Just finished the sound design for this:
Let me know what you think. The director has plans to adapt further Lovecraft stories into short animations like this one, so I’ll hopefully be working with him in the future. It was a fun little project, and I think the idea of doing a series of adaptations of spooky shorts based on stories by Lovecraft has a lot of potential.
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus with jaws agape trawls for mesozoic fish. Reconstruction of the Cretaceous ecosystem recorded in the Kem Kem beds of Morocco. Illustration by Brian Engh under the scientific guidance of Tor Bertin.
The big gnarly looking fish in the foreground are of the genus Lepidotes, reconstructed based primarily on L. maximus. These fish had rows of flat peg shaped teeth adapted for crushing mollusks, and the one foremost in the frame is eyeing an aquatic snail grazing on the algae-covered driftwood. In the background a couple large predatory tarpon (Cladocyclus pankowskii) can be seen gliding along stealthily. In the foreground observing everything is a giant side-necked turtle (Galianemys whitei). Further back in the frame, swimming around the Spinosaur’s hip area are some small fish that we shall say are of the genus Diplomystus. Between the two spinosaurs another Galianemys swims. In the foreground in front of the background Spinosaur a lungfish (Ceratodus humei) patrols the bottom for molluskan prey, ambling along on its leg-like fins. Just right of the lungfish two large cretacious gar of the genus Oniichthys survey their domain. Way in the back just to the right of the background Spinosaur, a school of Lepidotes and a sawshark (Onchopristis numidus) flee in the wake of the Spinosaur’s piscivorous predation. In the air above the Spinosaurs flies and dragonflies buzz about as Tepejarid and Siroccopteryx/Coloborhynchus pterosaurs soar majestically above.
I did this illustration for a paper being published by a paleontologist named Tor Bertin. It was super exciting to work with a scientist on a paleo illustration for the first time. He provided me with the science that made reconstructing this environment possible as well as the grounding to keep my imagining of these animals vibrant and believable without becoming overly speculative or sensational.
Obviously Spinosaurs are really weird looking dinosaurs, so for this illustration I was attempting to imagine them in a behavioral routine that made sense of their very strange anatomy. It is clear from spinosaur teeth and jaw structure that they have adaptations specific to catching fish, and there is evidence in their bone chemistry that Spinosaurs spent much of their time submerged in water. Also, it appears that spinosaurs had pressure sensing pores in their jaws, similar to crocodiles. These pores allow crocodiles to hunt by sensing the movements of fish in the water around their jaws. All that makes sense for a fish eating predator… So why a huge sail?
The best I can do here is speculate based on the observable behavior of extant animals. It occurred to me that crocodiles, grizzly bears (particularly when hunting salmon runs) and hippos might be good analogues for Spinosaur behavior. All are large, territorial animals that spend some (bears), most (hippos), or nearly all (crocodiles) of their time in rivers. As a result they all do a lot of territorial posturing to defend their stretch of the river. Bears, bellow and stand on their hind legs, hippos vocalize, raise their head and bear their tusks, and crocodiles do a lot of subtle body posturing with their back and head, as well as some vocalization. Of course with crocs a lot of these behaviors are more subtle because stealth above the water is key to their predatory success. Spinosaurs don’t appear to have been well equipped for killing anything other than fish, so a huge display structure above water wouldn’t have hindered their success as hunters. Rather, it might’ve allowed them to broadcast their body language further while at the same time keeping those sensitive fish-trap jaws down in the water hunting. It could also have helped display to mates. In all, it would’ve allowed Spinosaurs to communicate with body language above the water, while still actively hunting below the water. This would’ve increased food intake and decreased combative encounters while at once helping to attract mates. All of which would’ve contributed to greater survival for the individuals with big beautiful communicative sails.
That’s what I was thinking when I drew this, anyway… Let me know what you think.
Thanks for stopping by!
So this is what I’m trying to finish today:
I need to finish coloring it. Its actually much closer to finished than what you see here, but I didn’t feel like putting up a partially colored version.
Also I (finally) finished this pair of vases (pictures are of front and back):
The one on the right came out exactly as I intended. The other split slightly in the front, but the same glaze did some different neat things because it was in a different part of the kiln…I suppose I’m happy with them… There’s always unpredictability in ceramics.
These were a commissioned gift for a relative. I do commissions whenever I can, and I will be selling a variety of handmade things, from ceramic art, to dmwd t-shirts, and prints of my illustrations (such as the spinosaur illustration above) on my Etsy page. Also if you ever see something up on this site that you like that I haven’t put up on my etsy page, feel free to contact me directly.
I mentioned in a previous post that I was working on building a miniature of a giant victorian-style factory machine for a short film. Well, it’s finished!
The blank area in the front will be replaced digitally with a section of full scale set that actors will be interacting with. When all the effects are done the scene will look like a huge factory with several giant machines being operated by tiny people working down at the base of each machine.
good lord I haven’t posted in ages…
people keep comin’ at me like “where the new shit at, son?” and I’m all, “It’s not finished.”
So, here are several of those unfinished things for you to enjoy and/or wonder about how they will be when they are finished (if that ever happens)…
First, I’m working on a couple Spinosaurus illustrations for a young paleontologist named Tor Bertin. I did this one as a sort of ‘warm up’ and I haven’t had time to finish it yet (let alone start the REAL illustration)…
My main job at the moment is building some miniature set pieces for a grad student’s thesis film. Right now I am making a miniature giant factory machine, but because I screwed up a few times, I still have a ways to go…
Here is some concept art I did for the same project, which shows the general style of the film…
When I need a break from working on the machine (or whatever else) I mess around in GarageBand. Between last night and today I made this beat…
Wong Fe Hong.mp3
I don’t think I’m going to do anything with it, so if you know how to kill evil robots with kung fu, you’re welcome to download it and rap on it. It’s 83 bpm, feel free to chop it up or whatever, I don’t care.
Also, a couple weeks ago I put together this track for a YouTube cypher called the “Third Eye Cypher”, but I haven’t had a chance to do a video for it (I want to do a good one):
Zephyr.mp3
Oh and just to complicate my schedule further, I also make ceramics, and I’m trying to get this commission done (it still needs to be glazed and fired):
…and on the back burner I have several major music video projects, three more albums, another short film and plans to revamp this website. Mainly I need to revise/add new stuff to/generally improve my illustration/concept design portfolio. I also need to add a “store” page, because I now have an Etsy page and I will be putting some of my art up for sale. I hope you’ll stay tuned and check it out.
I have finally put my Senior film project from college online. Enter the “Children of Stone” page to watch the video at high quality and check out behind the scenes footage, photos and concept art.
Thanks to everyone who made this movie possible. For those who I haven’t excitedly told, “Children of Stone” and “Moss: A Tribute” are going to be on TV. I was contacted by a TV station called Mhz Worldview. One of their programmers saw the animated intro to “Children of Stone” on YouTube and apparently liked it enough to want to put the entire film in their block of programming for children and teens.
Since I no longer have to waste my time and money with film festivals, I can also put “Children of Stone” up online. Here on dontmesswithdinosaurs.com I’ve put up a really high quality version, and I have also put it up on YouTube for your convenience and ease of sharing.
This doodle makes me happy.
I’m not typically happy with my quick sketches of dinosaurs for both aesthetic and scientific reasons, which is why most of what I am willing to share on the web are detailed pencil renders drawn with careful attention to whatever images of skeletal material I can get my hands on. ^This is an exception. I was just doodling, and this came out, which is satisfying because it’s a pretty good sign that I’m finally developing an instinctive sense of reasonably accurate proportion and posture for ornithopod dinosaurs.
Speaking of proportion and posture, this Maiasaura just spotted a predator and is falling into a bipedal run from an upright “lookout” posture. The funny horn on it’s head is my own interpretation of some small bony extensions on the skull of Maiasaura. Typically this projection is not enlarged in reconstructions, but I think it is entirely plausible, if not likely, that small (presumably) ornamental structures seen in the skeletons of dinosaurs supported much more elaborate soft tissue or horn structures when the animal was alive. If you take a look at the skulls of birds or reptiles with casques or horns or crests, there is a pretty substantial amount of horn and soft tissue attached to the bone. Also, I think it looks cool!
Right after the very first Youtube rap contest I entered I got a message from this kid named Rhyval who wanted me to participate in his ‘Numbers Exhibition’ wherein participants were to rap over a beat from a Ludacris song using numbers as a lyrical theme. It sounded fun and I promised him I’d do a cool video for it. I worked on it here and there until I finally found some time to finish it up this week. I hope you like it.
Glorious Infinite.mp3
(right click to download)
My good buddy and former roommate David Reilly just put his recently completed senior animation thesis up on Youtube. It is a funny cartoon show about Admiral Tremendousness (the best and greatest super-hero). I did a little music and voice work for it, and David did a beautiful job writing, directing, designing and animating it. I hope you like it!
I don’t typically draw dragons, but on occasion I just can’t help it. A while back I started this illustration and I finally found a bit of time to finish it. He is called Red Mane, and I’m pretty sure he and the lady on his back defend some temple or something ancient and important like that. The banner-carrying is probably part of some ceremonial or commemorative occasion. If you know for sure, or have another idea, please let me know…
More Dragony Doodles!
For some reason in the last couple days my warm-up doodles kept turning into dragons. At first I was fighting it, like “No! Draw more original monsters!” but after a while I caved and I was happy to find out that I can churn out dragon designs without even thinking. These are some of those doodles. I guess it makes sense that my brain can barf out buckets of dragons because I constantly draw dinosaurs (whose skeletons almost certainly influenced ancient peoples’ dragon lore), and because I am just a big dork who never outgrew his boyhood enjoyment of the Arthurian legends (and yes, I went through a pretty serious dragon drawing phase at that time).