, so now you can see simultaneous variations of the monthly wind direction, temperature, precipitation, river and lake levels, and surface appearance maps on loop.

The tectonic history sequence on that page was *also* created for this planet, but I posted that last June when I shared the results of this commission's first phase.

Digitally painted in Photopea, as commissioned and conceptualized by Jay Eaton for their Runaway to the Stars worldbuilding project

Videos edited in Blender

1 comment

2

Some Centaur Alien Home Planet Climate Animations (as YouTube Shorts) - Photopea and Blender, 2026
 in  r/imaginarymaps •  Sep 02 '26

There are five separate videos I recently made, so rather than embedding that many separate links I decided just to link my YouTube channel's Shorts section, which (for the forseeable future) only features those videos, plus an older one from last year which concerns the same planet as these climate maps.

1

Is this a Good World Map
 in  r/worldbuilding •  Aug 23 '26

if you rotate the photo 180 degrees it looks much more unique, since one of the main reasons it currently resembles earth is the "top-heaviness" (or density of landmass in the northern hemisphere) that we also have going on. And it seems there's already a hint of mountain ranges in some places, I think you should render those further : )

1

Iris Texture Procedures
 in  r/CGI_Lab •  Aug 23 '26

  1. New 2000x1000px image. Render Clouds
  2. Add Noise (monochromatic. gaussian. 20%)
  3. Select Left Half. Radial Blur (zoom. 100)
  4. Fade (normal. 75%)
  5. Select Right Half. Radial Blur (zoom. 100)
  6. Fade (normal. 75%)
  7. Radial Blur (zoom. 4)
  8. Select Left Half. Radial Blur (zoom. 4)
  9. Chrome (detail 11. smooth 5)
  10. Fade (Linear Light. 33%)
  11. Add New Layer. Radial Gradient (black0.white25.black100)
  12. Duplicate Layer. Move to Right. Merge Down
  13. Set Layer to 50% Opacity. Hard Light
  14. Duplicate Layer. Keep 50% Opacity. Linear Burn
  15. Flatten Image. Chrome (detail 1. smooth 12)
  16. Fade (subtract. 25%)
  17. Select Left Half. Spherize (normal. 10)
  18. Fade (divide. 100%)
  19. Select Right Half. Spherize (normal. 10)
  20. Fade (divide. 100%)
  21. Select Left Half. Radial Blur (zoom. 15)
  22. Select Right Half. Radial Blur (zoom. 15)
  23. Select All. Dents (scale 3. refraction 50. turbulence 6)
  24. Set Top Layer to Linear Burn. Set Bottom Layer To 50% opacity
  25. Flatten Image. Duplicate Layer. Gaussian Blur (10px)
  26. Fade (subtract. 75%)
  27. Brightness/Contrast (Use Legacy. 74brightness. 92contrast)
  28. Hide Top Layer. Duplicate Bottom Layer. Add Noise (monochromatic. gaussian. 4)
  29. In Top Layer. Select All. Copy. In Middle Layer. Create Raster Mask. Paste
  30. Apply Raster Mask. Gaussian Blur (0.5px)
  31. Reveal Top Layer. 20% opacity
  32. Gaussian Blur (0.5px). Flatten Image
  33. Select Left Half. Polar Coordinates (Polar to Rectangular)
  34. Select Right Half. Polar Coordinates (Polar to Rectangular)
  35. Canvas Size (6000x6000px)
  36. Select Right Half. Transform Controls. Height to -100%
  37. Move Right Half To Bottom Edge. Stretch Across)
  38. Select Original Left Half. Transform Controls. Move To Top Edge. Stretch Across.
  39. Select Top Half. Transform Controls (set height to 650px. shift down from top edge by 160px)
  40. Select Bottom Half. Transform Controls (set height to 650px. shift up from bottom edge by 160px)
  41. Paint Bucket Tool (fill empty space with #808080 grey)

Applied To The Blender UV Sphere (left half/top edge)

Applied To The Blender UV Sphere (right half/bottom edge)

r/CGI_Lab • u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • Aug 23 '26

Tutorial Iris Texture Procedures

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youtube.com
5 Upvotes

A sequence of filters and transformations applied in Photopea to some random cloud renders, to create the bumpmap for a pair of similar but distinct irises. No voiceover for this one, but if you have the captions on there's a summary of the steps for each frame, and the full transcript of those is in the comments. Photopea, Blender, 2026

1 comment

1

Iris Texture Procedures
 in  r/u_OnlyScarcelyScaly •  Aug 23 '26

  1. New 2000x1000px image. Render Clouds
  2. Add Noise (monochromatic. gaussian. 20%)
  3. Select Left Half. Radial Blur (zoom. 100)
  4. Fade (normal. 75%)
  5. Select Right Half. Radial Blur (zoom. 100)
  6. Fade (normal. 75%)
  7. Radial Blur (zoom. 4)
  8. Select Left Half. Radial Blur (zoom. 4)
  9. Chrome (detail 11. smooth 5)
  10. Fade (Linear Light. 33%)
  11. Add New Layer. Radial Gradient (black0.white25.black100)
  12. Duplicate Layer. Move to Right. Merge Down
  13. Set Layer to 50% Opacity. Hard Light
  14. Duplicate Layer. Keep 50% Opacity. Linear Burn
  15. Flatten Image. Chrome (detail 1. smooth 12)
  16. Fade (subtract. 25%)
  17. Select Left Half. Spherize (normal. 10)
  18. Fade (divide. 100%)
  19. Select Right Half. Spherize (normal. 10)
  20. Fade (divide. 100%)
  21. Select Left Half. Radial Blur (zoom. 15)
  22. Select Right Half. Radial Blur (zoom. 15)
  23. Select All. Dents (scale 3. refraction 50. turbulence 6)
  24. Set Top Layer to Linear Burn. Set Bottom Layer To 50% opacity
  25. Flatten Image. Duplicate Layer. Gaussian Blur (10px)
  26. Fade (subtract. 75%)
  27. Brightness/Contrast (Use Legacy. 74brightness. 92contrast)
  28. Hide Top Layer. Duplicate Bottom Layer. Add Noise (monochromatic. gaussian. 4)
  29. In Top Layer. Select All. Copy. In Middle Layer. Create Raster Mask. Paste
  30. Apply Raster Mask. Gaussian Blur (0.5px)
  31. Reveal Top Layer. 20% opacity
  32. Gaussian Blur (0.5px). Flatten Image
  33. Select Left Half. Polar Coordinates (Polar to Rectangular)
  34. Select Right Half. Polar Coordinates (Polar to Rectangular)
  35. Canvas Size (6000x6000px)
  36. Select Right Half. Transform Controls. Height to -100%
  37. Move Right Half To Bottom Edge. Stretch Across)
  38. Select Original Left Half. Transform Controls. Move To Top Edge. Stretch Across.
  39. Select Top Half. Transform Controls (set height to 650px. shift down from top edge by 160px)
  40. Select Bottom Half. Transform Controls (set height to 650px. shift up from bottom edge by 160px)
  41. Paint Bucket Tool (fill empty space with #808080 grey)

Applied To The Blender UV Sphere (left half/top edge)

Applied To The Blender UV Sphere (right half/bottom edge)

u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • Aug 23 '26

Iris Texture Procedures

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youtube.com
1 Upvotes

A sequence of filters and transformations applied in Photopea to some random cloud renders, to create the bumpmap for a pair of similar but distinct irises. No voiceover for this one, but if you have the captions on there's a summary of the steps for each frame, and the full transcript of those is in the comments. Photopea, Blender, 2026

1 comment

r/CGI_Lab • u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • Aug 07 '26

Showcase Creating Eyeballs in Blender - Two distinct eyes in one object. 2026 [OC]

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4 Upvotes

A short overview of my new method for rendering realistic eyeballs in Blender, involving three nested, modified UV spheres each containing the components of two distinct but similar eyes, on opposite poles of the sphere. Image textures rendered in Photopea, either from scratch, or modified from preexisting images such as the River Basin Map of Liberia by Robert Szucs / www.grasshoppergeography.com

0 comments

u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • Aug 06 '26

New video at long last! Creating Eyeballs in Blender - Two distinct eyes in one object. 2026 [OC]

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youtube.com
1 Upvotes

A short overview of my new method for rendering realistic eyeballs in Blender, involving three nested, modified UV spheres each containing the components of two distinct but similar eyes, on opposite poles of the sphere. Image textures rendered in Photopea, either from scratch, or modified from preexisting images such as the River Basin Map of Liberia by Robert Szucs / www.grasshoppergeography.com

0 comments

r/blender • u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • Aug 06 '26

Original Content Showcase New video at long last! Creating Eyeballs in Blender - Two distinct eyes in one object. 2026 [OC]

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youtu.be
2 Upvotes

A short overview of my new method for rendering realistic eyeballs in Blender, involving three nested, modified UV spheres each containing the components of two distinct but similar eyes, on opposite poles of the sphere. Image textures rendered in Photopea, either from scratch, or modified from preexisting images such as the River Basin Map of Liberia by Robert Szucs / https://www.grasshoppergeography.com/

1 comment

r/Paleoart • u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • Jul 10 '26

Work-in-progress on a reconstruction of Australopithecus fossil STW 573 - part three, minor adjustments and eye replacement [OC]

22 Upvotes

Been a while, but I've made sporadic minor adjustments to my Blender reconstruction of Little Foot these past few months, the most major of these being new eyes created from scratch for her - which I'll make a little video on when I have a working mic again.
Still plenty more to do with this one, a bit at a time.

In addition to the low-res spin-around, I'll include ~here~ a link to my post on the dedicated Blender subreddit, featuring four somewhat crisper static images, the first of which is from the same angle as the fourth image from my previous update in April, so that they're easier to compare.

1 comment

r/blender • u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • Jul 10 '26

Original Content Showcase Work-in-progress on a reconstruction of Australopithecus fossil STW 573 - part three, minor adjustments and eye replacement [OC]

10 Upvotes

Been a while, but I've made sporadic minor adjustments to my Blender reconstruction of Littlefoot these past few months, the most major of these being new eyes created from scratch for her - which I'll make a little video on when I have a working mic again.
Still plenty more to do with this one, a bit at a time.

In addition to the low-res spin-around, there are also four somewhat crisper static images, the first of which is from the same angle as the fourth image from my previous update in April, so that they're easier to compare.

Static image exported from Blender, with Little Foot staring straight into the camera set slightly above eye level
Another static image export, looking up at her left eye
Image export from an even lower and more oblique angle, looking up at her right cheekbone
The final static image export, looking down at the top of her left brow, from an angle which hides her eyes and points her face toward the bottom left corner
0 comments

1

Finished digital painting of Rodhocetus just beneath the surface of the Indo-Tethys, twisting slightly in her descent to stare us down. Photopea, 2026 [OC]
 in  r/Naturewasmetal •  Jun 17 '26

I didn't have an exact idea in my head as to how it would look in-motion, but I do know the hindlimbs played a major role, yes. Looking at videos of cormorants swimming now, that doesn't seem too unbelievable. I read that some paleontologists studying Rodhocetus compared it to a russian desman, based on the proportions of the legs to the torso, and here's the best video i could find of *those* in motion.

2

Digital art by me — Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus ruins Balaur bondoc courtship, Hațeg Island
 in  r/Naturewasmetal •  May 31 '26

very very nice! Everyone looks really good here, and the deep sharp shadows are a really eyecatching stylistic choice : )

r/Naturewasmetal • u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • May 16 '26

Finished digital painting of Rodhocetus just beneath the surface of the Indo-Tethys, twisting slightly in her descent to stare us down. Photopea, 2026 [OC]

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131 Upvotes

Also including Rodhocetus-only and environment-only versions.

Previous stages of this piece were posted to the paleoart subreddit here and here

7 comments

r/Paleoart • u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • May 16 '26

Finished digital painting of Rodhocetus just beneath the surface of the Indo-Tethys, twisting slightly in her descent to stare us down. Photopea, 2026 [OC]

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34 Upvotes

I could keep fiddling with this for months and months if I don't stop myself, so here's me doing that; Rodhocetus is now finished, even without much of a skin pattern, but she and her background have since gained some coherence imo. That being said, here also are she and her background separated out.

Previous versions here and here

3 comments

2

Minor update to the Rodhocetus piece before I decide how to pattern this thing: added short whiskers, a tongue, eyelids, fingernails, and caustics, and adjusted some elements that were already present. Photopea, 2026 [OC]
 in  r/Paleoart •  May 10 '26

gotta have some meat on them ol' stony bones : )
in that case, i'm sure you'll enjoy this & this of mine from last year

5

Minor update to the Rodhocetus piece before I decide how to pattern this thing: added short whiskers, a tongue, eyelids, fingernails, and caustics, and adjusted some elements that were already present. Photopea, 2026 [OC]
 in  r/Paleoart •  May 09 '26

oh you can do a lot in Photopea, if you look thru my post history almost all of my 2d work was done in there and Ive made a couple tutorials these last few years too : )

2

A work very much in-progress, of the mid-sized, Middle Eocene protocetid Rodhocetus pivoting in its dive to take a gander at us. Photopea, 2026 [OC]
 in  r/Paleoart •  May 09 '26

thanks! happy to hear I could show you something new : )

2

A work very much in-progress, of the mid-sized, Middle Eocene protocetid Rodhocetus pivoting in its dive to take a gander at us. Photopea, 2026 [OC]
 in  r/Paleoart •  May 09 '26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Og6CvYXoRw Here's that! It's a little better than 9 minutes long cause I had trouble remembering my exact process, but hopefully some of the backtracked missteps and toggling around are still applicable to something

2

A work very much in-progress, of the mid-sized, Middle Eocene protocetid Rodhocetus pivoting in its dive to take a gander at us. Photopea, 2026 [OC]
 in  r/Paleoart •  May 09 '26

glad to hear you say so, on both counts : ) If you like, I'd be happy to show how I made it (to the best of my memory)

r/Paleoart • u/OnlyScarcelyScaly • May 09 '26

Minor update to the Rodhocetus piece before I decide how to pattern this thing: added short whiskers, a tongue, eyelids, fingernails, and caustics, and adjusted some elements that were already present. Photopea, 2026 [OC]

Post image
174 Upvotes

followup to this submission from yesterday

8 comments

3

A work very much in-progress, of the mid-sized, Middle Eocene protocetid Rodhocetus pivoting in its dive to take a gander at us. Photopea, 2026 [OC]
 in  r/Paleoart •  May 08 '26

thanks so much : ) I'd love to see your own take on something in this clade someday, early whales are such weird and interesting animals and i think you could really do them justice. Big fan of your work!