the falling star

What happened on the day when the big one hit the earth millions of years ago? Most likely, life was going on as normal. And then, in an instant, a meteor impacted the Earth so hard that it affected the entire atmosphere, creating a fiery, ash laden sky. Thus wiping out all of the giants.

This coming Monday the 21st, mid-day, there will be another cosmic event – the Solar Eclipse. Eager spectators, along a certain path in the United States, will view it because it is so rare. The last time it happened in the US was in 1979. The next solar eclipse won’t happen until 2024. It won’t be an extinction level event, but it is dangerous to view it with the naked eye, so please be careful and use proper viewing gear when you look up.

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sketch: brontosaurus

sketch: triceratops

This dinosaur is on alert. Is there a T-Rex on the prowl?

illustration: dinosaur footprints

I did this illustration in watercolour medium. It was fun to do because of all the sandy texture that had to go into it. I wanted to capture the footprints as if they were made recently, hence the sharp nail marks and defined foot pads.

These track imprints in the sand belong to an Allosaurus, or a bipedal theropod, from the Late Jurassic age. The Allosaurus is a carnivorous dinosaur much like its cousin the Tyrannosaurus Rex. All theropods had bird-like clawed feet although their legs were very strong and muscular to chase prey down.

sketch: mosasaurus

I am ecstatic to see that the Jurassic World movie is featuring the massive underwater dinosaur, the Mosasaurus. The Mosasaurus was the alpha predator in the late Cretacious age and it makes today’s great white sharks look like teddy bears in comparison. This is my drawing of a Mosasaurus. I hope to make it look more menacing, next time.

illustration: ichthyosaur

Ichthyosaurs first appeared in the Triassic age, then flourished during the Jurassic up to the Cretaceous. Ichthyosaurs are an early relative of today’s dolphins – built for speed and equipped with razor sharp teeth. In my artwork, it is a prehistoric “dinner for two” as I display them in hot pursuit for a school of fish.

sketch: prehistoric study

drawing: prehistoric fish

drawing: ceolacanth

The Ceolacanth is a true river monster that existed 65 million years ago. Thought to be extinct, the fish was found in 1935 while someone was deep sea fishing near Madagascar.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be too much of a suprise to find this living fossil. After all, Madagascar is known for the strangest creatures on earth. It is like Mysterious Island, remote and far away from human contact.

I didn’t have access to a real ceolacanth to do this sketch, but I went to the next best place that has these specimens… at the Museum of Natural History (in New York City).

Have a nice Memorial Day weekend! Maybe you’ll have time to go to a museum near you.

sketch: sea turtle

I sketch an ancient sea turtle which is graceful as it “flies” though the ocean. Its species has survived since the dinosaur age, over 200 million years ago, partly through its protective shell and partly by sheer resilience. Turtles are a true living fossil.