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.

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.

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...

Why I Love Digital Paint

#10oclockart early PM entry - This is why I love doing artwork in the digital age.

Before...

The face of this Conchoraptor looks more like a parrot than an oviraptorid - something I didn't pick up on until I started working in the wrinkles and folds in the skin. Back in my pen and ink days, this would have resulted in much wailing and cursing as I accidentally erased bits I didn't mean to, or the bits I wanted to erase wouldn't completely disappear after several attempts, or I tear the page because I erased one too many times in the same spot.

...and after!

Now, thanks to the power of digital paint (and the internet, which pointed me to delicious oviraptor skeletal reference by Jamie A. Headden), there will be no more hair-pulling or wailing while walking widdershins around my apartment. I just selected the offending "jawline", wrinkles and all, and moved it up for a more proper oviraptor profile. This is still amazing to me.

Dinosaur Zodiac - Cancer

#10oclockart entry - Conchoraptor with a crab. 

Taking a little break from Geminiraptor and getting a jump on Cancer. I'm thinking "budgie-come-seabird" in purples, yellowish-greens, and blues on this one.

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).

New Items at my CafePress store!

I've included hoodies, changed out some designs, and added the Pachyrhinosaurus size chart design on some items. Visit and see what's new!

Pachyrhinosaurus Size Chart

#10oclockart - Size comparison between Pachyrhinosaurus, Alces alces, and Homo sapiens. One square to one foot scale.

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.

New items at my CafePress store!

After many years, I have blown the dust off and cleaned the cobwebs off my CafePress storefront, and added a bunch of new items including iPad and iPhone cases, t-shirts, and more!

I'll be adding even more items in the future with different designs, but I think this is a good start. If you have any suggestions or requests, drop me a line!

Ginger Sketch

#10oclockart for tonight - Ginger (Zingiber officinale) leaf and flower studies.

Late-Night Mesozoic Plants

#10oclockart tonight consists of Zamia furfuracea (in purple) sketches from a live specimen and Zingiber officinale from photographs (in green).

Colored Pachyrhinosaurus

 #10oclockart Trying to move away from the blue and orange color combination. Now I'm into green and purple.