Sunday, June 10, 2012

Tyrannosaur Attacking Strutter

This scene from Dinotopia: The World Beneath (1995) shows a tyrannosaur and a couple of allosaurs attacking a Dinotopian walking machine called a strutter. 


In Dinotopia it's dangerous to cross through the jungle in the center of the island, which is ruled by large theropods. The scene takes place as the strutter crosses a shallow stream.

The tyrannosaur is using its powerful foot to pin down the head of the strutter, and is biting off the top of the frill. For a scene like this, I used existing dinosaur models for lighting reference. Trying to guess where those shadows would fall without a maquette would be rather difficult.

The color scheme is limited to yellow ochre, dull red-violets and dull blue-greens. I tried hard to keep bright blue out of the scene.  The painting is done in oil fairly transparently on the dinosaur, with a little more opacity in the background.

Dinotopia: The World Beneath
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9 comments:

  1. Tomas HonzJune 10, 2012 at 2:53 PM

    Wonderful image James. I have never had a chance to see your book. I guess I should catch up with others and get it. :)

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  2. H4lfM4dJune 10, 2012 at 3:45 PM

    this is why YOU IS THE MAN.

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  3. Jessica MorrisonJune 10, 2012 at 4:53 PM

    Thanks for the awesome post! I've been following your blog for years and recently picked up Imaginative Realism. It's one of the most informative, clear, and helpful art books I've ever owned. Thanks for putting all of that knowledge out there, both on your blog and in your book. :)

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  4. Jessica MorrisonJune 10, 2012 at 4:54 PM

    Thanks for the awesome post! I've been following your blog for years and recently picked up Imaginative Realism. It's one of the most informative, clear, and helpful art books I've ever owned. Thanks for putting all of that knowledge out there, both on your blog and in your book. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. MattJune 10, 2012 at 10:25 PM

    The world beneath was my favourite Dinotopia book when I was younger. I think I managed to love it to death actually, this reminds me that I should buy a new copy.

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  6. Michael DamboldtJune 10, 2012 at 11:34 PM

    Thanks so much for sharing! I always loved seeing T-Rexes cause mayhem on the Dinotopians.

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  7. AnonymousJune 11, 2012 at 1:30 AM

    This reminds me of an experiment wherein a steel T. rex skull was made and powered by hydraulic equipment meant to mimic the tyrannosaur's actual biomechanical capabilities. There's a video here where you can watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiNHosvKB3g

    It's a little hokey, but pretty interesting nonetheless. A mini-cooper isn't the same as a strutter though - I'm guessing the strutters were made better.

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  8. Sarah Chalek...June 11, 2012 at 8:46 PM

    I thought of you when I saw this article the other day: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47698760/ns/technology_and_science-science/
    Thanks for keeping a great blog!

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  9. UnknownNovember 24, 2012 at 1:57 AM

    Looking back on this having seen this is fascinating.

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