Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Dinosaurs/Image review

This board has a bias problem.

It’s very clear that the users of this board (and WP:PALEOART) have preferential treatment for User:Ddinodan. When he appeared out of nowhere in 2023, everyone immediately treated him as a king, plastering his work everywhere and replacing others’ work with his own as much as possible, with fewer or even no nitpicking before they’re used. They claim this is because his work is consistent and high-quality — a sentiment I agree with — but why replace other people’s illustrations, even when they’re just as good? And why, would some cladograms be exclusively or almost competely illustrated by Ddinodan pieces (e.g. Infernodrakon)? Why would his work higher be than others (even when it doesn’t seem necessary for them to be there, like on Gandititan, Sidersaura, and Jingiella, which were already illustrated by User:UnexpectedDinoLesson only for a Ddinodan piece to be tacked on when he uploaded it? Is it part of the VIP package to have all images used?) And why would very speculative pieces like his Adratiklit and Thyreosaurus be defended and used even in the face of genuine criticism (luckily, the Adratiklit issue was fixed)? Just to be clear, this isn’t meant as a personal attack on Ddinodan. I just want to point out how unfair it is for Ddinodan’s work to quickly get as much reach as possible, even replacing others’ work, with little to no criticism, while other people (particularly UnexpectedDinoLesson) get criticized and take very long to approve and use (if ever). 2001:4453:50A:D400:93:7278:83E2:8461 (talk) 07:29, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

Ddinodan's work is used because it is consistent and of high-quality, as you agree with in your message. It usually passed review quickly not because we treat him 'as a king', but because the reconstructions closely follow the provided references (though this is not always the case, see the reconstruction of Tameryraptor for an example). Cladograms especially benefit from reconstructions in the same style/pose, as those allow for easier comparison (at small size).

Frankly I find your use of language and conduct unsuitable for Wikipedia discussion. Assuming preferential treatment, 'treated him as a king', 'is it part of the VIP package'. In the end, WP:DINOART is not about giving artists reach, but making sure that Wikipedia features accurate, up-to-date illustrations of Dinosaurs, which Dan provides. The Morrison Man (talk) 13:47, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

• We use whatever restoration available that's most anatomically and artistically fitting for a given taxon. Often Dinodan's is the best we have for a given taxon, but other times we have equalent alternatives which are often used instead, see for example spinosaurids, so there is no preferential treatment. FunkMonk (talk) 16:11, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

The issue of UDL's artworks taking longer to approve is because they typically post multiple artworks at the same time under a single header, so obviously they will take longer to review and approve. That's not a consequence of "favoritism", that's just a consequence of the format by which the artist has chosen to have their works reviewed.

I also don't understand what you mean by "only for a Ddinodan piece to be tacked on". Its almost always better to include more images in an article for illustrative purposes. Many articles have multiple life reconstructions of a single taxon. You're framing the use of a single artwork to represent a taxon as a bad thing if the artist is Ddinodan, but you're also framing the use of multiple artworks to represent a taxon as a bad thing if one of the artists is Ddinodan. Its a little silly, and this kind of instigating is inappropriate for an encyclopedia. If you have personal grievances against one of our artists, you can make a blog about it. Continuing to bring this up on wikipedia when everyone involved has thoroughly addressed your complaints is just wasting everyone's time. A Cynical Idealist (talk) 20:44, 28 May 2025 (UTC)