Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings

7 12, 2021

Getting to Grips with the Remarkable Beipiaosaurus

By Mike|2024-09-15T19:46:35+01:00December 7th, 2021|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

China is famous for its numerous feathered theropod discoveries. Some taxa that have been scientifically described for more than twenty years are still capable of providing palaeontologists with a new perspective on the evolution of feathered dinosaurs. Take for example Beipiaosaurus inexpectus, from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation (Sihetun locality, near Beipiao), Liaoning, north-eastern China. It is a key taxon for understanding the early evolution of therizinosaurians and their close relatives.

However, since its initial scientific description back in 1999, only the cranial elements of this dinosaur have been described in any detail.

A dinosaur designed by a committee – the term we use to describe therizinosaurs. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Writing in the peer-reviewed, open access journal “PLOS One”, scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (USA), present a detailed description of the postcranial skeletal anatomy of the holotype specimen of B. inexpectus.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

Beipiaosaurus inexpectus

The study incorporates two never before described dorsal vertebrae from the anterior half of the series. Based on these observations, and comparisons with the postcranial skeleton of therizinosaurian taxa named since this dinosaur was scientifically described, the scientists revise the diagnostic features for B. inexpectus adding three new possible, unique anatomical characteristics. The newly acquired data from the postcranial osteology of the holotype specimen sheds light on our understanding of postcranial skeletal evolution and identification of therizinosaurians.

When the paper came out, “Postcranial osteology of Beipiaosaurus inexpectus (Theropoda: Therizinosauria)” by Liao et al, Everything Dinosaur published a detailed blog post about this new research.

The earlier Everything Dinosaur blog post provides more information: Beipiaosaurus Revisited.

It seems our feathered dinosaur friends have a lot more to teach us and without giving too much away, readers can expect to see more posts about feathered dinosaurs on the Everything Dinosaur blog next year (2022).

To view figures of feathered dinosaurs including therizinosaurs, visit the models section of the Everything Dinosaur website: Feathered Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animal Models.

22 11, 2021

An Accurate Albertaceratops Scale Drawing

By Mike|2024-08-26T17:40:58+01:00November 22nd, 2021|Categories: Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

As team members at Everything Dinosaur prepare for the arrival of the third wave of Beasts of the Mesozoic ceratopsian models, they have been busy finalising the Albertaceratops fact sheet. This fact sheet will be sent out with sales of the Beasts of the Mesozoic Albertaceratops nesmoi figure which is one of the wave 3 models coming into stock.

A scale drawing of Albertaceratops (A. nesmoi), a horned dinosaur known from the Oldman Formation of Alberta, Canada. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A Basal Centrosaurine

Named and described back in 2007, based on the discovery of a partial skull, Albertaceratops was thought to be a distant relative of Triceratops when it was first being studied. Whilst the skull is centrosaurine in nature, this herbivorous dinosaur had two large brow horns, a characteristic associated with the Chasmosaurinae subfamily within the Ceratopsidae. Triceratops is classified as a chasmosaurine and as such, it was originally thought that Albertaceratops was related to it.

Most palaeontologists consider Albertaceratops to be most closely related to Medusaceratops (M. lokii), which is known from the Judith River Formation of Montana (USA). Both Medusaceratops and Albertaceratops lived at the same time (77.5 million years ago – Campanian faunal stage of the Late Cretaceous). These two horned dinosaurs were coeval.

Albertaceratops is thought to represent an early member of the Centrosaurinae.

The Beasts of the Mesozoic Albertaceratops dinosaur model.

Medusaceratops was named and described in 2010 (Ryan, Russell and Hartman), an articulated replica of this dinosaur is in the Beasts of the Mesozoic ceratopsian range, it being one of the first models to be introduced (wave 1).

Beasts of the Mesozoic Medusaceratops.

Beasts of the Mesozoic Wave 3 Ceratopsians in Stock Next Month (December 2021)

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur confirmed that the wave 3 ceratopsian series was scheduled to be in stock at Everything Dinosaur in December 2021.

To view the range of Beasts of the Mesozoic “raptors” and ceratopsians in stock at Everything Dinosaur: Beasts of the Mesozoic Models and Figures.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Toys.

14 11, 2021

The Remarkable Artwork of Luke du Toit

By Mike|2024-08-26T16:12:00+01:00November 14th, 2021|Categories: Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|0 Comments

Everything Dinosaur customer and prehistoric animal fan Luke du Toit combines his skills as an artist and graphic designer to create stunning dinosaur themed artworks. Take for example, this very colourful Dilophosaurus illustration shown below.

Dilophosaurus illustrated. — *A colourful Dilophosaurus artwork created by talented artist and graphic designer Luke du Toit. Picture credit: Luke du Toit.*

Mesozoic Art

Mesozoic Art was started by Luke back in 2016, he has been selling his unique creations to fans of prehistoric animals and palaeoart all over the world from his company’s website.

Commenting on why dinosaurs have inspired him so much, Luke explained:

“I have a deep love and obsession for dinosaurs and have been drawing them since I was 5 years old. Their variety of different shapes, sizes and colours really tap into my imagination. The fact that dinosaurs existed and are now not readily available for us to access make them almost mythical in nature. For me, they are a great source of creative expression. “

Parasaurolophus artwork. — A striking Parasaurolophus illustration. The duck-billed dinosaur is surrounded by a border of flowering plants (angiosperms). Flowering plants would have been familiar to this Late Cretaceous herbivore. Picture credit: Luke du Toit.

Inspired by the “Jurassic Park” Movie Franchise

Based in Pretoria, South Africa, Luke uses a variety of reference sources to inspire his illustrations. In particular, he is a big fan of the “Jurassic Park” movie franchise and a number of the iconic dinosaurs from that famous film franchise feature in his artwork.

Velociraptor Blue by Luke du Toit — An illustration of Velociraptor Blue inspired by the “Jurassic Park” movie franchise. Artwork entitled “Clever Girl” by South African graphic designer and artist Luke du Toit. Picture credit: Luke du Toit.

Each detailed illustration is meticulously drawn, then scanned and turned into an electronic file before being digitally redrawn and then coloured.

“My artwork looks equally beautiful in a child’s bedroom, a study as well as an art piece in a living room or even a “Man Cave” setting,” commented the talented artist.

Triceratops artwork — *A striking illustration of the horned dinosaur Triceratops. Picture credit: Luke du Toit.*

Take a look at the Mesozoic Art website to see the full portfolio of artwork and illustrations of the artist.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

25 10, 2021

An Exclusive Livyatan Scale Drawing

By Mike|2024-07-27T19:52:47+01:00October 25th, 2021|Categories: Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page|0 Comments

Team members at Everything Dinosaur are busy preparing for arrival of the latest batch of PNSO prehistoric animals including the PNSO Requena the Livyatan model. With production delays and difficulties with logistics, many companies have struggled to receive stock but plans at Everything Dinosaur are well advanced and a shipment of new PNSO models including the Livyatan figure along with Tucson the Himalayasaurus, Evan the Tylosaurus and the eagerly anticipated Aidan the Cretoxyrhina shark model should be in stock at the end of next month (November 2021).

PNSO Requena the Livyatan model — *The PNSO Requena the Livyatan prehistoric whale model. This prehistoric whale model should be in stock at Everything Dinosaur in November 2021.*

Livyatan melvillei – Leviathan

Formally named and described in 2010 (Lambert et al), from a partial skull discovered in southern Peru (Pisco Formation) two years earlier, the exact size of this prehistoric whale remains unknown. Based on scaling up the 3-metre-long fossil skull with those of extant Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), palaeontologists have estimated that Livyatan could have been between 13.5 and 18 metres in length.

Not knowing the size of this ancient cetacean has made creating a scale drawing challenging for Everything Dinosaur team members. Male Livyatans were probably considerably larger than females, as seen in Sperm whales today. Bull Sperm whales can be up to 20 metres in length, whilst females rarely exceed 12 metres and these bulls can be up to 3 times heavier.

Livyatan Scale Drawing

After having reviewed the scientific literature, Everything Dinosaur team members have given their illustration of Livyatan melvillei a length of approximately 15 metres.

Livyatan melvillei scale drawing. — As only the skull and some teeth are known, the size of this predatory whale remains uncertain. Size estimates vary from between 13.5 to 18 metres, males may have been larger than females as seen in the largest extant toothed whale, the Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Everything Dinosaur website: Prehistoric Animal Toys.

Originally named Leviathan melvillei, with the genus name reflecting the biblical sea monster and the species name honouring Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick, it was discovered that the word “Leviathan” was a junior synonym for a Mastodon, so under the rules of scientific nomenclature the genus name was changed. Livyatan is derived from the Hebrew word for the biblical sea monster.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s article from 2010 about the discovery of this prehistoric whale: Nightmare Whale from Prehistory.

Team members are looking forward to receiving the PNSO Requena the Livyatan model in stock next month (November 2021).

To view the range of PNSO prehistoric animal models in stock at Everything Dinosaur: PNSO Prehistoric Animal Models.

12 10, 2021

A Fabulous and Colourful Diabloceratops Drawing

By Mike|2024-07-27T17:12:41+01:00October 12th, 2021|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

Our thanks to Caldey who sent into Everything Dinosaur another drawing of a horned dinosaur. This time Caldey has chosen to illustrate a centrosaurine, the spectacular Diabloceratops (D. eatoni), a plant-eater that roamed Utah during the Campanian faunal stage of the Late Cretaceous.

With its huge pair of horns extending beyond the headshield and its large, brow horns, Diabloceratops (devil horned face), was one very impressive-looking dinosaur.

A Diabloceratops eatoni drawing by Caldey — *The very colourful horned dinosaur by talented young artist Caldey. We think that Caldey drew inspiration from the Beasts of the Mesozoic Diabloceratops (D. eatoni) replica. Picture credit: Caldey.*

Inspired by a Beasts of the Mesozoic Ceratopsian

Team members at Everything Dinosaur think that this colourful ceratopsian illustration was inspired by the colour scheme on the Beasts of the Mesozoic articulated Diabloceratops figure.

Beasts of the Mesozoic Diabloceratops — The Beasts of the Mesozoic articulated Diabloceratops eatoni model. This replica of a centrosaurine was part of the first wave of ceratopsian figures to be produced in the Beasts of the Mesozoic range.

The picture above shows the articulated Diabloceratops in the Beasts of the Mesozoic model range.

To view this range of articulated dinosaur figures: Beasts of the Mesozoic Dinosaurs.

A Diabloceratops Duo

This Diabloceratops illustration we received this week is not the first Diabloceratops drawing from Caldey that we have been sent. In 2019, Schleich introduced a Diabloceratops figure, this model proved to be extremely popular and shortly after its introduction Caldey sent into Everything Dinosaur her illustration of the Schleich model.

Schleich Diabloceratops dinosaur drawing. — *The Schleich Diabloceratops inspired Caldey to illustrate this dinosaur back in 2019. Picture credit: Caldey.*

A close-up view of the front end (anterior portion) of the Schleich Diabloceratops dinosaur model. This horned dinosaur model, introduced in 2019 inspired Caldey to produce her first illustration of Diabloceratops that was sent to Everything Dinosaur. *Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“Some of the spectacular horned dinosaurs that have been recently named and described have proved very popular with palaeoartists of all ages. Our thanks to Caldey for sending into us her Diabloceratops drawing. Her artwork is greatly appreciated”.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

28 09, 2021

Caldey’s Beautiful Horned Dinosaur Illustration

By Mike|2024-07-02T22:42:05+01:00September 28th, 2021|Categories: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|0 Comments

Our thanks to dinosaur model fan and artist Caldey who sent into Everything Dinosaur a very colourful and striking illustration of a horned dinosaur. Caldey has been inspired by the paint schemes of several of the Beasts of the Mesozoic ceratopsians and we think that Caldey’s most recent artwork has been influenced by the Styracosaurus albertensis in this range.

Caldey's horned dinosaur drawing. — *The very colourful horned dinosaur illustration produced by Caldey. Team members at Everything Dinosaur think that the centrosaurine illustrated is Styracosaurus. Picture credit: Caldey.*

The skin covering the fenestrae in the fill have been coloured crimson and their colour almost matches the vivid tree depicted in the background.

An Impressive Horned Dinosaur Drawing

As crocodilians and birds which are the closest living relatives to the Dinosauria, have colour vision, most scientists are confident in the assertion that dinosaurs had colour vision too. The bold patterns and colours chosen by the illustrator would certainly make this horned dinosaur conspicuous, but if you want to attract a mate, or to obtain high social status within a herd, having a striking appearance is one way to go about it. Caldey’s colour scheme is bold with the white flashes on the flanks in stark contrast to the russet tones and greys of the rest of the body.

The dinosaur also sports a tuft of bristles from the end of the ribs running towards the base of the tail, a nod to the integumentary covering associated with the distantly related Psittacosaurus which Caldey has also illustrated (see below).

A drrawing of Psittacosaurus. — *Caldey’s illustration of the early member of the Ceratopsia – Psittacosaurus. Picture credit: Caldey.*

When commenting upon Caldey’s latest, colourful ceratopsian a spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur stated:

“It is always a pleasure to receive illustrations and drawings from dinosaur fans. We have been very impressed with the artwork that we have been sent by Caldey. Thanks to Caldey we have received artwork featuring several horned dinosaurs including Triceratops and Diabloceratops. We know that she has been inspired previously by the Beasts of the Mesozoic models, so we think her latest drawing was influenced by the Beasts of the Mesozoic Styracosaurus figure.”

To view the Beasts of the Mesozoic model range: Beasts of the Mesozoic Models.

Beasts of the Mesozoic Styracosaurus model illustration — *The back cover illustration of the Beasts of the Mesozoic Styracosaurus dinosaur model (S. albertensis). Did this colour scheme inspire the young artist? Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Our thanks once again to Caldey for sending into Everything Dinosaur her prehistoric animal drawing.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

25 09, 2021

New Prehistoric Times Magazine Issue 139

By Mike|2024-07-02T22:20:32+01:00September 25th, 2021|Categories: Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Magazine Reviews, Main Page|0 Comments

Time to take a sneak peek at the front cover of the forthcoming edition of the quarterly magazine “Prehistoric Times”. It features a close-up view of the head of the African spinosaurid Suchomimus on the front cover.

Team members at Everything Dinosaur are grateful to magazine editor Mike Fredericks for sending us an image of the front cover of the next edition (issue 139) of this popular magazine.

Prehistoric Times magazine (issue 139) — *The front cover of the next issue of “Prehistoric Times” magazine (issue 139) features a close-up view of the head of the spinosaurid Suchomimus. Picture credit: Mike Fredericks.*

Issue 139 (Fall/Autumn 2021)

As well as Phil Hore’s articles on Suchomimus and placodonts (Henodus), we can look forward to the next instalment of Jon Lavas’s long-running series highlighting the work of the influential Czech artist Zdeněk Burian. In issue 139, the focus will be on Burian’s illustrations of Stegosaurus.

Stegosaurus stenops threatened by a pair of Antrodemus valens. — The classic depiction of a Late Jurassic scene by Burian (1950). Everything Dinosaur team members wonder whether this iconic image of the armoured dinosaur Stegosaurus will feature in issue 139 (fall/autumn 2021)? Picture credit: Zdeněk Burian.

The front cover text hints at an article by the talented polymath Tracy Lee Ford on dinosaur feathers. At this time, team members at Everything Dinosaur do not know whether dinosaur feathers are the subject of his regular “how to draw dinosaurs” feature of if this is an especially commissioned piece focusing on the various integumentary coverings associated with the Dinosauria. The article is bound to be most informative and we look forward to issue 139 dropping through our letter box sometime in the next few weeks.

To learn more about “Prehistoric Times” magazine and to subscribe: “Prehistoric Times” magazine.

28 08, 2021

Solving the Picture Puzzle – Torosaurus

By Mike|2024-05-28T14:43:16+01:00August 28th, 2021|Categories: Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|0 Comments

A few days ago, team members at Everything Dinosaur posted up a picture of a recently commissioned dinosaur drawing and challenged our blog readers and social media followers to identify the species illustrated. Sure enough, these knowledgeable collectors of prehistoric animals were quickly able to identify Torosaurus (T. latus).

Dinosaur drawing commissioned by Everything Dinosaur. — *Everything Dinosaur set a challenge, could you identify the dinosaur species illustrated in their recently commissioned drawing?* *Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Beasts of the Mesozoic Torosaurus Dinosaur Model

The drawing of Torosaurus was commissioned in preparation for the arrival this autumn of the Beasts of the Mesozoic Wave 3 ceratopsians, seven new, articulated horned dinosaur models including a Torosaurus replica. The drawing (above), was inspired by the photograph of the Torosaurus shown below.

The Wave 3 ceratopsians (Albertaceratops, Pentaceratops, Sinoceratops, adult Triceratops, Utahceratops, Xenoceratops and the Torosaurus model), are due to be shipped from the factory in September (September 2021). It is difficult to predict when these figures will be in stock at Everything Dinosaur, but they could be available sometime after the middle of October. Team members will do all they can to expediate delivery into their UK warehouse.

Beasts of the Mesozoic Torosaurus in anterior view — *The target spots on the headshield of the Beasts of the Mesozoic Torosaurus dinosaur model can be clearly seen in this image.*

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We like to set little puzzles and quizzes on our Instagram, Facebook and other social media pages. We thought that our picture puzzle would prove a bit of a challenge, but once again, our fans and followers have demonstrated their in-depth knowledge of prehistoric animals as well as dinosaur models and figures. Not only did respondents correctly identify Torosaurus latus but they recognised that our illustration had been inspired by the Beasts of the Mesozoic Torosaurus model. Perhaps it was the prominent target spots on the headshield that gave the game away.”

Torosaurus Model Measurements

The Beasts of the Mesozoic Torosaurus is a huge model! It is considerably bigger than both the Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai and the Centrosaurus apertus figures that were introduced earlier. The articulated Torosaurus measures nearly 46 cm in length. The dinosaur model has a declared scale of 1:18.

The spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur added:

“The Torosaurus and the adult Triceratops figures are the largest horned dinosaur models in the Beasts of the Mesozoic model range. These two figures and the other models in Wave 3 are going to make a big splash when they touch down at Everything Dinosaur’s warehouse.”

Beasts of the Mesozoic Torosaurus dinosaur model. — *The stunning Beasts of the Mesozoic Torosaurus (T. latus) articulated dinosaur model.*

To view the range of Beasts of the Mesozoic models currently in stock at Everything Dinosaur: Beasts of the Mesozoic.

25 08, 2021

Time for a Picture Puzzle

By Mike|2024-05-28T14:33:50+01:00August 25th, 2021|Categories: Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|0 Comments

At Everything Dinosaur, we are amazed at the in-depth dinosaur and prehistoric animal knowledge that is often demonstrated by our customers. Our fans, followers and supporters on the various social media platforms that we occupy such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube constantly impress us with their knowledge of palaeontology.

We are often humbled by the sheer breadth and depth of knowledge they collectively possess. So, it’s time for another little tease, time to put our customers and social media fans to the test.

Below, we have posted up a dinosaur drawing that we at Everything Dinosaur recently commissioned.

Can you identify the dinosaur species from the drawing?

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Dinosaur Picture Puzzle

Based in the UK, Everything Dinosaur is run by teachers and knowledgeable dinosaur enthusiasts helping collectors of prehistoric animal models and promoting education and an appreciation of the Earth sciences. We research and write fact sheets for many of the models and figures we sell and we commission illustrations of prehistoric animals that can be used in these fact sheets and in our other educational activities.

The dinosaur drawings that we commission help to support a network of palaeoartists and illustrators. Our financial support of these illustrators is just one of the ways in which Everything Dinosaur assists the wider community.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that they would reveal the identity of the dinosaur featured in the drawing in a blog post to be published later this week.

In the meantime, visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Toys and Models.

30 07, 2021

Teasing About a New Spinosaurus Figure

By Mike|2024-05-27T15:52:35+01:00July 30th, 2021|Categories: Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Drawings, Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

A few days ago, team members at Everything Dinosaur teased their Facebook and Instagram followers with a stunning illustration of the huge theropod dinosaur Spinosaurus. The artwork is supplied with the W-Dragon Spinosaurus (S. aegyptiacus) replica. Team members challenged followers and fans on social media to see if they could correctly identify the illustration.

A stunning Spinosaurus illustration based on an interpretation of this giant theropod around 30 years ago. Fans and followers of Everything Dinosaur on social media were asked to identify the prehistoric animal model based on the illustration. Could you work out the model that comes with this splendid Spinosaurus drawing? *Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Clever Collectors

Our well-informed customers, dinosaur model fans and clever collectors were able to identify the Spinosaurus artwork. We are going to have to set some sterner challenges if we are to stump our fans and followers on social media.

W-Dragon Spinosaurus dinosaur model. — The W-Dragon Spinosaurus dinosaur model on its display base. This figure is supplied with superb Spinosaurus illustration. The artwork and the model honour the Spinosaurus that appeared in the third of the “Jurassic Park” trilogies – “Jurassic Park III”, the first film in this hugely successful franchise that was not based on a book by the late Michael Crichton. *Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We have a very knowledgeable and discerning customer base and we like to set the occasional challenge to test how much they know about the models that we sell. Team members have been very impressed with the level of knowledge that has been demonstrated. We might have to set some harder challenges in the future.”

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

W-Dragon Spinosaurus Model

The W-Dragon Spinosaurus arrived in stock at Everything Dinosaur at the beginning of 2021. A special production run had been commissioned by Everything Dinosaur in response to requests from customers.

The W-Dragon Spinosaurus dinosaur model. — *The superb W-Dragon Spinosaurus dinosaur replica.*

To view the W-Dragon Spinosaurus and the rest of the models in the excellent W-Dragon range: W-Dragon Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.