#paleoart
Remarkably, both fossilized bones and frozen tissues from Aurorus have been uncovered by researchers. Having such complete remains has allowed scientists in the Kalos region to not only hone the process of fossil revival, but also make exciting new discoveries. For instance, it was long speculated how a large creature like Aurorus could survive in the cold climates the rock record suggests it lived in. Analysis of preserved blood revealed high levels of glucose, which helps to keep cells from freezing even at very low temperatures
I played around with the formatting, lighting, and texturing for this one. I think a lot of the changes were for the better, but it may mean I have to go back and fix up Rampardos and Aerodactyl later. A bit painful since these take so long to do, but I think it’ll be worth it.
So last year I had this idea about doing some semi-caricatured sketches of fossil elephant species, then putting them together in a kind of size chart set up. But I ended up doing some other pieces in the middle of it and never came back to it.
Since tomorrow is World Elephant Day, I figured now was as good a time as any to bring it all back up and show what I had. I may come back to this idea again, but I think this piece is done. I’ve learned a lot since starting it, and I probably wouldn’t continue in the style I started it in. The first pic is kind of a mashed together mock-up of where I wanted to take it.
Hope you enjoy this look into the process of an early, unfinished piece.
Prehistoric Pokémon - Tethys
One of the first fossil Pokémon to be revived by Cinnabar Island scientists, Aerodactyl is a landmark in the field of Poképaleontology. This large creature used its broad wings to soar on thermal air currents over the ancient seas. Long, needle-like teeth helped to hold and shred prey, thought to be primarily fish and other coastal sea life. The recently discovered phenomenon dubbed “Mega Evolution” has been found to affect Aerodactyl, and specimens who have mega evolved have brought into question the authenticity of the fossil revival process.
Aerodactyl has arrived! I never realized how big this guy is. That height is straight from the game, and the wingspan is approximated off the in-game model as well. It’s no Quetzalcoatlus, but Aerodactyl is big enough not to be taken lightly.
Though the tall, domed skull of Rampardos was thought to have been used primarily in either self-defense or intraspecfic combat, scientists now believe it was used primarily a display structure. The bony, bright blue structure could potentially deter potential predators or other Rampardos from a fight, or even attract mates. If any would-be attackers were not deterred however, it was certainly well equipped for battle with a thick, spiky hide, and a mean disposition.
This is the first of my art pieces showcasing my fossil/dinosaur team I used in Ultra Sun! It took a while to get the composition and lineart for this piece done, but it’s finally finished. The other 5 pokémon from my team should be coming soon since a lot of the hard work has already been done.
Also, this was the first piece I made with the idea of potential art prints in the future, so keep an eye on that if this interests you…
Dinovember Day 20.
ARapetosaurus krauseiand Majungasaurus crenatissimus engaged in interspecific (different species) combat in the midst of a drying marsh.
I haven’t done that many drawings of these two particular animals, so this was a lot of fun. Abelisaurs always have such bizarre and interesting anatomy, CarnotaurusandMajungasaurusespecially.And of course, titanosaurs are just awesome.
Considering that we don’t have any adult specimens of Rapetosaurus, I was a little unsure of how big, at least in terms of height, to make it here. Ultimately, I went for a height that was a little bit more modest, though I probably should have made it taller.
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TwoDromaeosaurus fight over a small mammal found in the snow. The one on the right is way more concerned with the mammal than the fight and that’s probably a bad thing.
I’m pretty happy with this and the piece for yesterday for pulling a twofer.
Avimimus running over the tiny dunes. I like to imagine that music from The Lion King is playing over this. You know the one.
Also might go for a double post tonight and catch up with the days, which would be neat.
Anchiceratops at the watering hole with other Horseshoe Canyon Formation contemporaries, Pachyrhinosaurus canadensisandEdmontosaurus regalis.
I’m a little behind on my drawings as you may be able to tell, but it’s fine. I can probably catch up again before too long.
Dinovember Day 19: Chasmosaurus Running
They’re running alright- away from the jaws of two hunting Dysplateosaurus, although it doesn’t look good.
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Dinovember Day 18.
Scolosaurus cutleriwith other contemporary dinosaurs in a typical scene in Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada during the Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous period, some 76-75 million years ago.
In the background, a Gorgosaurusfaces off against a pair of Styracosaurus. A Corythosaurus and a Struthiomimus observe the confrontation, while a small group of Parasaurolophus, a lone Lambeosaurus and two Stegocerasare put off and begin to move away. Passing by the grazing Scolosaurus in the foreground, a mating pair of Stenonychosaurus prowl the undergrowth looking for prey. A small mammal, Deltatheridium,is perched on a nearby log while foraging. Off in the distance, three migrating Quetzalcoatlussoar over the forest.
Despite my fondness for a lot of the dinosaurs that lived in the Dinosaur Provincial Park region, I don’t frequently draw that many scenes from this particular locality and point in time. I guess I always sort of preferred drawing scenes from Maastrichian Hell Creek. Nevertheless, I still am fascinated with the Dinosaur Provincial Park fauna and really enjoyed working on this scene. It gave the chance to experiment a bit more with the colors and draw some animals I haven’t really done in a long time.
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Day 18: Brontosaurus with another contemporary dinosaur (dryosaurus)
“out of the way, coming through!”
I’m going to say it- I dislike drawing Sauropods so I mainly focused on Dryosaurus, but as you can see they’re avoiding a Brontosaurus that doesn’t care if it treads them underfoot- they’ve gotta be somewhere!
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Day 17: Baby Psittacosaurus
A family of Psittacosaurus go on a field trip through the forest.
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Dinovember Day 17: Bumblin’ Babies
A couple of baby Pelecanimimus inspired by excited baby emus. They hop around like little bipedal puppies when they get work up and it’s as great as it is potentially applicable to any dinosaurs.
Also why is Pelecanimimus’ name based on a pelican when they aren’t spelled the same way? It’s stupid.
Day 16: Plateosaurus in the rain
This Plateosaurus takes the rain in stride as its sticks its tongue out to collect that sweet sweet H20
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Dinovember Day 16: Saved for a Rainy Day
Hypacrosaurus caught out in the rain. This feels super atmospheric and I like how the rain effects came out.
A strapping, young Gargoyleosaurus in pencil.
How great would it be if there was one of these guys left alive and it just hung out on a church roof all day? And altar boys would get sent up to feed it all sorts of greens. Sounds like a children’s book. I better get royalties for this.
Also, halfway done with DrawDinovember! :D
Dinovember Day 14.
An injured old male Chasmosaurus russelli walking away after getting into a skirmish for territory with another younger, more ill-tempered male. During the fight, the younger male gauged a hole in the old male’s frill, broke off the tip of one of his brow horns and gored him in the shoulder. The hole gored into the old male’s frill is minor, but the wound in his shoulder will be the death of him…
I know that I already did a piece relating intraspecific combat for Dinovember already, but I figured it’d add something more to this one here.
Given that there are instances among modern animals where confrontations between members of the same species can result in fatal injuries, it’s safe to assume that the same would be true among some large dinosaurs. I’d imagine that at least on occasion, battles between large ceratopsians would result in severe, if not outright fatal injuries. Perhaps even simple scuffles for food or aggressive displays of strength made to settle territorial or mating disputes could have sometimes gotten out of hand.
I based the coloration of the Chasmosaurushere on the ones in Jurassic World: Evolution. The eye spots were my own creative embellishment.
(NOTE: I had literally no idea that the main #DrawDinovember challenge was doing Chasmosaurus today. So, me also drawing it today was purely coincidental.)
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APrenoceratops with an infected ankle. Not a “cool” injury by any means, but probably one of the more unfortunate. Whether you’re predator or prey, a busted leg is really bad.
I decided to show some extra “phases” since I thought they looked good. Not sure if the red color on the ankle comes through, but it sure is swollen. Also, look at me uploading one of these pieces early in the day!
Eotyrannus is out for a walk when she turns her head abruptly behind her. She’s almost sure she heard something fall into the ferns not too far back…
I thought it would be cool to try this more angular vector-type style for the prompt today and (while kinda frustrating) was still fun. I actually really like this look, even if I may not be returning to it soon.
