Tumgik
#colinm_art
maxwell-grant · 2 years
Text
Ask Round-Up: May
Tumblr media
Phew, okay, let’s try this again. A couple of notes to start off
-I’m not sure if I’m gonna be able to really make this a monthly thing because, I hardly have much time to post at all, and besides I ended up starting an actual personal diary which, has been actually very useful, for my mental health, definitely would recommend it. 
-Music theater’s taking a lot, a LOT, more out of me than I expected, it’s the biggest reason why I can’t post the way I’d like to given how time-consuming it’s been. But, I took up the course first and foremost because I needed an excuse to get out of home on the regular and put work into something that lets me build skills as a performer and connect with people and I’m definitely not dropping it now. It’s been particularly stressful the past weeks since they’ve been giving us tests and we’re being graded and, God, I did not miss this shit at all. But, fine, so be it. 
-I really do like some of the assignments I get and I think they’ve been helping me overcome my creative blocks, it’s another reason why I keep going. I like to prove to myself I still have that energy and passion even if I can’t yet apply it where I really want to. At least, not yet. 
-Don’t know why but, in some of my lurkings in the hearts of Twitter, I’ve been seeing a bit of an increase of people getting into The Shadow, people I follow at least, and that makes me happy. I even got to see people linking my blog in conversations where people ask about Shadow recommendations. I know in theory I’m supposed to play it cool about stuff like that but, I can’t, it fills me with too much joy for me to not share it with you.
(I’m not active on Twitter, nor do I particularly want to be. I mostly go in there for talking to friends and acquaintances and networking, and also because I needed to snatch up an account under my project’s name before anyone else did)
-I also don’t know why, but Mortal Kombat’s been doing circles around my brain again for the past weeks so, I guess if any of you want to ask me about my thoughts on MK-related stuff, be my guest. 
Anyway, on with some of the asks
Anonymous asked:  Did the trailer for PREHISTORIC PLANET leave you screaming with the raw ecstasy of "WALKING WITH DINOSAURS ... as narrated by Sir David Attenborough" the way it did me? (Or at least the PROMISE of same - hopefully a promise that will be delivered on!).
Not quite, but you can chalk that up to me being used to dissappointment when people say “the new Walking With Dinosaurs” to promote documentaries that absolutely cannot, and even shouldn’t, live up to that, and also, I’m not terribly interested in having a new WWD anyway, I rewatch the Walking With trilogy every year anyway. BUT, I will say that, the trailer I saw did look absolutely lovely and I’ve been yearning somewhat to rewatch this kind of stuff, and also, I deeply adore just how receptive people have been to the T-Rex family and I do not get tired of all the jokes about this take on T-Rex being the Hank Hill of T-Rexes. I also love that it’s gotten some people talking about other non-WWD docs I really enjoyed growing up, like Dinosaur Planet. So, yeah, very happy for this one, happy to see the love it’s been getting too, even before release.
Tumblr media
(Art by ColinM_Art)
@mirrorfalls​ asked:  Could you write - has there already been - a pulp story that contains no crime or death (not even the threat of it) whatsoever?
Tumblr media
By sheer statistic probability, yes, but if we’re getting into specifics, you could actually argue that the most popular kinds of pulp magazines - those being the romance magazines, the railroad magazines, and the sports magazines - actually consisted largely of stories that didn’t have much to do with crime or death, at least not the way those are a constant in the kinds of pulps most people are familiar with. Pulp stories tend to be described nowadays as a genre, but pulp magazines were really a medium for whatever they could sell stories in. Unsurprisingly, the romance and sports pulps were easily the best selling ones and the ones that most endured even into the 1950s, and The Railroad Man’s Magazine lasted from 1906 to 1979, making it the longest-running and most successful American pulp of them all. 
The railroad magazines absolutely did have tons of stories about crime and death, some even ludicrous and horrific to an extent that dwarfed the crime and horror magazines, but those were a part of what they were about, not the entirety of it. The railroad magazines were primarily focused on, well, railroads and trains, and the kinds of stories that you could tell about, or with, them. In a similar way as to how the development of airplanes in the 1910s (starting with Santos Dumont’s 14-Bis flight in 1906, eat shit gringos) led to the Air Aces / aviation genre, and the uprising in sci-fi following the debut of space travel, the development of trains and railroad was an exciting new technology and career choice, and this was reflected in fiction:
The focus on the railroad as the subject of fiction became genuinely intense, with an almost obsessive devotion to railroading techniques, equipment, problems and dangers.
Writers like Bedwell, L.Packard and Spearman developed a stable of characters that the regular reader could look forward to enjoying like old friends (In this respect, early rail-road fiction is reminiscent of long-running television series employing characters who do not appear in every episode, but whom viewers welcome back on their return)
One finds the railroad and its attendant phenomena - depots, diners, hoboes, boom-towns, ghost towns, strikes, speed, and sundry other matters - in prominent position. Whether the issue is the ugliest face of American racism, the most heroic actions of those who dreamed and accomplished some of the greatest feats of the industrial age, or the manner in which the railroad infiltrated and affected the American experience at almost every level, these writers have embraced the railroad in their work.
D.J Smith characterizes the railroad, in the era before automobile travel enabled easy escape to somewhere else, as a "glamorous" and "mystical force that represented a route out of the constricting boundaries of rural and small-town life: "The train, although it could be used to represent more sinister forces, was an almost spiritual symbol of life to many fluttering souls caged." -  The Railroad in American Fiction: An Annotated Bibliography, by Grant Burns
There’s gotta be other examples, mind you, but these three are the biggest ones that come to mind. So, yeah, there absolutely were lots of pulp stories with no crime and death. Hard to tell how exciting they were because their records are very much neglected by historians and considerably more sparse even by pulp standards but, they had vastly bigger readerships than pretty much all of the others even after the others had all ended, so evidently they were doing fine. 
Anonymous asked:  Is there any brazillian character in american comics that you think is a good representation of Brazil?
Not really, no. I really did try looking for the sake of this post but came up short. But I don’t want to leave this question unanswered, so instead I’m gonna talk about a character who did come to mind when I thought of a Brazilian character in media that I do think of as pretty great representation: Theo from Celeste. I’ve been playing it recently and this game has made a tremendous impression on me, I cleared the first 7 chapters on one night following one of the absolute worst sick days of my life and I’ve been waiting for my controller to get fixed so I can keep playing because hoooly shit do these B-Side chapters grate my nerves to try and play with using a broken controller, but nevermind that, I wanna talk a bit about Theo. And I don’t think Theo “represents Brazil”, whatever that means (which doesn’t necessarily mean a positive thing), so much as I think he’s a great representation of a Brazilian character.
Tumblr media
Obviously a big part of why Theo is so unlike the overwhelming majority of latino / Brazilian characters in videogames has a lot to do with the fact that he was designed by a Brazilian artist, a major portion of Celeste’s main development team (including it’s character designs, 2D animation, concept and promo art, marketing, script editing, etc) is comprised of a Brazilian team named MiniBoss. And it shows because, and I know this word gets tossed around a lot but, Theo is authentic. Theo’s design and personality are unmistakably authentic. He’s an extremely positive character integral to Madeline’s journey, the feather exercise the game teaches through him is genuinely something that’s helped me and my sister deal with crisis a little better, he’s a pretty fun character too, he has really excellent conversations with Madeline, he’s a really great guy and a great friend, but the main thing that sticks out to me about Theo is that he’s real in a way I don’t think I’ve quite seen before, at least in games (but, really, anywhere on non-Brazilian media, to be honest). 
Much of Madeline’s design and character draw from her creator Maddy Thorson and she said as much, but looking at Theo’s character art in the Instagram profile made for the character gives me every bit the impression that Amora Bettany was drawing from somewhere close to heart when designing Theo and his own history. The character was apparently not born in Brazil outright (as he’s said to be American-Brazilian and dev Pedro Medeiros says he descends from a Brazilian family, which explains his English name) and apparently there was some confusion outright at first as to what kind of Latin-American he was but, no, even if the fact that he’s wearing the colors of the Brazilian flag didn’t tip you off, there’s no mistaking it. I honestly get a bit emotional looking at some of the art and dialogue for this game made for Theo, particularly when it involves his grandpa and sister.
Tumblr media
I haven’t finished the game and I don’t know what happens in Chapter 9: Farewell as of yet, but Theo left such an impression on me, and such a positive one too. A character who is not a stereotype, not even really trying to consciously subvert stereotypes, he’s just a good character, a good person, and I never use that term lightly but I do think of him as great representation. There’s something very intimate, very warm-hearted and personal about Theo that’s worlds apart from the well-meaning-but-ignorant cartoons that tend to be Brazilian characters at best.   Theo is not defined by his nationality, the game never even mentions it and it doesn’t have to. Would I have liked it to be more obvious? Not really, and not just because it’s not his story, but also because, I like having it be low-key. Theo is Theo and being Brazilian is part of who he is.
Tumblr media
Theo went to the mountain following the steps of his vovô, not even really knowing why he was going and worried he’d never figure it out where he was going, where he needed to go, worried he’d never find it. And he ends up being right where he needed to be, to help Madeline, and to be helped by her in return. They save each other’s lives, yeah, but more importantly, they lend each other space to talk, to open up, to lean on each other for support, and to offer help, and we learn that post-game Theo decided to go home and be there for his sister while still keeping in touch with Madeline. Like Madeline, his journey continues past the mountain, but now he finds himself closer to where he needs to be. Where he wants to be.
Obviously not saying I’d want all Brazilian characters to be like Theo but, it’s just, so nice, so refreshing, to have such a positive character like this. He’s not even my favorite part of the game but he made a tremendously big impression on me. Even if he’s not from the medium you mentioned, I couldn’t really think of another character to answer your question.
Tumblr media
23 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 3 years
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Hybrid 2: Genetic Boogaloo
Another “designed by Tiwtter” hybrid, this time pulling only from the Jurassic Park / Jurassic World franchises. This turned out a lot more... disturbing, I guess, than the last. 
Enjoy!
415 notes · View notes
doorbloggr · 3 years
Text
Sunday 6/6/21 - Your Dinosaurs Are Not Dinosaurs
Links to previous posts in this series:
Your Dinosaurs Are Wrong
Your Pterosaurs Are Wrong
Tumblr media
Dimetrodon, Mark Witton
You know how when you're really into something, like a fandom or maybe a hobby, and you're like "I know outsiders to this thing won't know everything, but there's surely some information on my thing that's common knowledge", and then you're wrong? That's me after every time I make a Dinosaur post.
In the previous two blogposts I made about extinct giant reptiles, I explained the inconsistencies between scientific knowledge and common knowledge on how Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs actually looked. But it seems there's also a gap in the public's knowledge of what actually constitutes a Dinosaur.
The Mesozoic Period was an age between 252-66 million years ago, often called the Age of the Reptiles, and although Dinosaurs were definitely the dominant clade of animals on land then, other reptiles and reptile-adjacent animals were successful too. Today I'll enlighten readers on what non-dinosaur animal groups were successful during that age, and what they were actually related to.
Pterosaurs
Tumblr media
Cladogram of the evolutionary relationship of Archosaurs. Crocodilians diverged first, then Pterosaurs, before Dinosaurs.
I covered a lot about pterosaurs in a previous post, but just so it's covered in this post, let's talk about them again. Since writing that last post, I heard a good way to describe the relationship between Pterosaurs and Dinosaurs. With a lot of the animal groups covered in this post, it's like "No this is definitely not a dinosaur", but with Pterosaurs, it's more like "They're technically not a dinosaur", in the same way a rabbit is technically not a rodent. They're closely related sister groups, but they diverged long enough ago that scientists agree they're separate.
Tumblr media
Pterodactylus antiquus, Mark Witton
As an aside, something I wanted to discuss in the Pterosaur post, is that a lot of people mistakenly use the name "Pterodactyl" to refer to all pterosaurs. There was no such animal named that. There was a species called Pterodactylus, but it is probably a smaller and less impressive Pterosaur than what you have in your head.
Synapsids
Tumblr media
Top: Gorgonopsid, Jonathan Kuo
Bottom Left: Dicynodont, Gabriel Ugueto
Bottom Right: Dimetrodon, Gabriel Ugueto
In the early Mesozoic, when dinosaur's ancestors were all tiny and had yet to take over the world, a group of animals called Synapsids were the dominant force. Mammals eventually branched off from this group, so they're sometimes called stem-mammals or mammal-like reptiles. Dimetrodon, arguably the most commonly dinosaur-labelled non-dinosaur, was in this group. Others include the beak faced Dicynodonts, and the sabre toothed Gorgonopsids, which all look almost dinosaurian but they're not.
Pseudosuchia
Tumblr media
A collection of Pseudosuchians, ColinM_Art on twitter
People often refer to Crocodilians as living dinosaurs (even though birds are the closest living relatives). Although it is true that the crocodile/alligator shape has persisted for millions of years, ancient relatives (collectively referred to as Pseudosuchia) experimented with lots of different forms. The very ferocious Postosuchus was an apex predator in the Triassic, and the suspiciously dinosaur-looking Desmatosuchus was an armoured herbivore, and many other Triassic relatives became bipedal predators like Poposaurus. Later in the Mesozoic, a lot of these more specialised crocodile relatives were replaced by more successful dinosaur counterparts, but the big aquatic ambush predator type still persists to this day.
Plesiosaurs
Tumblr media
Top: Thalassiodracon, Mark Witton
Bottom: Liopleurodon, Kuzim Art
I sometimes see books or publications discuss "Aquatic Dinosaurs" or "Sea Dinosaurs", and most often they are talking about Plesiosaurs. Plesiosaurs were a member of flippered, streamline shaped reptiles with necks of varying length that specialised in hunting sea life. Scientists aren't certain of their origins, but most refer to them as Pantestudines, sharing a common ancestor with turtles and tortoises. Elasmosaurus and Liopleurodon are some of the more popular members of the group.
Icthyosaurs
Tumblr media
Top: Ichthyosaurus larkini
Bottom Left: Shonisaurus
Bottom Right: Cartorhynchus
(All 3 Arts done by Juilo Larceda)
Although less resembling a dinosaur shape, and therefore less often mistaken for one, Ichthyosaurs were another marine reptiles group that lived alongside them. Although early relatives were more reptile shaped, later ichthyosaurs developed a shark/dolphin body plan, and were the most aquatically agile marine reptiles. They could range in size from the dolphin sized Ophthalmosaurus to the whale sized Shonisaurus. They diverged from other reptiles groups very early, but some scientists think they share a common ancestor with lizards.
Mososaurs
Tumblr media
Top: Mososaurus, Mark Witton
Bottom Left: Tylosaurus, Gabriel Ugueto
Bottom Right: Xenodens, Andrey Atuchin
Mososaurs evolved much later than most of these other non-dinosaurs. They superficially resembled short-necked Plesiosaurs, but would have likely used their tail more than their flippers for propulsion. Mososaurs evolved from aquatic monitor lizards in the late Cretaceous, and quickly reached sizes bigger than any other lizard would ever reach. Mososaurus, which featured (much bigger than it was in life) in Jurassic World, is one of the best known species.
Thanks for Reading
Tumblr only allows so many pictures in one post, but I've covered most of the main groups of animals people mistakenly call dinosaurs. Just as a final titbit, someone recently told me that they thought the "-saur" or "-saurus" ending on many ancient animals automatically means dinosaur, but it is just Greek for reptile, and scientists slap it on the end of many scientific names, many of which aren't even reptiles, just may look like them.
Tumblr media
As an example, Basilosaurus was actually found to be a Whale after its fossils were better studied. But it kept its name.
Source: The7thSea, DeviantArt
If there's more you'd like me to cover on the topic of dinosaurs, any of the other cool animals I've discussed here, or maybe other animals you're unsure are dinosaurs or not, leave a comment or send us a message.
Cheers for reading, and hope you learned something today.
191 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 3 years
Text
King of The Watering Hole
Tumblr media Tumblr media
A weird crossover if ever there was one.
This is a sketch from high school that I fixed up.
139 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 4 years
Text
Prehistoric Pokémon - Crypto
Tumblr media
While their plumage is extensive and ostentatious, revived Archeops have actually proven to be rather poor flyers. While they are able to fly short distances or quickly escape to high roosts with their wings, they are more adept at running. These feathers seem to be more important as flashy display features, with powered flight evolving later in time. Being omnivores, they hunt down prey and forage for fruits in packs.
Things have been pretty busy so this has been on the back-burner a little while, but I finally finished it! Only one more to go. The Despot of the Ancient Era...
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
231 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 5 years
Text
Prehistoric Pokémon - Bonaparte
Tumblr media
Remarkably, both fossilized bones and frozen tissues from Aurorus have been uncovered by researchers. Having such complete remains has allowed scientists in the Kalos region to not only hone the process of fossil revival, but also make exciting new discoveries. For instance, it was long speculated how a large creature like Aurorus could survive in the cold climates the rock record suggests it lived in. Analysis of preserved blood revealed high levels of glucose, which helps to keep cells from freezing even at very low temperatures
I played around with the formatting, lighting, and texturing for this one. I think a lot of the changes were for the better, but it may mean I have to go back and fix up Rampardos and Aerodactyl later. A bit painful since these take so long to do, but I think it’ll be worth it.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
494 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 5 years
Text
More scanned school sketches. 
Anyone else remember Primal Carnage? I wish the devs were able to get more done with the game these days, it’s pretty fun.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
357 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 5 years
Text
Prehistoric Pokémon - Amos
Tumblr media
Despite its modest size, Bastiodon is quite tough and imposing. Rough scales, scutes, and armored spikes cover its body. Its massive head is its greatest attribute, with a tall, wide frill that can repel attackers in conjunction with two long, pointed horns. The four tusks sprouting from its beak are used to dig up food and in bouts between rivals.
We’re in the home stretch! Only two more to go as well as a photo of them all together. Some fixes will be needed as well but otherwise I’m really happy with these. I’m actually gonna have to look into the logistics of selling prints, but I’m optimistic. You know I’m saving the best dino Pokémon for last, but the next one  shouldn’t beat itself up over it. It’ll lower it’s attack and special attack...
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
293 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 4 years
Text
Tumblr media
Art/posting will be slow during the holidays, so here’s something to look at in the meantime!
Back in 2013, Saurian (then called Crynosaurs) held a competition to come up with color schemes for their Triceratops. I don’t think there was really a reward or purpose for it beyond seeing cool color patterns, but I can’t fault them for that.
This was my entry, one of many now-lost designs. A lot of submissions looked pretty good, but only like 3 can still be found on Google. Also, this was done in 2013, I was just dumb and wrote ‘15.
Lineart by Alex Lewko. I guess he’s still floating around the paleoart sphere somewhere? Chatted with him when Spore was big and he got me interested in paleoart instead of just drawing JP dinos, so thanks bud!
99 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 4 years
Text
Tumblr media
Drawpile session with a friend last night. He’s a big fan of Fossil Fighters.
63 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 5 years
Text
Prehistoric Pokémon - Bonaparte (Part 2)
Tumblr media
While large, thin structures and extra surface area may seem like a liability for creatures in colder climates, the sails on Aurorus are crucial to its behaviors and lifestyle. Not only do the size and movement of the sails help to convey status and emotions between individuals even during heavy snowstorms, chromatophores in the sails allow them to change color as well. 
Got the idea to do this while drawing and chatting with a friend. Aurorus’ sails can be pretty expressive, with 2/3 alternate sail colorations seemingly only used in Pokémon Amie. So it seemed a shame not to do something with them.
Enjoy!
Tumblr media
139 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 5 years
Text
Prehistoric Pokémon - Tethys
Tumblr media
One of the first fossil Pokémon to be revived by Cinnabar Island scientists, Aerodactyl is a landmark in the field of Poképaleontology. This large creature used its broad wings to soar on thermal air currents over the ancient seas. Long, needle-like teeth helped to hold and shred prey, thought to be primarily fish and other coastal sea life. The recently discovered phenomenon dubbed “Mega Evolution” has been found to affect Aerodactyl, and specimens who have mega evolved have brought into question the authenticity of the fossil revival process. 
Aerodactyl has arrived! I never realized how big this guy is. That height is straight from the game, and the wingspan is approximated off the in-game model as well. It’s no Quetzalcoatlus, but Aerodactyl is big enough not to be taken lightly.
182 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 5 years
Text
Tumblr media
Sketch dump of some old school sketches I’ve had stowed away while I work away on the next Pokemon. Expect some more of these here and there. The more I scan, the more storage space I free up.
69 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 5 years
Text
Company Sound Off!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
So last year I had this idea about doing some semi-caricatured sketches of fossil elephant species, then putting them together in a kind of size chart set up. But I ended up doing some other pieces in the middle of it and never came back to it.
Since tomorrow is World Elephant Day, I figured now was as good a time as any to bring it all back up and show what I had. I may come back to this idea again, but I think this piece is done. I’ve learned a lot since starting it, and I probably wouldn’t continue in the style I started it in. The first pic is kind of a mashed together mock-up of where I wanted to take it.
Hope you enjoy this look into the process of an early, unfinished piece.
97 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 5 years
Text
Prehistoric Pokémon - Styx
Tumblr media
Though the tall, domed skull of Rampardos was thought to have been used primarily in either self-defense or intraspecfic combat, scientists now believe it was used primarily a display structure. The bony, bright blue structure could potentially deter potential predators or other Rampardos from a fight, or even attract mates. If any would-be attackers were not deterred however, it was certainly well equipped for battle with a thick, spiky hide, and a mean disposition.
This is the first of my art pieces showcasing my fossil/dinosaur team I used in Ultra Sun! It took a while to get the composition and lineart for this piece done, but it’s finally finished. The other 5 pokémon from my team should be coming soon since a lot of the hard work has already been done. 
Also, this was the first piece I made with the idea of potential art prints in the future, so keep an eye on that if this interests you...
171 notes · View notes
awannabepaleoartist · 5 years
Text
Galar Fossils Better Step Their Game Up
Tumblr media
Sneak peek! I’m going to be revisiting the realistic sketches of my Ultra Sun team from a ways back. It might be a bit for it to get done, I have like 7-8 other artsy things my brain/free time are trying to juggle right now.
Also interested to see if Sword/Shield get fossils. I’m hoping for a Baryonyx at least. 
278 notes · View notes