Do you like waffles? Do you like pancakes? If you do, then this isn’t the place to be looking. Go to buy some breakfast or something. However if you like or love dinosaurs, then look no further. This book has pages and pages of beautiful art done by not one or two, but several prominent artists in this industry.

Like many children, I grew up loving dinosaurs. I was mystified by these giant creatures the size of cars and houses, decked in horns, and sometimes with teeth that could chomp a man in half. It seemed like something out of a fairy tale, but it was real. These creatures existed on this planet one time and it was unbelievable to me. I’ve always imagined what they would look like if they were alive today; which I think is the problem that everyone comes across, especially paleontologists. However, this book somewhat solves this problem.

Tylosaurus leaping out of the water before meteor impact – by Douglas Henderson

Steve White the editor along with Titan Books, took the time to assemble these artists work and compile them into this giant book. All the artists in here are motivated or inspired in their own ways. They may paint or draw the same dinosaur, but they will never look the same. One of the artists in this book named Gregory S. Paul, is stated to be the most influential paleoartist. He has been on the field and has studied dinosaur physiology and thermodynamics. Not only is that awesome, it shows how far some artists are willing to go in order to capture the utmost understanding of dinosaurs in order to try and bring them to life. Gregory S. Paul has several oil painted pieces and pencil art that are beautiful to look at.

Herd of Styracosaurus being paralleled by an Albertosaurus – by Gregory S. Paul

Since there are many artists in this book and I loved every single one of their pieces, the person that stood out to me the most was Luis Rey’s work. He uses a lot of gorgeous colors which I believe gives these long dead creatures a new life. He puts colors to the Stegosaurus backplates making it almost like a peacock, he puts color to the giant frill of the Triceratops, and he also puts in full color to the T-Rex. The movie “Jurassic Park” portrayed T-Rex as a grey/brownish color making it somewhat drab. Luis puts in greens and blues and re-makes the T-Rex into a more vibrant and living creature. Almost similar to their colorful descendants of modern day birds.

Gigantoraptor defending nest against Alectrosaurus – by Luis Rey

In a nutshell, I really enjoyed this book a lot. Not only is it filled with beautiful pieces, it’s also very informative when explaining the backgrounds of some of the animals. I would highly suggest people purchase this book. All the artists are very talented and do a lot of justice to these ancient creatures. Also on a side note, there are pieces done by Mauricio Anton that actually cover the early era of mammals which are also beautifully done. This book does not disappoint, and I give it 4.5 out of 5 Nerdzilla paws…..wait, what kind of dinosaur is Nerdzilla?

 

Alger Alama

Highly sociable and having been entrenched in Nerd\Geekdom since he was a kid, Alger has seen it all. During his spare time he loves to go out clubbing, sing karaoke, and attend parties. This Nerd is no wallflower. He’ll always greet you with a warm smile and a drink in hand.

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