PAINTING REALISTIC DINOSAURS

James Gurney shares his top 10 tips for painting lifelike dinosaurs

- James Gurney

When a nature magazine asks me to illustrate a story about recent dinosaur discoveries, I need to create realistic pictures of these extinct animals. My oil paintings will appear in the context of a magazine known for its wildlife photos, so the paintings have to fit in and feel believable. The following 10 strategies are useful not only for painting dinosaurs, but for visualizing any kind of imaginary scene.

1. CHOOSE AN INTERESTING ANGLE

This dinosaur is called Thanatotheristes, which means "reaper of death." In the small color sketch, I try an unusual angle. The typical choice is a straight side view, but that may not be the best way to tell the story. In this case, I choose an eye level close to the height of the dinosaur as it runs toward us. The light is coming from behind him, which makes it feel like he's running through a clearing in the forest.

2. PLAN WITH A COLOR SKETCH 

For each of the dinosaur paintings I create at least one small color sketch to plan the composition. For Thanatotheristes, I try out the idea of a light greenish color behind the head. I share the sketch with the art director so he knows what I'm planning. At last I'm ready to embark on the final painting, feeling more confident about my color choices. I lay out the pose on the illustration board by drawing the outline in pencil, then sealing the drawing with acrylic matte medium before proceeding with oil.

3. USE WILDLIFE PHOTOS FOR REFERENCE