A wonderful science communication animation.

Wanted to write about this, but forgot it in my drafts section. Just back from a week-long trip back to the Filmaakdemie – was a great time, but I had little time for anything else. Shall try to catch up on things this week.

I am and have been convinced that art + science can form productive cooperations and have been pursuing this in graphics research for 5 years now, in paleontology for about a year (with a fairly long entry curve as I typically underestimated the volume of my ignorance).

I’m particularly interested in how animation and interactive illustration can function in this axis, and have always felt that art can form a positive feedback to science – by which I mean not just outreach and media but science, ie. the scientific process and accumulation of knowledge. This conviction has been challenged numerous times, and I have to admit that many of the preconceptions that paleontologists have about us artists are correct. We’re not as useful as I’d like to believe. BUT…

We are useful though. Some recent evidence:

Mike Traynor condenses Mark Witton’s voluminous critique of Attenborough’s Flying Monsters into one word, cleverly using the established hype blurb method of reviews. Is this illustration? You bet! Clever, concise abstraction of information. Beautiful.

Over at artEvolved, myself and other members have been warming up with speed paints inspired from the many, inspirational science blogs out there. The response from science bloggers such as Darren Naish and Dave Hone has taken me by surprise. There’s an element of community that I haven’t had my sights on.
Personal note: maybe it’s worth focusing on the artist and scientist (and the general public) and not just on the art and the science.

I’m finding more and more speed-painters out there, most from the world of concept art (who else does speed paints, after all). Have I overlooked them in the past? Is this a development? Who cares, cool stuff. Check out dino-art, a blog collective of 6 highly talented guys; Mfrank, plietz, A.j. Trahan, Greg Broadmore, sammy & Jason.

Other good examples? Interesting sites? Please let me know.
Also – I welcome suggestions for speed paint sessions… what blogs would you like to see as focus for homage in future speed paints?

More great titles for this one than you can shake a fist at. Inspired by the great, late post at Andrea Cau’s Theropoda. how can you resist the googlation Paleoart Why Is Not?

Thanks to Andrea Cau for continuous inspiration and the others at artEvolved for their paints.

Hard to believe that another week’s practically gone by without me posting paints. I have to disappoint once more, but at least share a snippet from my desk. More soon.

3 hours today, plus the half-hour yesterday. This approaches what I consider professional, and would form the basis for a really cool 3D sculpt if the level-of-detail should get pushed much further. coolest of all, Darren Tanke himself has asked to use it for his profile. Still not confident whether I’ve got the likeness or not. Whatcha think?

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Today’s paint in honor of Dave Hone’s Archosaur Musings… although the post referred to is by Darren Tanke. Great stuff… and funny honoring such a fastidious and on-going labor with with a 30 minute speedpaint.

Tweaking the uvs on Kentrosaurus with a custom uv’oflage. Shaddings also all set up. Now the fun begins.

Only 15 minutes today, my fascination for nostril soft tissues continues.

Interested in animation? Interested in being interested in animation? No matter, at $10 you can buy a license for a fairly powerful piece of animation software. $40 gets you the pro version. Thing is, enough people have to buy licenses before any of the purchases are honored. I’ve been using this software since its days as a lightwave plug-in, I vouch for it for character and creature animation purposes. Its the only software I’ve experienced that made rigging fun. Click the image and check it out… the community forum has lots of learning videos, there are loads more if you become a member.

Based (roughly, very roughly) on a true event.

Yesterday’s paint (honest). First in a week. I’m slacking. This one is in honor of Darren Naish’s wonderful blog, among other things, about whales.