Toxochelys

[Newt]

Some progress on a painting of the Cretaceous marine turtle Toxochelys weeksi:

First, the maquette. Wire-and-foil armature, Kato Polyclay, and acrylic paint.




A few thumbnails to try out different compositions:


And finally, getting started on the canvas! I laid down some acrylic paint as an imprimatura, but the painting proper will be in oil. The canvas is gallery-wrapped and won't be framed, so I had to turn it upside down to paint the bottom edge.


More later!

[Lanthanotus]

Never heard about this turtle before I think, but it looks very promising. So it's gonna be a female?!

[Newt]

Thanks! Yes, she'll be coming up to nest on a sandy beach. This is largely because it was the best way I could figure out to feature some of the shelly fauna found with T. weeksi.

[Halichoeres]

Did you model the head after any particular living turtle?

[Newt]

I wasn't directly looking at living turtles while sculpting it, but I was keeping Chelydra in mind, as Toxochelys' skull looks more like its than any other living turtle I know. It certainly does not have a similar skull to any living sea turtles.

The paint job is vaguely based on various kinosternids. I have an idea that, with its dorsally-situated eyes and somewhat under-sized flippers, Toxochelys was something of a benthic lurker and deserved a suitably cryptic color scheme.

[Newt]

Final painting:

[Lanthanotus]

A nice piece of paleo-art. I like that turtle's head and the colors of the sky/clouds.

[Halichoeres]

Looks good! Backlighting can be so difficult to pull off, too.

[Newt]

Thanks, guys!

[Mamasaurus]

This is beautiful! I love the light, and the colors in the sunset and water 

[Kayakasaurus]

Very beautiful! It almost looks like there is a silhouette of a city with lights on the shore to the left heehee.

[Newt]

Thanks Mama- and Kayakasaurus!

The "city" is some unfortunate glare off a dark spit of land in the distance. I took this and my mosasaur painting down to a show in Selmer, Tennessee, very near the main Coon Creek locality. I got a lot of good feedback, and a lead on a commission, so please cross your fingers for me!

[Digibasherx]

Awesome job Newt, and good luck with the commission.  I really like the placement of the shadows and highlights.

[Newt]

Thanks, Digibasherx!