Dinosaur Art: The World's Greatest Paleoart

Dinosaur Art

by Steve White (Editor), Philip J. Currie (Foreword), Scott D. Sampson (Introduction)

A paleoartist is an illustrator who specialises in the science and art of reconstructing ancient animals and their world.

In Dinosaur Art, ten of the top contemporary paleoartists reveal a selection of their work and exclusively discuss their working methods and distinct styles.

Filled with breathtaking artwork - some never before seen - and cutting edge paleontology, this is a treasure trove for dinosaur enthusiasts, art lovers and budding illustrators.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Dinosaurs, Science, Palaeontology, Natural History, Reference

188 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Steve White is a British comic book writer, paleoartist, and occasional colourist who has mainly worked with 2000 AD.
(source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Nathan Maharaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

The interviews with each artist are thoughtful and give the artist a lot of space to outline their approach to the field--alongside gorgeous examples of their work.

[Mansour S منصور السدحان · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally loved this book. Its two books in one, a dinosaur book and an art book. The book is composed of interviews of some of the best paleoartists of today, discussing their method of work and other issues connected to palaeontology. This is accompanied by a showcase of their art. And for each artist, there is scientific information about a selected dinosaur species and illustrations of that particular dinosaur by the artist. There are ten artists entailed in this volume, so consequentially there are scientific facts for ten species of dinosaur. The size of the book (31x28cm) insures that these great works of art are properly displayed. There is even spreads for some great prehistoric panoramic scenes! My only criticism here is that the author left some other great paleoartists like James Gurney ( i am referring to his scientific paleoart, not his Dinotopia art) and Davide Bonadonna. And also some of the artworks are cropped (example: "iguanodon waterhole" by John Sibbick). Anyway, This book is lots of enjoyment.

[Philip Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book is a thing of beauty. A big hardback with glossy pages showcasing the best artists specialising in prehistoric art. Each chapter includes an interview with an artist, sketches and preparatory work plus examples of their best work. It's interesting to read their influences and outlook but what we really want is the dinosaur pics and they don't disappoint.

They're shown in all shapes and sizes, some majestic, others fierce, all informed by the latest science. Every time I think I've found my favourite another chapter changes my mind. I love Todd Marshall's fearsome raptors but Luis Rey's colourful beasts leap from the page. John Sibbick's detailed classicism sets a high benchmark too. Great stuff, well done Titan Books.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous book. It's ridiculously large and beautifully printed. There is a nice variation in the choice of artists and art, ranging from digital to oil paintings, sketches and even some sculptures. Not exclusively an art book this huge volume also contains interesting interviews with the artists mixed in with the artwork. The interviews touch the obvious topics of paleontology, art and how they intersect but also more personal reflection which elevates the book compared to simply googling the images and reading the artists Wikipedia pages.
The one negative thing is the editing; in some places the text is difficult to follow as the page ends and there are some minor errors like missing information and in such a visual book I find it quite jarring.

[Uku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am giving it just 4 starts because lack of James Gurney's paleo art. Nothing personal there but Gurney should have been there just saying. Other than that this book is stunning. I also want to addess my thanks to Megan who had went to get additional sketch and signature from one o the artists in 2012 and then somehow the book had ended to another country across the world to second hand store and from there into my hands. It's one of those books that in order to get it from my hands, they have to go through me.

Book is pretty combination about artworks and sketches, artist introductions and history and it tells about dinosaurs and era that they lived. To me it looks and feels like it's labor of love and window through time.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The arts good, the interviews have an occasional interesting bit but mostly when they focus on the dinosaurs and some of their aspects and how those various fossil evidence go into the build/behavior that gets incorporated into the art. It's also interesting to see some of the stages of production on the final polished pieces. But your hear for the big coffee table book sized picture of dinosaurs and it delivers.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read coffee table books from cover to cover, but "Dinosaur Art" was well worth the time and effort. This book collects the works of some of the most prominent current paleo artists and provides a good introduction to the field.

In addition to presenting really impressive artwork this book skillfully portrays the connections between art and science that are essential for accurate paleo art and provides a deep view into the artists' creative processes.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Large format and lavishly illustrated book profiling key paleo artists with samples of their work.

[Luke Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful stuff. Love to get to hear these artists I love talk about their work.

[Jill Frazier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read most. Same formula as the orchid thief and how to change your mind. Too many details. Liked parts. Found other parts too detailed with names of the players.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the cover doesn’t grab you, go back to sleep. Published in 2012, DINOSAUR ART is 188 large pages of eye popping illustrations and commentary highlighting the work of ten renown modern paleoartists. The collection includes paintings, computer art, and black and white sketches of an assortment of extinct animals known only from fossils: marine life, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, reptiles, mammals and insects. The artists are Julius Csotonyi, Gregory Paul, Mauuricio Antón, Douglas Henderson, Todd Marshall, John Sibbick, Luis Rey, John Conway, Robert Nicholls and Raúl Martín.


Dinosaurs are now considered by many paleontologists to be warm blooded animals, which altered the perception of them from lumbering overblown reptiles, to agile creatures, often swift, the precursors to modern birds. Appropriately the very first illustration depicts Luis Rey’s rendition of a stalking Megalosaurus with the famous Waterhause Hawkins’ crystal palace sculpture right behind it. Hard to believe the same collection of old bones inspired both renditions.


Steve White’s commentary gives a brief overview of paleontology, focusing on the renaissance begun in the 1970’s by Robert Bakker, as well as the personal history and perspective of the artists involved. His writing style is crisp and lively, chock full of tantalizing anecdotes and fascinating tidbits.


The artwork is remarkably varied, including animal studies, breath-taking landscapes showing a day in the life, watering hole scenes, predators on the hunt, several remarkable interpretations of select moments before the K2 impact that ended the dominance of these creatures, and a pair of stunning mega-croc hunting Albertosaurus scenes, one of which appears on the cover of the book. Some of the dinosaurs will be familiar to most, while others only to those with a more in-depth interest; some might just be new to everyone. Likewise some of the illustrations themselves might be familiar, having appeared in periodicals or as murals in museums, but all are rendered with loving care.


This book is appropriate for everyone, especially anyone with an interest in extinct life forms—and given the rate at which we are turning this planet into a hazardous waste dump, that may soon include most of the life forms we know first hand, including humans. So taken as either a curiosity, or a superficial study of creatures that were far more successful that humans will ever be, DINOSAUR ART is a keeper.

[Dave Sippel · Rating 5 out of 5]

My inner child loved this book. I was obsessed with dinos as a kid but was well aware that what my books told me was only a guess of what they were really like. It made me crazy that we knew so much about them, yet so little about what they really looked like and how they acted. So close and yet so far away. I wondered if we would EVER really know what they looked like and it made me crazy that no one had an answer.

I bought this book a month ago on Amazon because I had enough points to get it for free. Jackpot! Even better, page 15 gave my 8 year old self the answer that I always wanted: very highly preserved cells of Archiornis huxleyi allowed scientists to discern the colors of the animal's feathers.

While the rest of the art in the book makes no such guarantees about the "extreme accuracy" of the dinos looks, it is reasonable to assume that they are much more accurate than the images in the books I read 25 years ago.

It is somewhat frustrating that the text focuses on the artists that created the works of art and not on the latest research but it is easily forgivable. Maybe I'll pay attention to the text someday but for now the pictures are just too incredible to not look at.

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impressive book filled with wonderful images of dinosaurs, water and flying reptiles and ancient mammals. What more would a dinosaur mad fan want?

In interviews with some of the current leading paleoartists, you get a idea of what makes them want to paint and draw pictures and scenes of long extinct beasts; their passion for detail and accuracy (good enough for some of them to be able to submit their own scientific papers) and their collaboration with museums and scientists to generate accurate, yet artistic, pieces.

You will probably discover a few new dinosaurs and many varied interpretations of the same dinosaur (including, of course, T-Rex), showing that there are many ways to imagine how they might have looked and moved, yet based on a common body of knowledge found by scientists.

There are a few errors in the book (mis-named dinosaurs or mixed up references) but a careful reading of the captions for the images should tell you when this happens. And they do not detract from the incredible images to be found in the book as well as the fascinating interview with the featured artists.

[Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous artwork of dinosaurs. These are apparently the best in the industry and it shows. While I didn't love every artist's style, my favorite's were the realistic artists like Doug Henderson or Raul Martin over the heavy use of digital artwork. I'm not even an artist and it inspired me to draw my own versions of dinosaurs. The interviews with the artists were just as interesting as the pictures, because they show the process and mindset behind the scenes. Illustrating dinosaurs isn't just a creative exercise; every artist said they dabble in science as well, and vice versa. Since dinosaur art is what most of the public thinks of when they picture extinct animals, the art has to be as scientifically accurate as possible, or what's the point? But of course, since they don't exist, filling in the sometimes large gaps in scientific evidence takes a creative and outside-the-box way of thinking. This book cultivated a great respect for these artists and the balance in art and science they achieve.

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book! It is set up as separate segments of 10 paleoartists, each of whom gets abotu 16 pages to showcase their art. The art is arranged around interviews done with each of the paleoartists, which I find fascinating. In addition, each artist is allowed 2 pages to showcase 1 species model that they really enjoyed creating. Honestly you don't have to even be particularly interested in paleobiology to want to read this book. It is 10 artists drawing dinosaurs for 200 pages - it's beautiful and awesome, and you will enjoy this read.

Contributing artists:
Mauricio Antón
John Conway
Julius Csotonyi
Douglas Henderson
Todd Marshall
Raúl Martin
Robert Nicolls
Gregory Paul
Luis Rey
John Sibbick

[Kelley C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I realize this is more of a coffee table book, but I read it from start to finish due to my interest in the subject matter. The artwork was great, and, as a hobby artist and lover of dinosaurs, the interviews were very interesting. My only complaint is that many of the interviews were similar: every artist had drawn since childhood, had always been interested in dinos, worked hard to get where they are, work with scientists to get all the details right, etc. I felt like after the first few interviews, there wasn't a lot of new information coming in. But there was a good variety of dino and other creature art featured, which managed to keep things fresh.

[Sparrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raul Martin's work blows everyone else's stuff out of the water. How I'd love to have some of his work on my wall. I wasn't a huge fan of the digital art, otherwise. But the sketches were beautiful, followed by the pastel pieces. It was fun reading what inspired these artists, though I was a bit bored with the technical stuff. I loved reading the different positions on the Dinosaur Renaissance especially. Art books probably aren't my thing, but I enjoyed it in the end.

[Apostate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book not only because of the mesmerizing artwork done in a variety of styles but also because it interviews the artists themselves. Such people all too often are given short shrift & in this particular area they have to not only know their craft & be talented artistically but also be educated in paleontology, zoology or biology.

[Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of very impressive images of dinosaurs. These are not individual portraits but dinosaurs in their environment interacting with nature and other prehistoric creatures. Lots of action images plus a couple fold out pages. Very nice for anyone to look at, but it might give small children nightmares.

[Toonfactory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular, spell bounding, astonishing art, have ogled at the mesmerising illustrations and I am not yet content. Stunning Dino-art by masters like Nicholls, Raul Martin, Csotonyi and several others - a must have for any art lover/Paleoartphile.

[Mohammed Anuz · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best paleoart book

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary art. Mesmerising.

[Connie Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's some amazing artwork done of dinosaurs these days, and this showcases some of the best.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's be honest, I just looked at the pictures. They were awesome.