leps

[birder]

This swallowtail is the free one from canon 3d
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/e...v/IMG_1518.jpg
it got me to thinking about all the other nice butterflies, as it is an easy but
pretty model, so today tried my own Lorquin's Admiral
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/e...v/IMG_1522.jpg
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/e...v/IMG_1523.jpg
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/e...v/IMG_1524.jpg
still working on details, but I like these, durable realistic lepidopteras that would
be nice representations of the real thing, I'm still having fun with this!

[Don Boose]

Beautiful!

So far, all we have flitting around the garden are white cabbage butterflies, but as the shrubs blossom, I look forward to many more throughout the summer.

Don

[dansls1]

Very nice models!

[birder]

Thank you my friends, today have a mourning cloak roughed out, and Don I am working on the steamboat, but more time intensive, hard without plans, just one photo. I won't be able to call it a scale model, really only a general idea type model

[Ashrunner]

Very nice models, birder...but ya done stole my thunder. 8v)

I have been working on "North American Butterflies" models for a while now. Was thinking of releasing them by state (Oregon first, of course). The wings have been fairly easy to sketch out, but time consuming to color (have only done one set so far - California Sister). Are you pasting images of the wings on the outline? With the sister, I used a photo of the flat wings and drew the outline and color markings in TurboCAD, then exported and colored. It was just a test to see how it would work, so there wasn't any scaling in the design.

Where I am having trouble is in the body. I thought about flat bodies similar to the Canon butterfly and another I saw elsewhere, but I like the idea of a 3D body and having the butterfly lifesize, makes that a difficult task. However, while I have been typing this I have come up with an idea to make the bodies easier. Thanks for the inspiration 8v)

Damn...I gots waaaaayyyyy too many model designs going at this time.

[birder]

Really? Well I'll be. Maybe we could collaborate, I'm planning to do just a few, though. I'm using photoshop to size and trim, was thinking about a more elaborate body for the Cerissy sphinx, or just any large sphinx, as one of my favs too, and some nice little blue, and maybe a sara orangetip for a sulphur-....I'm getting carried away perhaps...

[Ashrunner]

Go wild with your's, but if you figure out an easy way to do a decent lifesize body, let me know. It will be a long time before I finish all the leps I have on my list.

But have decided to go with the California Sister as the testbed for the idea I came up with typing the above. If it works, it's easy to resize the initial wing designs. I'll release it to the world to see if the body idea works.

But tracing over each wing on some of these little bugs is not easy...hehehe. Some of the bodies my be a problem also.

I use the checklist located here to determine which ones to work on. Then google the particular species. The leps haven't been a high priority, but I was looking at the workplan a couple of days ago, thinking I should put more time in it. Maybe a collaboration would be beneficial.

[Phil]

Originally Posted by birder

....I'm getting carried away perhaps...

I believe Michelangelo may have said the same thing...

Very worthy project!

[birder]

that is really neat, Ash, good luck with your plan, I'll try to make mine accessable for anyone who wants them when I get them fixed up a bit. The mourning cloak is pretty, glued it up at work today, but no time to clean it up with photoshop yet, and it is amazing that you chose such a closely related butterfly to the Admiral. We have been putting local bugs we find dead in resin, now with little labels, for about 5-6 years , so getting a collection, beetles look great in resin, but not leps. This option is so cool, you can enjoy them up close without having to collect them. (Most of my leps came off the radiator or the road!)

[birder]

mourning cloak-rough and improved lorquin's admiral
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/e...v/IMG_1527.jpg
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/e...v/IMG_1526.jpg
not Michelangelo, but who knows? The actual leps sure are nice...