Need help with Orthocone sculpture

**modelnut** · Nov 13, '11, 11:28am

Terri,

That is not my orthocone in #27. The artist's name on Deviantart is "Mallimaakari". Probably an alias like my "Modelnut". He lives in Hellsinki. I am in Georgia, USA.

Today I am going to brainstorm and make sketches of my base. I figure I need to get the cone "water-borne" and secure before I start sculpting tentacles.

Sorde! Good to hear from you again! I will take your suggestions to heart probably this week. What do you suggest for the eyes? Something like the modern nautilus? Or maybe like those seen in that Discovery Channel program with Nigel Marven, fleshy bulbs with pits?

I will look up the Spirula to see if it strikes any sparks.

Thank you everyone!
- Leelan

**Sordes** · Nov 13, '11, 1:05pm

Hi Leelan, I have some sketches for my new ammonite in original size which I have drawn around the shell, but sadly I don´t have them here. I made several different versions, but I still have to see which one I will actually use. For the eyes I would suggest comparably "normal" eyes, and not Nautilus eyes. Planctivores probably did not need a very acute sense of vision, and most nautiloids did not live in deep water, so I don´t think they had really big eyes.
The eyes of Spirula looks really somewhat strange, bulging and conical, but I will make my model with similar eyes, yet probably a little bit flatter. Spirula eyes differs from most other cephalopod eyes, so I can make eyes which are unlike typical squid eyes, but also not completely speculative.

BTW, are there still somewhere photos of your Specworld right-whale-squid online?

**modelnut** · Nov 13, '11, 1:22pm

Sadly, the website that had those pictures is gone. I have yet to repost them somewhere. My wife just mentioned this as a matter of fact just a few minutes before you did.

- Leelan

**modelnut** · Nov 13, '11, 1:27pm

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Strange that Spirula's shell is internalized. I wonder if ammonite shells might have been. Is there a way to tell from details on the fossils?

- Leelan

**Sordes** · Nov 13, '11, 1:32pm

Some fossils of ammonites are known with the opening of their shell completely shut by the aptychus, what would be not possible if there was any external tissue.

**modelnut** · Nov 13, '11, 2:23pm

Sordes,

Here are some old pictures of my Grand Baleen Squid http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e9...aleen%20Squid/ I need to take better ones soon I know.

- Leelan

**Sordes** · Nov 13, '11, 2:31pm

Thank you. Nice to see there are still some of them online.

**modelnut** · Nov 13, '11, 2:34pm

There weren't any a few minutes ago. You got the link "hot off the presses."

I found these pictures in my computer and put them in Photobucket.
I had better pictures but these are the ones I could find.

- Leelan

**modelnut** · Nov 14, '11, 4:21pm

Just found new orthocone artwork online. Or my wife did, she sent me the site in an email. Can you believe how lucky I am? My wife is into dinosaurs etc as much as I am!

http://dinoart1.narod.ru/rayonnoceras.htm

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A bit smaller than Cameroceras and lived much later in Carboniferous Europe.

- Leelan

**Cuddlycuttlefsh** · Nov 14, '11, 5:51pm

Nice find!

**Terri** · Nov 14, '11, 6:24pm

**DWhatley** · Nov 15, '11, 5:31am

Can you believe how lucky I am? My wife is into dinosaurs etc as much as I am!

It must have something to do with the state where you two reside

**modelnut** · Nov 15, '11, 4:47pm

Nope. That's not it. I live in Georgia but I found my wife online in New York state outside of Rochester. We met accidentally in a chat room for an old TV show we both enjoy. I said something that made her open a private chat to explain what I meant and we haven't stopped talking since. That was October 2008. We have never been happier!

I know I certainly haven't.

- Leelan

**DWhatley** · Nov 15, '11, 8:11pm

LOL That is even FUNNIER. Neal is from GA, I was originally from upstate NY (not as far North as Rochester). We did not meet on-line however because there was no such thing 40 years ago

**modelnut** · Nov 20, '11, 2:37pm

Oh my gosh! Look at this!

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http://community.webshots.com/photo/...92321224tYxfPv

Very cool. A display at the Black Hills Institute.

- Leelan

**Terri** · Nov 20, '11, 5:01pm

Awesome! I had forgotten about BHI's site.

**modelnut** · Dec 02, '11, 7:03pm

OK. I'm almost done! Here is the beast without paint.

I just added the eyes and cap an hour or so ago. I let it set for a bit and took these pictures: http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e9...s%20Orthocone/

Is it worth the wait ???

- Leelan