An acrylic painting on card, from 2004. Titled "The Wreck," it depicts a submerged sauropod carcass and a collection of small marine reptiles. I painted it for my friend and marine reptile expert Richard Forrest.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need ears to hear! The earless monitor lizard lacks an ear opening or an ear drum, but they have all the other components necessary for hearing. Scientists aren't entirely sure why this species is missing its external ear features, but it may have something to do with the fact that it spends most of its time submerged under water.
(Image: An earless monitor lizard (Lanthanotus borneensis) by Petr Hamerník)
In the depths of prehistoric Colombia, an enormous snake once ruled the land and waters alike. Titanoboa was a monstruous serpent which even today strikes fear into the hearts of modern-day adventurers.
A titan amongst snakes, fossil records from Colombia have revealed its immense size, estimated at up to 49 feet (15 meters!). Roaming the Earth during the Paleocene epoch about 60 million years ago, its remains have only been uncovered in Colombia. Through meticulous study and scientific ingenuity, scientists reconstructed a life-size model of Titanoboa which brought the ancient monster to life.
...and into 2004. Although I always prioritised palaeo-projects, I was never going to pass on an opportunity to illustrate some DUNE covers, by Frank Herbert. This artwork was my cover illustration for THE GREAT DUNE TRILOGY (a large volume that included DUNE, DUNE MESSIAH, and CHILDREN OF DUNE). I also illustrated GOD EMPEROR OF DUNE, HERETICS OF DUNE, and CHAPTER HOUSE DUNE. The crazy thing was, the publisher accepted and published my colour draft drawings and paid me in full anyway!