My 2 cents on dino-artists

[kodiak@inetworld.net (T.A. Curtis)]

   I have to definitely agree that GSP is one of the best dino-illustrators
around, and not just because he can draw well, but because his creatures
look absolutely real. . . warts and all.  I have no problem imagining that
his illustration of an allosaur lying on its side scratching behind its ear
with a rear leg is absolutely real (see Predatory Dinos of the World p.
119).  And by real, I mean. . . well, it isn't one of his best
illustrations.  But I can't recall any other artist having the imagination
to show a dinosaur doing such a mundane, absolutely *normal* thing.  To me
that's almost revolutionary in and of itself.

   I'm sorry I can't agree with your assessment of Luis Rey. . .  Too
Dali-like.  (Uh-oh.  Let the flaming begin!  :-) )

   Michael Skrepnik:  Awesome!  He's got some illustrations in the Academic
Press' Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs that just blow me away.  He seems to use
the same (sometimes overly-intense) color schemes as Luis Rey, but his
creatures are very realistic. . .  He's a good artist.

   John Sibbick is a sentimental favortite.  He's probably best-known for
his illustrations in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs by David
Norman, but unfortunately that seeems to have been executed before he
completely learned about dino anatomy (example: almost all his dinos are
tail-draggers).  That was rectified by the time he did the map pull-out for
the Jan. (or was it Feb.?) 1993 National Geographic special issue on
dinosaurs, and the panoramic illustration on pp. 32-33 in The Natural
History Museum Book of Dinosaurs (by Tim Gardner and Angela Milner) is an
awesome piece of dino-art.  (Sibbick's style reminds me of an artist from
the dim recesses of my memory:  Anyone remember Rudolph F. Zallinger?)

   As for dino-artist of the century?  Only time will tell on that score,
but I would have to vote for Knight as well.  Whether accurate or not, his
work influenced thousands and thousands of impressionable minds for many
years--including mine.


T.A. Curtis
kodiak@inetworld.net / 619.669.1801
13980 Lyons Valley Road
Jamul, CA   91935-2024-80
USA
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Jan. 1, 2001 is the new millennium--not 2000!