Help me paint my dinosaur

I just bought a little model of a dinosaur head to hang on the wall. It is actually supposed to be a miniature replica of a T. rex, but it is about the right size to go with the velociraptor sign in my office. The shape of the head is a little cartoony (brow ridges exaggerated) but the way it is painted makes it look even more fake than it needs to. I would like to paint the model to look more life-like or "realistic." (I used quotes there because "realistic" is very much a subject of debate. Even if you leave feathers out of this, there are MANY possibities for the way dinosaur lips and related soft tissues could have been shaped. [Yes, that is long, but it is worth reading. I found it fascinating.]) The velociraptors in the movies definitely have much wider snouts than the actual critters did (...and yes, I realize my model is even wider yet.)

Some people have taken copies of the model I have and made them look much better with a lower-contrast repaint. I'd like to go that route, but maybe even a little more fancy. Below, I've linked to a number of velociraptor and T. rex replicas that I like the looks of. The movie prop T. Rex models are around life-sized, the movie raptors are much larger than life...well, for most species)

Eye Color

  • eye color similar to skin: F G
  • eye color contrasts with skin color: C E H K O Q

    • Eye Material

  • painted eyes: A B D H I O R
  • glass taxidermy eyes: C, E, G, J, K, L, N, Q,


    • Skin Color

    Detail Option 1 Option 2
    Overall Pallet Greens and Greys: A, B, E, F, G, J, O reds and browns: C D H I M N P Q R
    Pattern Fairly Uniform: A B F G K O mottled or striped: C D E M N Q R
    Circle around eye Darker: C D E J L Q R not darker: A B F G M N
    Lip color Dark Pigment: C I R no Dark Pigment: D E F G L O P
    Throat color lighter underneath: C D I P Q R not lighter: G K N O

    If you just want to look at the pictures

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