Thagirion's dino art

[Thagirion]

Well here I go. My first time posting in this forum. Some of you may have seen my other art in my non dinosaur art thread.  These are works in progress which I don't usually post but I'm dying to share them.  My specialty is actually computer coloring so these pencil drawings are either for practice or just for fun. I'm working on character designs for a T-rex story I'm going to be drawing up frame by frame and coloring up.  Here's what I have so far.



Young Cyrex. He'd be the equivalent of perhaps a 9-10 year old boy.  I'm very pleased with how he came out.  His design is pretty much done. I had fun drawing his emotions.  To me one of the most important things in art expressing emotions. Usually I do that well but some of these guys have given me a hard time.



Cyrex as an adult. I'm quite good with anger. But that worried look at the bottom isn't quite right. I just can't seem to get worry to work with these rexes for some reason.



Bludgeon the bad guy. I only drew him upright for that expression. He (nor anyone else) will be like that in the story.  In fact this isn't his final design.  The near full body one is closer to his final look and he'll be blind in one eye, so I get to do fun glowy effects once I color him. Coloring is my favorite part of the art process.



Tyrannus - Cyrex's father. I drew these today and got really lazy towards the end hence why there's so little detail. The one looking forward is terrible. Will not be using. The angry one is my fave.  And again I can't quite get the hang of "worry".  I'll keep trying. 

So this is a bit of a sneak peak.  More characters on the way and I still need names for the young female that will be Cyrex's mate as well as names for a Compy and a Troodon.  Hope you guys like.

Eventually I may draw less cartoony dinos too which I'm pretty good at, but these are too much fun.

EDIT: Oops almost forgot. This is not part of this story. This is an all digital doodle I posted in the What dino Are You thread. This is me as a JP Utahraptor with my budgie friend.  He's my friend so he's in no danger of being eaten.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Pretty cool, lots of character there ! I'm quite jealous of those who can inject such personality into their work .

[Thagirion]

Thank you Blade of the Moon.  I'm very glad you like it. That's ok, I amazed by your live sized sculptures. I couldn't do that at all.

[Metallisuchus]

I know these are just rough sketches right now, but based on what I've seen in your finished work with your Thag project, I think you have some serious potential here with the dinosaurs as well.

This is reminding me of The Land Before Time (though much more updated and with more attention to detail) or Ice Age. Now, I generally don't like animated children's films, but those types hold a special place in my heart for obvious reasons, and I think that if you come up with a really good storyline, this could be just as good. You said you are developing this as a comic book? I'd like to see what you could do for an animated film, because what I see is character - not just a cartoon drawing.

Keep us all posted, and take this project seriously - it could lead to greater things for you.

[Thagirion]

Thank you. I'm very glad you like them. Yeah, once these are done they'll be lightyears ahead of what they look like now.  Hehe, well I don't mind it associated with Ice Age but except for the first one I can't stand Land Before Time.  But it is about youngsters growing up so it does have that common ground with it.  I don't want to give too much away but this is  parody of a children's story, though a serious one. Where they failed to show kills I will not. I love to make all my characters suffer either physically or emotionally.

Funny you mentioned that because yesterday I was working out the framing for the pages.  I drew the cover already in 1920x1080 which is an HD screen cap. I was going to work on these as screen caps then place them on a comic page. But at that long of a size it was just not working for 6.5"x10.25" page. Since I wanted these to be shrunk down screen caps I think I'll toss the idea to make them comic book pages and instead make them a bunch of screen caps. I can later figure out how to work them in a comic page if need be. So I'll be making probably hundreds (hopefully if I can stick with it and my drive doesn't run out as so often happens to my projects) of still frames.  Thank you. I have always wanted to work for film. I think I'm too slow to be an animator and I love having control over everything I think I'd be happiest in the director's chair.  I'll definitely post more. I have the opening scenes already mapped out. Can't wait to start, just need to keep working on the character development and a few expressions that are giving me a hard time.

[Sharptooth]

Like 'em very much, your style reminds me of Don Bluth (and yes, i also consider the first Land Before Time to be the only one movie about Littlefoot and his company... For me the other ones simply don't exist!).

I'm curious to read the story of Cyrex 

[Thagirion]

Thanks, Sharptooth. I'm glad you like. I think they will look very different once they are colored. Perhaps I should make a simplistic colored version of young Cyrex or something.  I'm glad you're looking forward to it.

[Metallisuchus]

The first "Land Before Time" is the only one I remember, actually, though I know there are like 12 sequels or something. Great work though, I'd like to see you do something with it. Lots of artists just sit on their art, myself included (music, not drawing).

[ZoPteryx]

Great work!

Pretty cool, lots of character there ! I'm quite jealous of those who can inject such personality into their work .

Me too.

[Thagirion]

Thank you. I'm glad you liked them.

[Thagirion]

Got another set of faces I made up. This time the young female rex.  I really need a name for her. Any suggestions? She eventually will become Cyrex's mate.

[Malidicus]

Sweet & awesome, babe! I like the incredulous and laughing faces most.

[Metallisuchus]

I have 2 concerns - the center one... The snout looks like a Baryonyx' or a Spinosaurus', the way the upper lip curls upwards.

The one to the top right looks like an Iguanodon because of it's mouth.

[Thagirion]

Thanks Malidicus. I'm glad you like.

Metallisuchus, in the upper right she's saying "Youuuuu!!"  That is the lip shape for  the "oo" sound.  When she's talking and if she's animated it has to look that way.  Different sounds have different lip shapes.

The center one is fear and yes it could use some work. I was concentrating more on the eyes which I think I captured well.  But she's supposed to have a slightly opened mouth like a gasp.  Yep, aware of that.

[Metallisuchus]

I know, it's got to be hard to personify a Tyrannosaur while still keeping scientific accuracy intact. I was just offering my first-impressions for your consideration. Nonetheless, you've got some great work here. My only advice is to mess around a bit with some of the details in facial expressions.

For instance, the "oo" sound one... I'd recommend trying to extend the lip further back into the head somehow to avoid that Iguanodon-looking mouth.

I'm most looking forward to your color schemes and how they'll work with scale patterns.

[Gryphoceratops]

I'd be interested to see some coloring as well as the less cartoon types as well. 

[Thagirion]

Metallisuchus, it's funny because the same "oo" expression worked for Cyrex but I had a harder time with the young female.  Thanks. The color stuff is on its way.

Gryphoceratops
The coloring will be like what you see in my art thread in the general section. This is a big story I'm working on and it's all in cartoon style.  Cartoon is my favorite style so that's how I draw most of my stuff. I've drawn very few realistic dinos so don't wait up for that.  Besides there's already a lot of artist that have life reproduction covered.

[Gryphoceratops]

Well just because a lot of people already do it doesn't mean urs isn't welcome.     U said you did that style too in the beginning so I was just wondering.  No worries.

[Thagirion]

It's funny because the stuff I was refering to is still unrealistic. I will eventually show that too. I just don't want to give spoilers yet. Basically they have realistic faces but a few features that dinos didn't so they are actually fantasy creatures. I'll look through my older stuff. I may have something that is drawn more realistic and then I'll post that.  But it's not that it wouldn't be accepted. I just like to stand out from what others are doing with my drawings.

[Gryphoceratops]

Everyone stands out really regardless of style.  Looking forward to it.