'Bits of Ivory'

[Himmapaan]

Aug 31, 2010 22:18:49 GMT postsaurischian said:

OMG, Himmapaan - I only just discovered that you're a true artist Love your BIRDS! Would love to hang a print of your 'Solitaire Crane' on my wall, even though it's a self portrait ;D.
Your Graphics are in one league with the 70s Berni Wrightson or Barry Windsor-Smith, two of my biggest comic book & illustration heroes. It's very enjoyable how you mix classic asian stylistics with modern influences - my deepest respect!!!

Thank you so much, Postsaurischian!

How interesting about your Wrightson and Windsor-Smith observations! I'd only heard of the latter myself, but never known much about either of their work, as I'm not so knowledgeable about the comic world. But having seen a little of their work, I'm extremely flattered by the comparison! Some of my strongest influences come from the Golden Age of book illustration of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and I wouldn't be surprised if these two cited those artists among their own influences too. And you're absolutely right, my range of inspiration most definitely includes eastern art and just about everything else from the middle ages through to the first half of the twentieth century.

[sumo]

Oh, you definitely need to check out Wrightson's Frankenstein illustrations!

[postsaurischian]

Sept 1, 2010 20:47:59 GMT sumo said:

Oh, you definitely need to check out Wrightson's Frankenstein illustrations!

Yeah - here are some .....
goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/2008/11/berni-wrightson-frankenstein-portfolios.html
You might also find other interesting things there, for example type in 'Arthur Rackham' in the search bar .

[Himmapaan]

Oh, my; thank you both so much for pointing those out! I'm ashamed not to have known these before. What have I been missing!

Thank you for the Rackham blog-search tip too, Postsaurischian. I think I have reproductions of all his Wagner illustrations (or almost all). They're unspeakably divine.

[Himmapaan]

I thought perhaps it was best if I simply included this here rather than start a new thread, even if there were no dinosaurs in my first post (well, not prehistoric ones at any rate ;D).

It's only hackneyed old T.rex, I'm afraid, but as it's been years since I've drawn any dinosaurs, it seemed sensible to me to start back with something 'easy'. I tried to be resolute in drawing it with its mouth closed. ;D But I gave in eventually. Incidentally, the roaring head, as the last to be drawn, is probably my own favourite because I'd loosened up much more by then. The others were drawn in a state of slight nervous tension.

Brown ink, Sketchbook spread, 26.1 x 21 cm.



Its body could do with being slightly larger and longer. It was a tricky bit of foreshortening which I didn't quite manage convincingly. But heigh-ho...


Larger views.






(scanned before I'd finished the spread, so minus the writing)

This one is an even larger copy of the last one, in case anyone is interested to see it in greater detail yet. It's much too large to post, so here is a link (though please don't pinch it, I implore you ;D):
pics.livejournal.com/himmapaan/pic/0009wbps

And just for an extra idea of scale (with my trusty 'scale penny' that I use for all sorts of things...):





Finally, the spread scanned in greyscale, just to see what it looks like.

a.imageshack.us/img827/9321/trexstudiesgs1000.jpg

[Horridus]

Please, sir, take a bow.

What references did you use for this?

BTW I think this one a.imageshack.us/img148/7249/rexstudy1760.jpg is going on my wall.

[Pangolinmoth]

Magnificent!

[DinoLord]

You have to write a book or something. That is the best dinosaur drawing I have seen. Ever.

[brontodocus]

Wow Himmapaan, I'm sorry I have completely missed your thread. (That happens when you just look for the 30 most recent posts... )

I won't find the appropriate words that could really honour your work but these are exceptional illustrations. All of them.

[Radman]

Print this on stock paper and I'd buy one.

[rugops]

Absolutly BREATH TAKING Himmapaan!!!

[mnemosaurus]

Wow...... wow..... wow!!!

It's beautifull! You are so talented, I am very much impressed.... and kind of speechless....!

[Dinotoyforum]

Great illustrations! And something about them reminds me of the work of John Sibbick

[Griffin]

Awesome! I really like your style. Its very distinctive.

[simon]

You're quite a talented artist, Himmapaan. VERY impressive and beautiful.

One accuracy comment on the TRex: I think that you have placed too many teeth in the upper jaw - I count 18 per side which works out to 36. I believe that the actual number was around 24-26 teeth. Probably due to this the teeth are too slender to be Tyrannosaur teeth. You might want to look at "Stan's skull"



or this skull to get a better sense of the thickness of the teeth:

[Himmapaan]

Aw. Thank you so much for the kind comments, everyone.

Simon, you are perfectly right. I forgot to mention that for whatever reason, I entirely neglected to count the teeth. I became aware of it after finishing the drawings, by which time, it was too late. But onwards and upwards hereafter, I hope.

Dinolord, you are much too kind! It isn't true (wrong teeth to begin with at least ;D), but I'm extremely flattered. Thank you.

Marc, I used Greg Paul's skeletal reconstruction as the main reference. I also had a little help from the Kaiyodo vinyl T. rex (version 2) in the general fleshing out of the head. ;D

[sepp]

Himmapaan, you're quickly becoming one of my favourite artists - you're so talented with any sort of life form
That rex is just beautiful - really.

I would probably faint if you were to paint such a lovely anatomical rendition of any dinosaur, in colour ;_;

[sumo]

*swoon* Once again you blow me away... Stunning, just stunning.

[Himmapaan]

Thank you so much, Sumo!

Sept 7, 2010 12:13:55 GMT sepp said:

Himmapaan, you're quickly becoming one of my favourite artists - you're so talented with any sort of life form
That rex is just beautiful - really.

I would probably faint if you were to paint such a lovely anatomical rendition of any dinosaur, in colour ;_;

You're so kind, Sepp; thank you so much.

I think it's going to be some time before I'll get the opportunity to produce anything to that extent (besides, I'm much too frightened ;D). But I would love to eventually. Perhaps painting models would be the closest thing to that in the near future, though I'm having trouble finding time even for that. ;D

[hkhollinstone]

After seeing your drawings… I'm never drawing a dinosaur again! Your drawings are stunning, incredible detail for such a comparatively small drawing. Really beautiful.