Here is the story behind my portrait and 3D model of Zuul.

8-9 years ago, when Zuul first appeared in the news, I was excited to create a portrait of this fascinating ankylosaur. As many of you know, ankylosaurs and ceratopsians are among my favorite dinosaurs to reconstruct.

As I always do, I started by researching the available material. Unfortunately, at the time I couldn’t find enough reliable references. Different reconstructions varied quite a bit, and many details were unclear. After working on the illustration for a while, I gradually lost interest and moved on to other projects.

Last year, I traveled to Toronto, Ontario. Along with the obligatory visit to Niagara Falls, I made a stop at the Royal Ontario Museum, where I finally saw the famous Zuul mummy in person – they put the entire fossil on display. Seeing the specimen up close was an entirely different experience. I took hundreds of photographs and, once back home, spent a great deal of time studying the scientific data and references available.

That visit reignited my interest in the animal, and I returned to the project with fresh enthusiasm. My goal was to create what I believe is the most accurate 3D reconstruction of Zuul currently possible, along with an artistic interpretation of its appearance based on the preserved skull and anatomy. Along the way, I tried to address some of the inconsistencies I have noticed in previous reconstructions, such as inaccurate osteoderms and their arrangement, oversized heads, and other anatomical details which were off on many depictions and figurines. Which is unfortunate, considering that Zuul is one of the most complete ankylosaur specimens ever discovered, preserving its armor intact – and it’s right there.

I thought why not do it as a whole animal, not just a head and a portrait, but the whole animal in 3D. The result is the model and portrait you see here. I reproduced almost every osteoderm and armor element as preserved, correcting for distortion. I compared each section of the armor with my sculpture to create a sense of how it might have appeared in life, while idealizing certain aspects. I made the reconstruction fairly symmetrical, even though the fossil exhibits asymmetry in many areas. However, reproducing that asymmetry would have been much more difficult and time-consuming, and it was not the goal of the project at the time.

To test the accuracy of the digital sculpture, I printed it in several different sizes. I must admit that the tiny miniature version turned out especially charming! It feels like a prickly pine cone in your hand.

At this point, I have not decided whether I will offer the digital model for sale, but I can produce physical prints for anyone who may be interested.

I have also completed a traditional portrait of Zuul on a dark background, using the model as a reference for the viewing angle, composition, and lighting, which accompanies this project.

P.S. There is another exceptionally well-preserved dinosaur mummy that I feel has not yet received the reconstruction it deserves: Borealopelta. Perhaps that should be my next project.