Reddit mentions: The best plant & animal art

Gregory Paul's Field Guide to Dinosaurs is pretty big and scientifically accurate for the most part. Some of the length is just brief descriptions of dinosaurs, however, and I wish it went into more depth.

I'm a big fan of Mark Witton and hope to order Recreating an Age of Reptiles soon. For some reason Amazon says it isn't out yet, but it was published a while ago. I find that Witton always does very meticulous research and does a great job of acknowledging and explaining disagreements. While not about dinosaurs, his book Pterosaurs is my favorite paleo book of all time. I love the artwork and it's clear that he has a real passion for these animals. He really goes into detail about different groups of pterosaurs, too. I felt like I learned a lot about pterosaurs reading the book and it really made me excited to read anything else he has written. His blog is also fantastic if you are looking for something to read!

As far as up-to-date, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs was just released and seems really interesting. It's has less of a textbook/encyclopedia feel than the other books I've recommended here and it seems like it might follow more of a narrative compared to the others which jump between types of dinosaurs. I haven't read it but I've heard good things and am excited to read my copy soon.

No problem! Here are a couple of books that might help you along, if you haven't already gotten a hold of them! :)

All Yesterdays, a wonderfully provocative book that challenges common paleoart tropes.

The Paleoart of Julius Csontonyi is awesome. Most of his artwork can be found online, but it's nice to have it there in your hands. I won't go so far as to say Csotonyi is the modern day Charles R. Knight, but he's rapidly gaining that reputation.

Predatory Dinosaurs of the World by Gregory S. Paul. Modern paleoart owes a lot to Paul's work, even if his attention to anatomical detail resulted in dinosaurs that are just a bit too lithe.

Finally, we have William Stout's The New Dinosaurs. Yes, at times Stout makes his dinos look downright emaciated, but his comic-book-y style and portrayal of dinosaur behavior is a bit prescient of "All Yesterdays," and I can't help but associate his work with those wonderfully cheesy 1980s dino documentaries with Gary Owens, and that catchy theme music.

And once again, good luck!

I'll second James Gurney's books, his blog and his "In the Wild" video series.

I really like the Complete Guide to Drawing Animals by Gottfried Bammes. It brought together a lot of concepts about anatomy in art that I hadn't really fully understood until I read it. Similarly, I think Sarah Simblet's Botany for the Artist has beautiful and inspiring art.

I'm a big old paleontology nerd, so I have a lot of books on my shelves with fantastic paleoart: Dinosaur Art, edited by Steve White, is a great showcase of modern paleoartists, and Feathered Dinosaurs is full of gorgeous paintings by Peter Schouten. For drawings of dinosaurs of the non-extinct variety, I'm fond of Katrina van Grouw's The Unfeathered Bird.

And I just got a copy of Shaun Tan's The Bird King and, oh man, I really love it. His imagination is incredible. Highly recommended for when you're in a creative rut.

It's not a lot to go on, i know, but what else can you say?


When I think of a book as a gift, I think of something that is beautiful and entertaining to look at, not necessarily the same as an ordinary book that you'd pick up from the library to read.

How does your sister feel about nature? I have this book Amazing Rare Things by revered nature documentarian David Attenborough. it's just fascinating.

Perhaps an art book related to a game, tv show, movie, book, subject, etc. that she likes? She's into sci-fi a bit with the Ender's Game, is she into Cosmos?

Baking. Take a class or two at Companion, grab Flour Water Salt Yeast and start practicing. Then start perfecting things you can make using lots of bread, like bread pudding, sandwiches, french toast casserole. Gift bread to friends.

If you are looking to get out of the house and avoid the cold darkness, try the art museum on Friday nights. Choose to do a slow walk of just a specific area. Here's some info about Slow Art which gives you a chance to see art in a new way. I'd suggest taking time to view 5 or so pieces and bring a journal with you. Go downstairs to the cafe or nearby after and write a little blurb about your experience with viewing. Write down any research you want to do, about styles or the artist or art history. Come back the next Friday and view the piece again, just for a minute or so. Then move on to this week's 5 pieces. Obviously this may be more difficult if you're in the county but you can choose the interval.

Look to your local library. They often have classes or speakers or other free programs. I know St. Louis Public Library even has a concert series.

Try Everyday Watercolor to learn to paint, or hand lettering or something else creative. You will spend some nights at home painting and then you can treat yourself to a visit to St. Louis Art Supply now and then to buy supplies and maybe read and chill in their new cafe/lounge space.

And good luck to you and your sobriety!

LIST INCOMING:

I'm so in love with this range of books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Botanicum-Welcome-Museum-Kathy-Willis/dp/1783703946

I guess they're kids books but the illustrations are just beautiful and I actually got the postcard set for the botanical illustrations, and I'm going to have them framed for my house. I adore plant illustrations in this style.

Another one I love is: https://www.amazon.com/Resurrectionist-Lost-Work-Spencer-Black/dp/1594746168

The story is a bit average but the illustrations are so cool, I love anatomical illustrations and mythical beasts.

These two are also amazing: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Why-How-Illustrate-Mysteries/dp/1452108226 and https://www.amazon.com/Who-What-When-Illustrate-Sidekicks/dp/1452128278/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1452128278&pd_rd_r=RRYE5GWH9BWS2TPVV31X&pd_rd_w=K7qR6&pd_rd_wg=Mxunj&psc=1&refRID=RRYE5GWH9BWS2TPVV31X

I totally cried my eyes out over this one: https://www.amazon.com/Radioactive-Marie-Pierre-Curie-Fallout/dp/0061351326

And the illustrations are just so beautiful. Her story is just tragic and she was so brilliant.

If you wanna cry for a couple of years, this one: https://www.amazon.com/Laika-Nick-Abadzis/dp/1596431016

I guess not strictly about the science but there's a good amount of space related information and science tangential stuff, and its just such a beautiful book that I couldn't not recommend it. The final page is basically seared onto my memory forever :c

I'm utterly obsessed with this book: https://www.amazon.com/Sick-Rose-Disease-Medical-Illustration/dp/1938922409

ITS SO INTERESTING, its mostly medical diagrams and descriptions (I obviously have an aesthetic).

Hey! I get what you mean!
I have this quite big book titled "Dinosaur Art: The World's Greatest Paleoart. It includes all of the most respected artists in the industry and some of their finest work. If you really want to enjoy some amazing dinosaur art (and yes, actual art) then I suggest you to get this book.

Also thank you for mentioning Tuomas Koivurinne. Always great to see fellow finns mentioned around the world.

The adult coloring books are such fun and I love the looks of this one on my $5ish list.

The kitty ears hat is cute too. I have several pillow case covers on my list as well. I love changing up my decorative pillow covers, some are amusing conversation starters.

Guys, I super recommend this product on Amazon I recently discovered (sorry for the link). I've spent hours on it! The book is huge and it's a really cool experience to slowly discover the picture!
They have a lot of great things that are similar too!

Not a subreddit, but this 'speculative paleoart' is pretty much defined by All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals (which your article actually references at the bottom).

There's also an awesome 99% Invisible podcast about All Yesterdays that you should definitely check out!

Depending on his interests, here are a few options:

• Model dinosaurs: There are several companies that sell accurate scale models of dinosaurs and other prehistoric life; Safari LTD and Collecta are two of my favorites. Beasts of the Mesozoic are some slightly higher-end poseable raptor models.
  
• If you think he'd be interested in a print of professionally-made dinosaur art, a couple of paleoartists whose sites I could find are Emily Willoughby and Mark Witton.
  
• If he might be into stickers, shirts, or other assorted dinosaur-themed merchandise such as mugs or phone cases: Permia sells shirts, stickers, and cards. Some paleoartists have Redbubble pages or similar. A few I recommend looking at: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
  
• If you think he'd be interested in scientifically accurate plushies, Palaeoplushies might be worth looking at.
  
• Books: There are a wide variety of paleontology-related books. Depending on what he's read, and what he's interested in, here are a few possibilities:
  
  • Books about prehistoric life (mostly dinosaurs) in general:
    
    • Pterosaurs by Mark Witton
      
    • A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs by Matt Martyniuk
      
    • The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte
      
    • The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs by Gregory Paul
      
    • Dinosaurs: How they Lived and Evolved by Darren Naish and Paul Barrett
      
  • Books about paleoart:
    
    • Extreme Dinosaurs 2: The Projects by Luis Rey
      
    • The Palaeoartist's Handbook by Mark Witton
      
    • Recreating an Age of Reptiles by Mark Witton
      
    • All Yesterdays by John Conway, C. M. Kosemen, and Darren Naish

I think you should get The Art of Nature Coloring Book because it looks like it would have some really interesting illustrations, that even if you didn't want to colour, would be good to browse and could serve as inspiration since you seem to be interested in drawing.

Here are some cute things i picked out for you !

Lilo and stitch necklace
I really liked this one!!


Vault Socks



Cute animal Calendar
Everyone is gonna need a calendar for next year!

Thanks for the contest !! :)

The third book, Journey to Chandara really brought back the original feel of discovery the first had. I liked the second but I liked exploring the world more than doodling around with crystal doohickies. Definitely an awesome book. I still have them even though they are a little worse for wear.

there was an vet or biology book that actually had horses painted like this (also showing certain muscle groups and organs). It was pretty awesome (source i work for amazon).

found it...http://www.amazon.com/Horse-Anatomy-Performance-Gillian-Higgins/dp/144630096X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1382587503&sr=8-2&keywords=equine+painted

If you get interested at some point, this is the book I got! Works great with a basic watercolor palette and an audiobook in the background :)

I got this one and really like it, I started using watercolors a month ago and found it pretty helpful https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Flower-Painter-Anna-Mason-ebook/dp/B00OBP4916

https://www.amazon.com/Billy-Showells-Botanical-Painting-Watercolour/dp/1844484513 Seems also worth a look.

A great book that actually illustrates (hah!) this point is All Yesterdays. It shows how much of our prehistoric artwork is speculative, and how we have a tendency to "shrink wrap" animals. The end of it shows some amazing work on how we'd reconstruct live animals from fossils today to underscore the point.

The image is from a book called All Yesterdays. Some of the authors' associates have posted it on their blog, so hopefully it's ok for me to post it here. The artist himself is C.M. Kosemen, more of his work can be seen here and here. The other 2 authors are Darren Naish, author of the fabulous Tetrapod Zoology blog and John Conway, his paleoart is pretty good.

Thanks. I think I started calling them fly amanitas because they were named that in TES: Oblivion. Arik Roper's book Mushroom Magick (which is an awesome book btw) designates them as amanita muscaria. They're one of my favorite mushrooms due to their odd, cartoony qualities even in real life.

Hello! I have Colour Quest and it's freaking awesome. It takes a long time to do each page but the pay-off at the end is great as you discover what you're colouring as you go along.

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Quest-Coloring-Challenges-Complete/dp/1438008562?tag=duckduckgo-iphone-20

You really need to buy this for yourself because it's a Dr. Who journal, which is awesome in and of itself, and also because you need something to write things down in (memories). Mom brain sucks big time, and sometimes you need to look back on things and remember what you've forgotten. Plus this because it's such a great stress relief, and who doesn't love to color?!

The first two are from an AWESOME book called "All Yesterdays" that deserves more press.

They ripped off the images from Darren Naish's All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. I've heard him interviewed more than once on podcasts, and think he seems like a good source.

All Yesterdays is pretty darn cool.

I just did a painting of some salmon, and it took days of combing through Google results to find what I wanted, slow but it works. I also have this book which can be helpful. Any way you do it though, if you have something really specific it's hard to find good reference.
Edit I see you said photos, sorry that book probably won't help

I love my inner child


this

[x] 5:00 a.m. Wake up, dress, stretch, crunches, drink 32 oz water

-- Wednesday, so do Squats and Pushups

[x] 5:30 a.m. Go for a short walk

[x] 6:00 a.m. 12oz coffee with cinnamon, daily reading pomodoro

[x] 7:00 a.m. Morning meds and breakfast (boiled egg, apple, cashews), shower & hygiene

[x] 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. 4 productive pomodoros

[x] 10:00 a.m. Coffee shop (16 oz black coffee)

-- Journaling

-- Color Quest color-by-numbers pomodoro

[x] 11:00 a.m. Lunch (soup with crackers, banana, 16 oz water)

[x] 11:30 a.m. Meditation, Affirmation, Visualization

[x] 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm Nap

[ ] 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. 4 productive pomodoros

[x] 2:00 p.m. Afternoon meds

[x] 3:00 p.m. Library, miscellaneous time

[x] 4:00 p.m Second walk, drink 32 oz water

[x] 5:00 p.m. Dinner with wife (pizza and salad, 16 oz water)

[x] 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 4 productive pomodoros (or third walk / swimming)

[x] 8:00 p.m. 12 oz Echinacea tea with cinnamon and honey

[x] 9:00 p.m. Nighttime meds, disconnect from Internet & screens, prep for tomorrow

[x] 10:00 p.m. Bed

Update: The day went pretty well. I didn't get quite as much done as I hoped for, and I broke my food routine a bit by picking up some tater tots from Sonic on impulse. 7000+ steps for the day, though.

OP: Have a read of the book "All Yesterdays". A fascinating read on this topic IMO.

John Conway's Leaellynasaura art is one of my favorites. Honestly, it's worth checking out the whole book it's from, All Yesterdays, which isn't necessarily full of completely out-there interpretations of dinosaurs, but refreshing ones.

Fun fact: That octopus is featured in a book with 1400+ copyright free animal drawings. The octopus specifically was used in the Sing the Sorrow album artwork by AFI

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NAxmmgG5S94/UMtKcA4OYNI/AAAAAAAACEM/9twpzSOuJp0/s1600/kosemen%2Bstego.jpg

That's from a really cool book about the limitations of paleo-reconstructive art called All Yesterdays.

I think it’s All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. Looked really interesting to me but I was never able to find a paper copy.

amazon link

Adult coloring books. There enough themes out there you can find one somewhat tailored to their interests. https://www.amazon.com/Art-Nature-Coloring-Book-Illustrations/dp/1440570604?ie=UTF8&keywords=adult%20coloring%20books&qid=1441993188&ref_=sr_1_85&s=books&sr=1-85

I heard about this one in a podcast and want it!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00A2VS55O?ref=aw_sitb_digital-text

Something I need, closed-toe shoes for winter — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004177C2M/

Something I want, to keep me occupied during my rehabilitation — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0399579729/

You may find this relevant

The book it comes from which is all about highlighting the fact that common artistic portrayals of dinosaurs aren't necessarily how they must have looked.

オライリーの表紙の動物は、ドーバーの"Animals: 1,419 Copyright-Free Illustrations of Mammals, Birds, Fish, Insects, etc"という本から主に採られているらしい。

http://www.amazon.com/All-Yesterdays-Speculative-Dinosaurs-Prehistoric-ebook/dp/B00A2VS55O

Those are from the book All Yesterdays

This is the book, its so great!

C'mon, OP. The artist is Julius Csotonyi. The image is included in The Paleoart of Julius Cstonyi.

This one? http://www.amazon.ca/Dinosaur-Art-Worlds-Greatest-Paleoart/dp/0857685848

There's a book that came out recently called All Yesterdays that takes alternative but scientifically valid perspectives on dinosaur appearances and behavior. The idea comes from how today's animals have a diverse range of features that probably wouldn't fossilize well- could dinosaurs have done similar? The second half of the book takes today's animals and draws them from the perspective of paleontologists in the future, if they only had skeletons to work with- what kind of interpretations would they make?