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Tyler Keillor

@tylerkeillor.bsky.social

280 followers 110 following 33 posts

Dad, husband, paleoartist. Lab manager for Paul Sereno at University of Chicago Fossil Lab

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 23d

In support of Science, Art, Kindness to counter my sense of malaise over the state of the world these past years, Bluesky seemed a good change: here’s a timelapse of me basecoat painting my Tiktaalik sculpture recently for a new display in Singapore!

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 8d

Met this little guy casting a big Mothra shadow on our dog walk after work! #kaiju

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 12d

Driving home in Chicago today, a group of black SUVs w/ tinted windows swerved to block traffic & U-turn near a bus stop at an intersection (55th & Kildare), masked tactical wearing terrorists jumped out and ran down a residential street. I called: www.icirr.org/fsn
www.chicago.gov/city/en/site...

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 14d

Another repair I made at that same time (’99-‘00) to the ribs of the defeated Lambeosaurus…after a visitor apparently climbed over the railing & onto the mount to pose for a photo! Mainly cracked plaster filler on bent armatures, which I filled & painted to match with Bill Simpson‘s guidance

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 14d

The ramp was so close to the Apatosaurus that visitors could reach over the wall and grab the tail: here I am in ‘99 or ‘00 repairing a caudal that was snapped by a visitor (after receiving how-to instructions from Bill Simpson in Geology) back when I was on Exhibits Maintenance staff

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 16d

#SciArtSeptember -prompt today is Fellowship- I’m so grateful to the researchers out there who value the power of art to communicate to the public & collaborate with artists like me to realize these projects! My #paleoart Cyonosaurus yawned all the way to the Field Museum to join Arjan Mann’s team!

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 17d

Natural bristles from a brush glued onto snout, trimmed and painted for a subtle fuzzy display…I think it’s done! I‘ll add some final thoughts on my new Cyonosaurus sculpture in a follow up thread next-

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 17d

It’s debatable wether these guys had whiskers or fuzz of any kind, but Arjan was open to the idea, and the skulls do have interesting pattern of foramina which I could see supporting some kind of sensory features. Short lengths of nylon monofilament are used to suggest simple vibrissae

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 17d

Research team Naiomi & Arjan approved coloration direction & gave some suggestions as I refined the paint job. Last steps after this: to add protowhiskers and some fuzz, next!

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 17d

The acrylic teeth aren’t painted, but for the skin I use acrylic paint applied by hand with brushes in many layers; here’s the base coat, blocking out areas on the Cyonosaurus cast

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 17d

I used dental acrylic cast into the teeth, & tinted polyurethane resin slushed in layers for the skin, then filled w/ foam to backfill solid but lightweight. I don’t usually cast w/ the glass eyes in-place, but did this time & used darker resin there because that would work w/ color scheme planned

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 17d

3rd thread in my Cyonosaurus behind-the-scenes process:
First cast out of the mold here turned out great! Sometimes the first time I fill a new mold, I’m learning how to work with it & it isn't always a useable cast, but no major defects this time. My son gave a hand demolding🙏

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 17d

Beautiful little green-legged spider (could fit on my fingertip) spun a giant gleaming web across garden stairs. Go get ’em little guy!

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 18d

Last two posts in this mold-making process thread out of order, but anyway here’s the final mold, opened off of the clay Cyonosaurus sculpture. Next thread will highlight finishing & painting the cast!

Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 18d

A sharp xacto blade slices through the silicone along the thickened midline, & I use a little zig-zag while cutting so the halves will align well along this seam.

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 18d

The silicone mold of Cyonosaurus easily pops out of the plaster shell- now to get the rubber off of the clay sculpture…

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 18d

Opening the 2-part mother-mold shells after curing. A wedge of clay on the first plaster flange leaves a soft spot along the edge - after both sides are built - to insert a screwdriver to pry open the shells. Vaseline kept the left and right halves from bonding together.

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 18d

Kept It simple with burlap strips dipped in white hydrocal plaster to make the mother mold shells, after adding rectangular rubber keys onto the dividing wall margins so the two halves will have a perfect registration with each other.

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 18d

Along a thickened midline ridge of silicone, inserting T-pins, then covering with cling wrap, for a quick dividing wall separating left and right sides of the rubber mold. A rigid 2-part mother mold will be next.
Cyonosaurus #paleoart process

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 18d

After a few more layers of silicone w/ thickener to buildup final mold thickness, I applied release Inside the mouth and filled with a softer quickset silicone to make a removable plug, & here adding silicone button keys so the rubber mold won’t misalign inside the rigid mother mold that comes next

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 18d

Molding Cyonosaurus- third layer of silicone, this one with the sculpture rotated to get into the mouth more easily. Still not using any accelerator or thixotropic agent, to prevent air bubbles from getting stuck too close to the clay skin surface.
#paleoart process

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 18d

I’m so grateful for this commission: sculpted a life-reconstruction of the gorgonopsid Cyonosaurus for researchers Arjan Mann & Naiomi Cookson this summer. Previous thread on the sculpture, here I’m starting the silicone mold. First few layers are thin so bubbles aren’t trapped at the surface detail

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 19d

new thread will show molding and painting of the cast for anyone interested in the making of this Cyonosaurus bust…

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 19d

I looked at the wrinkles on the necks/jaws of yawning hairless cats to inspire the folds for my Cyonosaurus. There’s no clear fossil evidence for skin texture: what do you do for something that’s not a reptile & not a mammal? I gave it a coarse skin texture w/a stamp I made from a cool pebbly leaf!

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 19d

For #fossilfriday #paleoart process:
Bulked out Cyonosaurus clay sculpture. With approval from researchers Naiomi and Arjan, I dove into details next-

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Tyler Keillor @tylerkeillor.bsky.social · 19d

But how to flesh-out the oral margin? Not a mammal, so muscular lips unlikely; yet the enamel seems to point to covered teeth, so I’m going with simple lizard-like lips that seal the mouth when closed but yield when biting. Working out the lip-line before attaching the jaw-

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