Ojoraptorsaurus head study I
Since I was having trouble finding an illustration board the size the I wanted to draw and paint on (please see my artwork titled “War Cry” for a discussion of that challenge), I decided to use a small (20” x 32”) piece of gatorfoam to test out pencil and eraser and also the airbrush. So, this was my first time using gatorfoam. Turns out it’s a decent board to draw on and due to the relatively smooth, hard, surface, intricate detail in pencil could potentially be done on gatorfoam (in comparison with watercolour paper, for example, which is not good for intricate pencil detail). And though gatorfoam is too smooth to be the perfect surface for airbrushing, it does ok with that too. (BTW, my favourite surface for drawing is Stonehenge paper but there are challenges there regarding size and gluing it to a board.)
Most commissioned 2D paleoart these days seems to be digital paintings. Though I am familiar with photo-editing techniques and digital painting, I prefer to use a physical pencil and airbrush as much as possible: I completed this painting of the head of Ojoraptorsaurus using pencil, airbrushed-on paints, and diluted airbrush paint applied with a paint brush. I primarily used my trusty workhorse, the HP-CH airbrush, but I also used the CM-SB and tested out, for the first time, a H&S (infinity).
Since we have not yet found a skull of Ojoraptorsaurus, I based it on related caenagnathids. However, I sent a photo of the painting to a paleontologist who had worked on the fossils of Ojoraptorsaurus, who rightly pointed out that the location of the orbit was probably wrong and the animal likely had an area of the skull for the temporal fenestra. In addition, the crest should be more distinctly coloured since it was likely only for display purposes. From this input, I painted a second version, discussed below.
Original pencil and paint on gatorboard, 20″x32″: $400
Archival print, limited edition (limited to 5 prints),
10″x16″ photo print: $120.
10″x16″ drymounted/plaque mounted: $140.
10″x16″ on stretched canvas: $140.
20″x32″ on stretched canvas: $140.
Packaging for shipment costs $30. If you live in Calgary, I will deliver the artwork to you, so there is no packaging or shipment costs.
You can order the original or a print using the drop-down menu below (please contact me directly if you are located within Calgary). (Also, please contact me directly if you want a plaque-mounted print or a print on canvas.)
Ojoraptorsaurus head study II
For my second attempt at a painting of a close-up of the head of Ojoraptorsaurus, I focussed on the head and did not include the whole neck. I wanted to illustrate a cold, dark night lighting. I applied the palaeontological advice I had been given regarding the location of the orbit and the temporal fenestra, shortening the antorbital fenestra. My strengthened beak area was based on the skull of a related animal, Anzu, though I did not use the same angle for the front of the face and the crest. My changes to the shape of the crest and the skull fenestrae, from the first version, results in a very different looking head for this second version. I suspect this second one is likely, overall, more accurate based on what we know about caenagnathids.
I painted this artwork using watercolour paint, acrylic ink, and alcohol-based inks applied with a paintbrush, and the majority of the time was spent airbrushing (air brush paints diluted with reducer). I then created a digital image of the painting, and edited the exposure and white balance in Lightroom, further enhancing the cold night effect.
Archival print, limited edition (limited to 5 prints), drymounted/plaque mounted, signed and numbered: 12″ x 22.4″ $120.
Archival print, limited edition (limited to 5 prints), drymounted/plaque mounted, signed and numbered: 16″ x 29.8″ $150.