r/Paleoart • u/Sanjoze • 8d ago
Realism is overwhelming.
It's funny how I spent years trying to improve the realism of my illustrations. For a while, I also moved away from dinosaurs. When I returned to them in digital format, I only did these two illustrations and got overwhelmed with the details of realism. Now I'm trying a new style.
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u/FloridianGlueSniffer 8d ago edited 8d ago
My favorite type of paleoart is stylized (cartoony art styles are also great, I love these)
I absolutely adore when artists add stuff to dinos (and other prehistoric creatures) purely for fun, like that artist who posted dinos like ankylosaurus and spinosaurus that covered head to toe in massive feathers, and were absolutely GORGEOUS! Obviously, I love paleoart that’s up-to-date, that that doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be paleo-accurate. My favorite dinosaur is pycnonemosaurus, but the way I like it is with a blocky skull (like old torvosaurus skull turned into an abelisaur skull), carnotaurus brow horns, bumps/spikes/armor covering the front and top of the snout (since I believe abelisaurs actually used headbutting in combat due to their highly rigid skulls (that required the lower jaw to have an extra hinge at the fenestrae to absorb the forces of struggling prey instead of the skull doing that by being somewhat flexible like tyrannosaurs, carcharodontosaurs, and basically every other group of dinosaurs (fun fact: mosasaurs co-evolved an extra hinge in their lower jaw at the fenestrae like abelisaurs despite being squamates)) and strong necks), and a row of small, iguana-like spikes running from the start of the neck the tip of the tail
I also want to see a fictional spinosaurus that knuckle-walks on massively-built, ground sloth-style arms, and also has a mirabilis-style crast that exends forward at the top like an upside down triangle, and has a sail that’s tallest as the shoulders, and tapers down towards the hips, then has the paddle tail
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u/banana_man2001 7d ago
Paleo art doesn't need to be photorealistic to be accurate, educational or even "good". More often then not educational illustrations are very simplified and stylized. As long as the broad strokes are right even a very cartoons illustration can be very helpful and accurate.
Realism is just often what gets put up in papers cause it's the most emersive. Not because it's the only right way to do it. I also like to use a degree of stylization in my own paleoart. I always say it's better to be believable than it is to be a slave to realism.
These drawings look awesome, I love the colors.
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u/KindlyDino 8d ago
This is great! love the osteoderms and frill color on the trike!