That's wicked Iruka!! And by wicked I mean cool!! Wish I could draw like that! I only do little cartoons.

Thanks, Jacob.   Cartoons are cool, though.  I may end up drawing one sometime when I sit down and don't know what I'm going to draw.

:D 

Damn, that's impressive. 

I wish I could draw like that! 

That is great work Iruka. I am not much of an artist, though I have been told that the way scare people is a true art form.

I sure wish I could draw instead....

Now, now.   Your humor is a true art form, so you are very artistic in at least two areas that I know of.  Perhaps jce could elaborate and tell us of a third?

Another thing to sue over if small, feathered dromaeosaurs could hire lawyers. They lived in the lower Cretaceous (early Cretaceous), so I was off by, oh, 40 million years or so.

D'OH! I should at least put a decent left foot on the fellow. Reading the description, his humerus is way too short. Maybe next time, poor fellow.

Well, he is different in that his crest is on his neck like a hawk-headed parrot or harpy eagle. Maybe he's a retarded, deformed species of microraptor.

Awesome artwork!  You should come up with an idea for a story-line, maybe something along the lines of a dinosaur planet or middle earth fantasy.  You might draw (no pun intended) the interest of a comics publisher, or just sell your art.  But do what art you want and don't worry what others want.  First and foremost enjoy what you do.

OK, let me try posting these again.  If you haven't noticed--and I'm sure you have--the server has been eating posts. I threw some money at it, hoping it will respond to the bribe.  Hmm...I've never tried that in my little shop in the back room.  (I tinker with computers.)  Maybe I should. 

Anyway, I encourage you to also throw a little money at the server here: http://tinyurl.com/3x6jr6 <-- FOR THE RRS SERVER 

I have two new entries in my Art Journal: "Forbidden Love" and "Microraptor zhaoianus vs. Xianglong zhaoi."  Try saying that last one five times fast.

When I start these journal sketches, I usually have no idea what I'm going to draw, so some of it ends up off the page.   I didn't use models for these, although I did look at a life restoration of Xianglong zhaoi so I could get his head and dimensions right (or close to right).  The restoration was in a completely different position than the lizard I drew.

Microraptor zhaoianus and Xianglong zhaoi were found in the rich, lower Cretaceous fossil bed in Lionang Province, China.  Microraptor zhaoianus was a four-winged dinosaur in the dromaeosaur group (related to Velociraptor, Utahraptor, Deinonychus, etc.).  Xianglong zhaoi was a gliding lizard. 

Interestingly, this adaptation has evolved many times in small lizards and lizard-like reptiles throughout history.  The first known example was a lizard-like reptile in the late Permian (before dinosaurs): Coelurosauravus.

If you’re interested in convergent evolution, I highly recommend Sean Carrol’s Making of the Fittest, which tells the story of DNA.  It explains why convergent evolution is so common and even shows how the entire history of life on Earth can be read in DNA. 

______________________

"Forbidden Love"

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"Microraptor zhaoianus vs. Xianglong zhaoi "

Heeeeeeer kitty kitty!

Is this a fictional creature or a representation from an actual fossil? 

Cool. I'll bet you could do killer fantasy dragons and creatures. Mine always look weird. Like factory rejects or something.

Well, I've started a new, ratty notebook. My art was starting to get too “serious” which scared me, so I decided to do something light-hearted.  It still shows an interest in paleontology.  I wish there was a good museum around here...

I like the disappointing truth about megalodon, it's hilarious.

This is the first colored-pencil piece I've worked on in close to twenty years.  It's not finished yet.  I pretty much pulled it out of my ass without thinking too much.  I needed to "just do it":

Parasaurolophus Feeding on an Unfinished Cycad:

-Snip-

I finished it.  See post below.

Thanks.  I'm still working on the cycad he's getting ready to eat.  The last full color drawing I did was before the Internets™.  This time, I was able to find lots of cycads, ferns and Parasaurolophus bones and restorations online.  Much easier.

Now I'll give you my justification for the coloration.

1. Paleontologists believe hadrosaurs moved in herds.  An animal that large moving in herds would not necessarily need to blend in to its environment.  In fact, for the adults, blending in might be a rather futile evolutionary adaptation.  Zebras are a case in point.  Scientists are still quibbling over exactly what purpose the stripes serve.

2. Even a brightly-colored animal can disappear if the pattern breaks up the animal's outline.  Parrots are brightly colored and it's still difficult to see them when they hold still.  A lot of parrots are green, but most have really bright reds, yellows, blues, etc.  Some of the bigger parrots are solid red or solid white.  Even a gaudy creature like my Arizona Mt. kingsnake (red, black, and white) can hide if he holds still because the pattern breaks up the outline of his body.  One of his biggest enemies is the bird of prey, which can see in color.

3.  Dinosaurs probably saw in color because their closest relatives, birds and crocodilians, also see in color.  It stands to reason color would be important to them.  Birds are the closest relatives of dinosaurs and many of them are very brightly colored, even though they're on the menu of all kinds of predators.  In the springtime, many birds of temperate regions forgo their plain look and adopt gaudy spring colors.  This may put them more at risk, but there is an evolutionary benefit.  It's quite sexy being able to say, "Hey, look at me.  I'm so fit, I can afford to wear this gaudy outfit."  The most brightly colored bird wins. 

Male Parasaurolophus had a long horn.  Currently, scientists believe this was a resonance chamber for calling.  I think it was also ornate and colorful, as well...at least during breeding season.  The male that can "afford" the gaudiest outfit is the most likely to reproduce in many species of birds.  The same could have held true for dinos.

That's my "rationale" response.

Again: thanks for the feedback.  I think I'll continue my artwork comeback.  When I'm in the moment, it is very relaxing despite perceived outside pressures.

Here's a restoration of Utahraptor I did a couple of days ago: