Lesser Bowertyrants - All Yesterdays Contest Entry

I know, it's been awhile and I still haven't posted something on my blog here about the art show in January. I did want to do a quick update and post my second entry for Irregular Books' "All Yesterdays" art contest (entry #1 being my "Swamp Dragon" icthyovenator painting).

X-posted from my DeviantArt page:

I title this piece "Lesser Bowertyrants" - it depicts a courting pair of Gorgosaurus, with the male displaying his mating colors and feathers, offering his potential mate a Lambeosaurus skull trophy. The bower is an "avenue" type bower, with carefully arranged driftwood logs and scavenged bones on either side of a narrow aisle festooned with stones, bits of wood, and chunks of vertebrae - anything that is white or light in color. Other bowertyrants, such as the "Greater Bowertyrant", or Tyrannosaurus rex, create their bowers from strategically gnawed trees, adorned with the decapitated heads of triceratops or other prey animals. All species are able to cannibalize the more edible parts of their bowers in times of drought or famine, deriving an extra shot of calcium from the bones therein. Indeed, it is the very reason the male offers the choicest bits to his would-be mate - the extra calcium in the offered bones allows for better egg production and a healthier brood.

"Game of Bones"

I had originally planned on adding additional sketches of other species of bowertyrant, including T. rex (greater bowertyrant), Albertosaurus, and the more distantly related Tarbosaurus, but time got away from me. As you can see from the sketch on the left, the greater bowertyrant's "love palace" is quite different, and more grim, than it's smaller cousin's, inspired in part by the Nature article on how T. rex may have butchered his Triceratops prey.

In other news, Scott Elyard and I will be putting on an art show in Homer, AK next month. More on that soon.

All Yesterdays Contest Entry - "Bowertyrants"

#AllYesterdays and #10oclockart entry - "Bowertyrants"

Something to fill the gap while I draft something up for a synopsis of our show opening in Anchorage this month.

I give you Gorgosaurus libratus - or as I am calling here, the "lesser bowertyrant" - in wild turkey livery, puffing up for an as-yet-painted female, showing off some choice items from the collection of bones, stones, and driftwood that make up his bower.

I will include other notes and sketches detailing the gregarious behavior of young males, banding together to bring down large game to add to their collections, and how as they age, they become more solitary and confrontational, choosing to stick around their home territories. Thievery and vandalism is rampant among neighboring mature males, and such acts often lead to violence, injury, or even death if the neighbor happens to be caught in the act. The strongest and most ferocious may even display the skulls of their bested rivals - a surefire way to impress a potential mate.

Conchoraptor gracilis - "Nemegt Sunrise"

#10oclockart PM edition - It's FINALLY finished! Sorta.

Nemegt Sunrise © 2012 Raven Amos

This is the "finished" version of Conchoraptor that is going in the upcoming Archosaurs and Automata art show. Eventually I will return to this and add in the missing elements to the painting to bring it back in line with the "Dino Zodiac" project.

The crab in its claws is purely speculative, given there is no fossil evidence of hermit crabs found in the Nemegt Formation. The shell that it inhabits, a species of Viviparus, is known from the neighboring Dohoin Usu fossil beds to the north, which are of a similar age to the Nemegt formation (Late Cretaceous).

Special thanks to Jamie Headden for the pointers on oviraptor anatomy, and to Scott Elyard for helping to keep me sane.

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References:

Ping, Chi; Granger, Walter. (1930). "Two new Cretaceous fresh-water gastropods from Mongolia". American Museum Novitates; No. 437.

Archosaurs and Automata Update

Progress report on the #ArchosaursandAutomata art show.

Conchoraptor progress...

The Indiegogo campaign for the upcoming "Archosaurs and Automata"art show is over, and while we only made 60% of our goal, Scott and I are still looking forward to putting up one awesome art show this January!

After talking with Jaime Headden of "The Bite Stuff" blog and showing him my progress so far on the Conchoraptor, I received some very helpful advice and pointers on the anatomy of this very strange theropod. I've also begun work on the poor, helpless creature in her claws - a hypothetical freshwater hermit crab that has taken up residence in the shell of an ammonite (like this guy).

Geminiraptor and IndieGoGo Updates

#10oclockart PM edition - Some quick updates.

Geminiraptor progress...

Geminiraptor: As you may have noticed, I've been taken prisoner by the curly feathers on the neck. I think I used a French curve once or twice, but mostly the curves are all done freehand. I also worked on my proportions. Since Geminiraptor is estimated to be among the largest and oldest of the North American Troodon species, I gave it a more robust body style than some of its more derived cousins. I also added a more realistic moon and tried cambering it to look like the moon in Utah's sky.

...and a mechanical archosaur for the
Indiegogo campaign. Art by Scott Elyard.

Archosaurs & Automata IndieGoGo Campaign - Wow! We're nearly a quarter of the way there, and it's been less than a week. Scott Elyard has been working on a mascot and t-shirt design for the show, called "Clockwork Carnivore". It's a mechanical Euparkeria and it's stone-cold awesome. You can see a rough draft of it on the campaign website.

Conchoraptor Close to Completion!

#10oclockart PM edition - well, at least the main part of the image is almost complete.

Blocked in the baby and the crab the mother Conchoraptor is holding. Finished the sky and background, but I still have a ton of work to do - all of the Dinosaur Zodiac images will be placed in an art nouveau style "inset", complete with flourishes and the Zodiac sign and dates.

Dino Zodiac and Other Project Updates

#10oclockart PM edition - Conchoraptor progress.

Getting back to the Dino Zodiac project, as well as getting started on some exciting upcoming stuff, including a First Friday art show for the month of January at Modern Dwellers Chocolate Lounge in Anchorage, AK with myself and Scott Elyard. More on that soon.

In the meantime, I have changed out some designs and added some new items at my CafePress store (for real this time!), including a queen-size Troodon in the Rushes duvet cover.

Moonlight Huntress (Updated 11 Sept 2012)

#10oclockart PM edition - I finished the tyrannosaurus and triceratops painting for my friend's granddaugter.

The female tyrant in the foreground is based almost entirely off the "sitting t-rex" mount showcased during the 2011 Dinosaur Expo at the Natural Science Museum in Tokyo and was referenced from photographs on Wikipedia. Triceratops was actually recycled from a 2008 pen and pencil drawing, which I updated with a thicker tail and quills.

If you are interested in purchasing prints or other gifts with this design, please visit my DeviantArt and CafePress pages.

Hat tip to Jack Horner - "scavenger-style" tyrants seem to get no love from the paleo-art community, and while I don't agree that rexes were obligate scavengers, I doubt they would turn their nose up at a free meal.

UPDATE: I can't leave well enough alone - I fixed some things that were bugging me about the foreground, added some detail to the moon, and some moonlit details on the 'trike.

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References:

1.  Tomoaki, Inaba. August 28, 2011. Wikipedia - File:Tyrannosaurus resting pose.jpg <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tyrannosaurus_resting_pose.jpg> [July 10, 2012]

2.  Xu, X.; Wang, K.; Zhang, K.; Ma, Q.; Xing, L.; Sullivan, C.; Hu, D.; Cheng, S. et al. (2012). "A gigantic feathered dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of China." Nature 484: 92–95.

3. Horner, John R. and Lessem, Don. Simon & Schuster (1993). The Complete T. rex – How Stunning New Discoveries Are Changing Our Understanding of the World’s Most Famous Dinosaur.

Female Tyrant

In the middle of all the other stuff I've made for myself to do, I'm working on a present for a friend of mine's granddaughter, whose favorite dinosaurs happen to be Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops.

This is one of the two that will be in the scene - a brooding female. I'm fascinated by the concept of large feathered theropods, and since the discovery of Yutyrannus, I've been itching to do one of my own. Based loosely off a marabou stork.

Conchoraptor Face Detail

#10oclockart PM entry - details of the folds and wrinkles on Conchoraptor. I think I finally have that weird facial anatomy figured out...

Geminiraptor Face Detail

#10oclockart - PM edition. A close-up look at the facial detail of Geminiraptor.

Since it's only known from a partial maxilla, I had to "guess" at some features of its anatomy.

Dinosaur Zodiac Project - Gemini

#10oclockart PM edition (7 hours early) - Geminiraptor. I already pretty much knew what I wanted to do with this one, so I started the layout and general masses of color.

Dinosaur Zodiac Color Sketches

#10oclockart PM edition. First post in awhile - I suffer from "AADD," or "artistic attention deficit disorder." I've decided to start a new project in the middle of all my others involving theropods and the signs of the Zodiac. Here are some preliminary color sketches:

Starting from top left - Aries (represented by Achillobator); Taurus (with Carnotaurus); Gemini (Geminiraptor); Cancer (Conchoraptors and crab); Leo (Tyrannosaurus rex); Virgo (Alectrosaurus or "unmarried lizard"); Libra (Gorgosaurus libratus); Scorpio (Skorpiovenator); Sagittarius (Sinovenator); Capricorn (Ceratosaurus); Aquarius (Pelecanimimus); Pisces (Ichthyovenator).

Double Trouble

#10oclockart - Detail of a larger piece I am working on - a pair of Troodon fighting over a snail.

Corvidesque Troodon Sketch

Late #10oclockart entry - a troodon with corvid-like feathers showing something off screen who's boss. Caw.

Public Domain Troodon Silhouette

#10oclockart - Troodon formosus silhouette for PhyloPic.

 I have released this image into the public domain, so feel free to reuse this image as much as you like, for whatever purpose. The link above will take you to PhyloPic's website where a high-quality SVG file is available for download.

"Troodon in the Rushes" - Dinosaurs & Robots Art Show

Sparrowhawk photo by
Bence Mate courtesy of
www.hidephotography.com
 reposted with permission.

How do ideas come to life?  A deceptively simple question that has no concrete answer.  In my work, inspiration comes in many different forms.  It can be the shape of a tree sillouhetted against a setting sun, the way the light plays off the iridescence of the local magpies and ravens, the simple complexity of a fern or horsetail growing in the deep, cool boreal forest, or the flash of a predator's eyes as it stops for a refreshing drink.

When creating something that only exists in one's imagination, it is important to keep at least part of the work grounded in reality.  In the case of the painting "Troodon in the Rushes," I spent many hours researching not only the visual aspects of the work - art nouveau styles, iridescent bird feathers, and so on - but also the scientific aspects of paleoecology, paleobotany, and paleobiology.

What was the habitat of Troodon formosus?  Where could it be found?  The evidence for Troodon in the Alaskan fossil record is scant and scrappy - a few teeth ^{1, 2} and a couple partial braincases ³ are the only testament to their occupation of far northern climes during the Late Cretaceous (between 70 million and 69 million years ago).  Thankfully, more complete specimens have turned up in other locations such as Alberta, Canada and even as far south as Wyoming.

This image is certified "GSP-free," meaning
absolutely no Gregory S. Paul reconstructions
or by-products were used at any time in the
creation of this painting.

Reconstructing ancient ecosystems is not just limited to animal life - to create a realistic setting, one must also become aquainted with the flora of a particular locale or geologic epoch.  During the Late Cretaceous, ferns and horsetails were very common, filling niches that are claimed by grasses and flowering plants today.  Balmier temperatures in Alaska also meant that warm weather trees, such as gingko, proliferated quite nicely under the ancient Midnight Sun ⁴.

I would like to take this time to thank paleontologist Scott Hartman for the use of his skeletal reconstruction (and for taking time out of his busy schedule of being a "Force ghost" on the new Discovery Channel mini-series Dinosaur Revolution to critique my work), as well as Bence Máté  and Boglárka Somfalvi of Hide Photography for allowing the sparrowhawk photo above to be used as reference.

REFERENCES:

Aside from the obligatory use of Wikipedia, I also used the following source material:

1.  Fiorillo, Anthony R.; Gangloff, Roland A. (2000). "Theropod teeth from the Prince Creek Formation (Cretaceous) of Northern Alaska, with speculations on Arctic dinosaur paleoecology". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 20 (4): 675–682

2.  Fiorillo, Anthony R. (2008) "On the Occurrence of Exceptionally Large Teeth of Troodon (Dinosauria: Saurischia) from the Late Cretaceous of Northern Alaska" Palaios volume 23 pp.322-328

3. Fiorillo, Anthony R.; Tykoski, Ronald S.; Currie, Philip J.; McCarthy, Paul J.; Flaig, Peter. (2009) "Description of Two Partial Troodon Braincases from the Prince Creek Formation (Upper Cretaceous), North Slope Alaska".  Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29(1):178-187

4.  Knowlton, Frank H.; La Motte, Robert S. (1919) A catalogue of Mesozoic and Cenozoic plants of North America

If you are interested in purchasing prints, visit my DeviantArt page.

"A Cold Day Out" - Dinosaurs & Robots Art Show

As humans, we have all been guilty of prejudicial categorization - for example "creepy" and "crawly" things, like lizards and insects, are objects of scorn and revulsion, not generally synonymous with fine art or decoration.  This view was especially true during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, at the close of the 19th century.  Then, in 1897, French art nouveau painter M. P. Verneuil released his critically acclaimed design portfolio "L'animal dans la décoration," the pages of which were filled with glorious renderings of creatures that were once seen as disgusting, alongside more traditional "beautiful" animals - bats, bugs, and lizards in perfect harmony with peacocks, parrots, and dolphins. The balanced, graphical style of art nouveau breathed a new life and appreciation into these once reviled creatures and made them attractive to even the most dapper fashionplate of the era.

Albertosaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous era and is known
in Alaska from several bones and teeth discovered in the
Coville River basin near the North Slope during the 1980s.

Such was the inspiration for this image - dinosaurs, with larger theropods in particular, have been popularized through movies, television, and books as bloodthirsty, snarling beasts or scaly monsters. Few people realize that these magnificent ancient animals, like their avian kin, could have been devoted parents that tended to their young to give them the best possible chance at survival. With this painting of a young Albertosaurus mother and her brood of fluffy chicks, I utilized the principles of art nouveau and combined it with a scene that any Alaskan parent can relate to - taking the kids for a walk on a chilly fall or winter day - to illustrate this point and to cast a different light on these powerful, misunderstood beasts.

If you are interested in purchasing prints, visit my DeviantArt page.

Albertosaurus Update

Done with the mother - on to the babies! #10oclockart

Albertosaurus

Troodon is finished and off to the printer - now working on a neglected Albertosaurus painting. #10oclockart