Dinoreplicas doodles

[Strick67]

Haven't been active for a while, had a bit of a break from arty stuff. Got myself a Surface Pro, hopefully it'll help me get back into drawing. Of course I couldn't resist removing Windows and putting Ubuntu on it (sorry Microsoft I just prefer Linux).

Courtesy of the patched Kernel from linux-surface It seems to work pretty well. My drawing/painting software of choice is Krita, I've been making some custom brushes (pencils, pens, crayons) to try and replicate my scratchy drawing style, this Ceratosaurus pair is the first experiment. Entirely digital, no traditional media was harmed in the construction of this drawing.

There's another motive at work here too, my Grandsons have moved into a new house and are wanting a mural for their bedroom. Dinosaur themed of course, there's not much wall space but I'll see what I can come up with. It's been years since I've done any proper drawing, this is the start of me tuning up my hand and eye a bit so I'll probably post some more scribbles intermittently.

 

[zathros]

You're very talented. Lots of depth and shawdow.

 

[Awry_Chaos]

Nice work!

 

[Rhaven Blaack]

FANTASTIC WORK!!!

 

[Revell-Fan]

WOW! So basically your Windows went the way of the dinosaurs..!

The drawings are awesome!

 

[zathros]

The two seem to be in a very good mood. They probably just had some Bronto Burgers.

 

[spaceagent-9]

Love Dino's- so YEAH! Love this!! Here's my plastic dino

 

[Strick67]

Thanks for the kind words folks, I sometimes find it hard motivating myself to start drawing but once I do I enjoy it. Might try some scribbling this weekend.

WOW! So basically your Windows went the way of the dinosaurs..!

There's always the licence that came with the device so I could go back (I doubt it though).

The two seem to be in a very good mood. They probably just had some Bronto Burgers.

I think they look hungry and are eyeing up the menu .

 

[Strick67]

Been making a few measurements for the mural to get a handle on what kind of proportions I'm working with. The plan is for the painting to be in the blue area of the drawing, the adjacent wall would've been better but as you can see it's been occupied.

So the working area is kind of a tallish square. Would've preferred a more widescreen aspect for the scene but nevermind. Want to try a late Jurassic scene (that's why the Ceratosauruses). Want to make the dinos big too so not much background will be visible. Gone back to pencil/paper for these rough layouts showing Ceratosaurus, Stegosaurus and Camarasaurus.

First composition, realised I wanted to squeeze in another species.

The stegosaurus pose is loosely based on the 'Sophie' mount in the Natural History Museum London. Tomorrow I might try adjusting the composition so that the stegosaurus is nearer the bottom.

 

[Awry_Chaos]

Looking good! It's going to be a nice composition.

 

[Strick67]

Rapid scribbles, trying out an idea.

Couple of studies, trying to drama up the confrontation a bit. I've raised height of the view position because of the tall/portrait aspect of the mural area but I don't like doing this because looking down on dinosaurs makes them look less imposing.

I might try lowering the eye level and see what happens. I still want a Stegosaurus/Ceratosaurus stand off in the foreground with a pair of Camarasaurus lumbering about in the background. Maybe some thumbnails tonight.

 

[Awry_Chaos]

Rapid scribbles, trying out an idea.

Couple of studies, trying to drama up the confrontation a bit. I've raised height of the view position because of the tall/portrait aspect of the mural area but I don't like doing this because looking down on dinosaurs makes them look less imposing.

I might try lowering the eye level and see what happens. I still want a Stegosaurus/Ceratosaurus stand off in the foreground with a pair of Camarasaurus lumbering about in the background. Maybe some thumbnails tonight.

Yes, that's starting to work!

What kind of paints are you going to use?

 

[Strick67]

Yes, that's starting to work!

Thanks, I'll probably shift elements around a few times until I'm content, As well as being indecisive there's a couple of little guys I have to consult with too!

What kind of paints are you going to use?

Acrylic, it's pretty easy to use. No idea yet what colours I'll go with.

 

[Awry_Chaos]

Thanks, I'll probably shift elements around a few times until I'm content, As well as being indecisive there's a couple of little guys I have to consult with too!
Acrylic, it's pretty easy to use. No idea yet what colours I'll go with.

Look up James Gurney's Dinotopia.

You can go to his blog which is full of painting tips:

Gurney Journey

This daily weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.

gurneyjourney.blogspot.com

Also look up Wayne Douglas Barlowe. He does EXCELLENT work with acrylics.

 

[micahrogers]

Rapid scribbles, trying out an idea.

Couple of studies, trying to drama up the confrontation a bit. I've raised height of the view position because of the tall/portrait aspect of the mural area but I don't like doing this because looking down on dinosaurs makes them look less imposing.

I might try lowering the eye level and see what happens. I still want a Stegosaurus/Ceratosaurus stand off in the foreground with a pair of Camarasaurus lumbering about in the background. Maybe some thumbnails tonight.

Holy Crap... Your quick doodles are Most Impressive.

 

[Strick67]

Yet more poses!

Having another go with the Surface Pro and it's starting to feel more natural for drawing. I'll never give up traditional materials completely but there's some nice advantages to digital.

For drawing figures and animals, I like to find the pose with a few loose gesture lines (light blue) then work a more detailed drawing over the top on a new layer.

 

[Strick67]

Prep sketches for background characters

 

[Awry_Chaos]

Yep! Looking good!

 

[spaceagent-9]

You really capture the fluid movement and stances, and give the dinos apparent weight and mass, and balance of their own gravity!

 

[Strick67]

Rough layout for mural, not the most elegant of compositions but probably OK for a bedroom mural for two boys under 6. My aim was to get the dinos nice and big in the frame at the expense of environment.

Might be worth going back to the older design with the stegosaurus in the middle and the ceratosaurus at the bottom, It had better layering from foreground to background, I'll see how it goes.