Drawn in Time

TRILOBITE TRIARTHRUS

2010-07-03T00:19:00.000-07:00

A4 Collage in green paper.

This trilobite was found in the Burgess Shale and illustrated and detailed in Stephen Jay Gould's 'It's a Wonderful Life'

I've also used text from Stephen Jay Gould's book in this work. I enjoyed the construction of this piece and wanted to make a big deal of the intricacies of the creature. I found that cutting and sticking tiny bits of paper did this well. The tentacles are a photocopied tin can.

A collage homage to trilobites.

Spent the rest of the day with bits of green trilobite stuck to my fingers. Not the look of chic sophistication women crave.

THERIZINOSAUR - LINO PRINT - A4

2010-02-24T01:55:00.000-08:00

The finished print.

THERIZINOSAUR 6 - FINAL CUT

2010-02-19T05:39:00.000-08:00

Here is the finished piece of lino.

Next I'll use it to make a print. Results of which wont appear for a few days when the ink has properly dried. Wet ink on my scanner is not a good idea and I have no camera at present.

THERIZINOSAUR 5 - MORE CUTTING

2010-02-19T04:59:00.001-08:00

Getting there...

THERIZINOSAUR 4 - NEXT FEW CUTS

2010-02-19T03:52:00.000-08:00

It's a jungle out there.

This lino is proving quite soft to cut which is good. The surface seems too shiny to me to hold the ink that I need to apply later. We shall see...

THERIZINOSAUR 3 - FIRST FEW CUTS

2010-02-19T02:59:00.000-08:00

The light grey bits are where I have started to cut the image out of the lino.

THERIZINOSAUR 2 - ADDING THE DRAWING

2010-02-19T02:05:00.000-08:00

OK here's the drawing- in black felt pen - around which I will cut with a special lino cutting tool.

My Therizinosaur is more of a giant plucked chickenosaur. I've played on this a little and added cockerel like appendages.

Run chicken run...

Note that the writing is deliberately mirrored. This will appear the correct way round once printed- I hope-

THERIZINOSAUR 1 - LIVE FOR ART EVOLVED- LINO BLOCK

2010-02-19T01:29:00.000-08:00

Today I'm going to be working live (or half dead, as I'm feeling right now) on a lino print of a Therizinosaur for ArtEvolved's live blog spot.

It's 9:45 GMT and a beautiful sunny day for a change. Lots of natural light which is good because I'm not going to be able to see my image at all well on this dark grey lino! I've not used this kind before- more plasticy than the original sort I used to use as at college.

I'm ready with my preliminary studies ( basically a skeleton I downloaded with a flesh outline...a cheat I know but time is short!) I've tried various poses with this animal but found that a straight forward profile will fit the A4 lino best and I want a nice simple image.

I'm not sure whose work the actual skeleton is so apologies to the artist- hope you don't mind me using this to get an overall shape to my beasty?

Cetiosaurus oxoniensis - The Herd

2009-11-08T01:12:00.001-08:00

These two sections belong to one whole- annoyingly, I can't scan the whole thing or piece it together in potoshop without a seam appearing in the picture.

A local jurassic dinosaur herd depicted here. Remains of Cetiosaurs have been found in Oxfordshire England and can be seen in the Oxford University's Natural History Museum.

This painting was constructed for the ARTevolved sauropod gallery. Check it out for more gigantic beasts.

9. FINISHED CAMARASAURUS

2009-10-17T05:10:00.000-07:00

Bloody hell it's done. I never want to see another scale again.

8. NEARLY THERE

2009-10-17T03:02:00.001-07:00

Teeth in and ready for action. Coming together now.

7.NO TEETH!

2009-10-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

Gumasaurus! He lost his teeth in a fight last night- and his tongue apparently

Gave the background another coat of paint so lost the teeth. They weren't quite right anyway. The tongue was wrong wrong wrong- so I took it out. More scales.

Been working at this since about 8.30 this morning. 10 o'clock am now. Really looking forward to seeing what the guys at ART Evolved are going to be doing today.

Right- let's put those teeth back in shall we!?

6. AND MORE SCALES

2009-10-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well I've been at this now for 6.5 hrs- give or take a tea break or 5. There's no way I will finish this today as the light is beginning to fade and I can't mix colours in electric light. That's where computer artists have the upper hand.

Anyway it's getting there. I won't post again today but will be back 10 am tomorrow GMT.

Tara for now. Glass of wine is calling.

5. MORE SCALES

2009-10-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

75 scales, 3 cups of tea and a cheese roll later.

4. STARTING TO ADD THE DETAIL

2009-10-16T05:30:00.000-07:00

Just starting to add scales now. Very fiddly and time consuming. This is where I'm glad I didn't do a larger piece. At this point normally I start doubting myself. It's difficult to carry on until I reach a point where I can see it all coming together. Not quite there yet.

This is the no-mans land stage of painting.

Be back soon. need food.

3. FIRST GOUACHE COLOUR WASH

2009-10-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

Just a wash- Gouache is opaque unlike watercolour so I've kept it quite thin so that I can still see a feint pencil line through. This keeps me from losing track at an early stage. He's not too handsome at the moment- you wouldn't want to take him to meet your mother just yet would you?

2. INITIAL DRAWING

2009-10-16T03:16:00.000-07:00

I really must get some heavier paper. Slightly ripped it again in the paper stretching process but this painting is quite small- just under A4- so hopefully wont notice :-/

Outline drawing done. I've kept this simple so that I've a chance of completing it today.

LIVE ART BLOG - FOR ART EVOLVED- 1. PRELIMINARY -CAMARASAURUS HEAD

2009-10-16T01:58:00.000-07:00

It's 10 in the morning here in England and my first Live Art post for ART Evolved is my working sketches that I scribbled earlier this week. I generally read around the subject and gather info on the skull/skeleton which helps determine shape and contours. Habitat and dietary details all help with gaining an insight into colouring of skin, hair etc. and dental shaping. I've not made my mind up yet about colours so will be experimenting today. Will keep you updated.

I'm off now to stretch my paper- always a anxious affair... and work on the drawing ( Gonna grab some breakfast too ) Next post -coming sooooon.

Cetiosaurus oxoniensis

2009-09-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

Working preliminary drawing for the next Art Evolved gallery- Sauropods- This large beast roamed the mudflats of Oxfordshire, England at the end of the Jurassic.

Hurdia & Aysheaia

2009-09-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

Not my best piece of work but the cause of the most interesting research I've undertaken in a long time. Instigated by the Art Evolved Anomalocaridid gallery, I've been sucked in by these Cambrian creatures. Fascinatingly diverse and more complex than I ever imagined.
I've tried to mix arty background techniques with scientific accuracy in the creatures and it hasn't really worked. Too fussy and the compostion doesnt work at all. Hay ho- the first a many Cambrian- Burgess Shale works though. .never give in....

Darwinius Masillae

2009-06-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

Gouache on paper A3

This little creature is a primate from the Eocene epoch. There is only one known fossil discovered in 1983 at the Messel Pit in Germany.It's believed by many to be a significant link between anthropoid primate lineages.

I've placed her in her native tropical rainforest (said to cover the Messel Pit area 47 mya). The scene depicts daytime feeding, although her large eye sockets may suggest that she was nocturnal. (But there's no fabulous colours to paint in a night time scene!)

Dimorphodon

2009-06-15T04:19:00.000-07:00

Gouache on paper A3

Just a small fella in Pterosaur terms. Dimorphodon, as the name suggests had two types of teeth and is thought to have lived on the coast and also in woodland near rivers and lakes. Although the shape of the teeth suggest that Dimorphodon would have eaten fish I have depicted him as an opportunist feeder - Snapping up insects on the wing as a snack before a breakfast of fish and small amphibians .Mmmm.

Cotylorhynchus Romeri

2009-05-05T05:37:00.000-07:00

Ink on paper A4

An early Permian Synapsid that could reach up to 6 meters in length and weighed up to 2 tons. It had a disproportionately small head and fingers that could flex and grasp like our own.