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Nimkish — How to make 'unique' dolphins
Published: 2014-06-25 03:27:18 +0000 UTC; Views: 3114; Favourites: 64; Downloads: 0
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Description
There is a huge bias drawing orcas within the Cetacean Community because people believe their markings make it easier to make unique characters and other dolphin species are hard. In fact, other dolphin species are just as easy, if not easier, to make individual characters stand out.This is an example with bottlenose dolphin (And I didn't even get into the differences between the different species of bottlenose). There is SO MUCH MORE I could have added, like different body shapes. Fat ones, slim ones, short and long ones. Different shaped dorsals/beaks/tails/pecs. BUT this is just a simple example.
All of these dolphins are individual! You can easily tell them apart from one another based on skin colour, scars and markings. You don't have a lot of options of skin colour with orcas (Most are simply black and white, so you are limited). The range of skin colours and combinations you can use for dolphins is HUGE. The range of unique markings while maintaining realism is ENDLESS. If you were having realistic orcas, you are actually very limited.
I would love to see people drawing different species, as they are all unique and special
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Comments: 34
Ooh, when I was in Atlantis doing a dolphin interaction, our dolphin had blue-gray speckles all down her belly and on her face so it could also be helpful to note that dolphins can have like a bajillion little speckles everywhere instead of just a few larger spots
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Good point! Speckles like that are often a sign of age
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I've been wanting to do my own version of this to show even MORE ways to make a unique dolphin! Perhaps even with orcas to boot.
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Oh yes! That would be awesome. There is still so much I didn't get on here. This was done pretty quick and dirty, but it seems to be fairly popular. It would be cool to have more depth in the different variations you can get
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I'll have to work on it then. I got a lot of ideas from species to natural markings and even genetics for some color patterns, fin shapes, deformations.
Hope I'm not going to be in over my head
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Maybe make a series and break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces and upload them one at a time? I can't wait to see what you come up with
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Yep, I didn't even scratch the surface here! Thank you
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You have no clue how much I like this!! I am biased and don't like seeing crazy unrealistic markings/colors on phins, but this is great!!
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Thank you!
I'm the same. I cringe when I see the crazy colourations and markings. It's a shame because I always feel it ruins an otherwise really nice piece of art. But I guess other people enjoy it, so eh lol.
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I've made crazy ones, my bf is currently using my one design as his 'sona, so to speak, but I do prefer more realistic ones.
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You can also hybrid two species together to form a unique looking animal. My dolphin calf Tike is a bottlenose/striped hybrid and looks adorable!
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Gorgeous, just gorgeous... I'd love to see OCs of every single one of the 30+ dolphin species, hopefully this will encourage people. ;u;
It certainly inspires me. I attempt to write more-realistic-than-unrealistic novels/stories/etc about dolphins, and I sometimes have difficulty designing the characters, 'cause I get perfectionistic about making them realistic but possible for me to draw like that again... this reminds me that that sort of thing can be very possible indeed though... ;u;
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Thank you!
I've actually been keen to draw an Indo-pacific humpback dolphin, just because I'm particularly fond of them and they're super cool looking.
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That would be cool. They really are lovely dolphins and I don't think I've seen any OCs of that species yet. ;u;
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There needs to be more non orca OCs. *nodnod* I have a pilot whale one myself.
Nice guide. Keep at it.
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Pilot <3 They're magnificent. I'm actually surprised it's one of the species less drawn, actually!
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I absolutely love this. I generally prefer dolphins over orcas anyway, because as you say, there's a lot more options for realistic markings and variations in colour in dolphins than in orcas (not that I object to others preferring orcas - if we all liked the same thing, it'd be boring, wouldn't it?) But it's really nice to see so many options all laid out together like this. And I also didn't know about the fact that dorsal fin collapse can happen in dolphins too, so now I feel inspired to draw one.
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Yeah, dolphins have neat markings!
The dorsal collapse is a lot rarer with dolphins because their dorsals are a lot shorter which makes them stronger. But it does happen!
dolphinstudy.com/STUDY/IMAGE/S…
www.scielo.br/img/revistas/bjo…
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Admittedly I've been guilty of thinking of bottlenoses as 'boring' too (favourite species are Atlantic White-Sided and Striped, because pretty markings), but they really do have some cool markings and come in fascinating colours. I saw a photo in a book once of a kind of golden brown one that was really pretty. I dunno if it was a misprint or something, as I've never been able to find another picture like it, but it really was one of the most gorgeous dolphins I've ever seen.
I would guess that dorsal collapse in dolphins is more likely to occur as a result of illness or injury, since their dorsals are so much smaller and less prone to the effects of gravity.
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Ahhhh, yes! Great job. A lot of the orcas people are drawing look, how do I put it? Silly. Yes, silly. You have created a wide range of individuals here while not going into crazyland. Well done!
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Yeah I prefer realistic markings myself. I try to make my characters unique but still looking like they could appear in real life. In my opinion it makes the characters a lot prettier then crazy, unrealistic markings.
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I have a bias towards orcas simply because I enjoy them more. That's not to say I don't enjoy other species as well, just not as much 
Nice guide, either way. Although it has little to do with the designs themselves, I just love your style, no matter which cetacean species you're drawing
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I love orcas too. My gallery proves that hehe. But I have actually heard people say they draw orcas because its hard to make unique dolphins because they don't have special markings and they all look the same. But this is not true and why I made this.
Thankyou very much!
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Ah, I appreciate the explanation and thank you very much for being so kind about it!
You're very welcome!
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Ah yes. The cetacean community in general I find to be extremely aggressive and defensive. I do try to avoid the controversy as much as possible now! : P
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I don't blame you. I avoid debating/arguing like the plague and do my best to be kind and respectful, but people still feel the need to be nasty to me at times.
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This is so true. Far to many people give their characters, dolphin AND orca crazy and odd markings and patterns. Theres so much more you can do to make your character stand out besides making marks of strange shapes and designs.
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I completely agree! Thanks : D
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IT'S NOT ORCA'S SHUN ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT, YOU HAVE SINNED, REPENT!
Actually their quite nice, get ready for the shit storm of orcaboo's copying this shit and making OC's that are spaggled as hell. :-D I like the flopped dorsal 1 he's cute.
great work. <3
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Hahhaa.
Well most of these designs I actually copied from real dolphins!
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Ohh I know, I did a whole page of dorsals just for fun. *u* I love the thinking of things ahaa.
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