Painting a Carnotaurus Sculpture - From Print to Finish

One of my all-time favorite dinosaurs finally made it off the printer and onto the painting desk. This Carnotaurus sastrei sculpture by Nikola Roglic had been on my list for a while, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it: a bold violet-gray gradient fading to a warm tan belly, with a desert scrubland base evoking Late Cretaceous Patagonia.

Here's how the build came together.

The Sculpt

The sculpt is by Nikola Roglic, the same artist behind my Stegosaurus piece. His work captures that balance between scientific accuracy and artistic presence that makes a sculpture feel alive on the shelf. After printing, I cleaned up the seams and hit it with a gray primer. Even at this stage you can see the detail in the scales around the mouth and those distinctive brow horns that make Carnotaurus so recognizable. The pose has real energy to it. Mouth open, body tensed, ready to move. I knew going in that I wanted to push the color palette. My instinct always drifts toward muted earth tones, so this time I committed to something bolder.

Painting The Body

The color scheme started with deep violet and magenta on the upper body, working down through a gradient into a soft tan underbelly. Classic countershading, but with a punch of color that you don't always see in paleoart reconstructions.

The inspiration came from modern cassowaries and other large birds that use striking colors for display and intimidation. There's no reason to assume theropods were all brown and gray. Carnotaurus with those display horns feels like a candidate for something more dramatic.

Building up the gradient took multiple thin layers to keep the transitions smooth. The scales and skin texture do a lot of the work once you get the base colors down. Washes settle into the recesses and bring out all that detail the sculpt provides.

The Base

The base needed to feel like late Cretaceous Patagonia. Dry, sparse, and sun-baked. I built up a desert scrubland scene with cracked orange-red earth, a weathered fallen log, scattered rocks, and clumps of dry yellow grass.

The cracked earth texture came from layering and scoring lightweight spackle before painting. Small dark puddles add a little visual interest and suggest a recent rain in an otherwise arid environment.

Mr. Carnotaurus seemed pretty excited about his new home. The base does a lot to sell the piece as a complete scene rather than just a figure on a stand.

Final Details

The mouth interior got the wet glossy treatment using 2-part epoxy resin. Same technique I used on my T-Rex trophy head. That realistic wet look on the tongue and inner mouth makes a huge difference in bringing the piece to life.

The eyes are a warm yellow-orange, and I added subtle striping on the body that's visible up close but doesn't overwhelm the overall color story.

The whole piece sits on a black wooden display base with a signed metal nameplate reading "Carnotaurus Sastrei." That finishing touch takes it from painted model to display-ready collectible.

This one's now finished and looking for a home. Over 20 hours of painting and finishing work went into this piece, and it's one of my favorites to come off the desk. Sculpt: Nikola Roglic Painted by: Heavy Handed Studio One of one - no reproductions View the Carnotaurus in the shop here