SKETCHBOOK: "More Dino Bones at Prairiefire"

Today, I returned to MUSEUM AT PRAIRIEFIRE and sketched for about 6 hours.  It got up to 95 degrees today, so I enjoyed the cool air inside.  Within the last two months since my first visit to Prairiefire Shopping Center in May, the museum added some new bones to their displays.  And the original entrance fee of $5 is now FREE!

My sketch at the top of this post is one of the new residents...a MOSASAUR.  I had been sketching for a few hours before I drew this one.  I am usually SO tight with the realism, that I wanted to break loose and do some quicker sketches.  I actually like the looser ones the best from today's efforts.  And I even let myself throw on some "splats" for fun.

The next sketch is actually my first of the day.  This is the other new display...the largest known "boney fish" called a XIPHACTINUS.  This one is 13 feet long. This was a challenge to draw, since it is so flat and dark brown...not a lot of detail was easy to see in the low lighting.

A nice "thank you" goes to Debby (Debbie? Debi?), a staff member who was kind enough to snap my photo while I was drawing.  You can see my sketch below, just before I painted it.  This is one of those examples of when I wish that I had left the drawing alone, and not added color.  A tough call sometimes, as I tend to over-work things.

Here's another sketch from across the Great Hall.

Below is a photo of the MOSASAUR on display.  The reflected white walls made this tricky to sketch...details were hard to see even while standing right next to the glass.  But it's cool to be able to get so close these bones in person. (Though, I wouldn't say that if I were swimming with a live one!)

The next drawing is of some relatives of the starfish and sea urchins...these were fossilized CRINOIDS.

These amazing creatures look like something out of the movie "ALIEN".  All of the tentacles made a wonderfully "woven" free-form tapestry.

Next up...I revisited the T-REX display.  This was the second in my series of "quick sketches"...I didn't worry so much about the actual details...just the essence of the shapes.  I used a SHARPIE "poster paint" White Marker for the lighter lines...then added more washes on top.  I want to continue to try to loosen up like this when I go sketching again.

Here's a view of the ribs of the Rex.  You can see a photo of me below where I am tucked away in between the columns by the window.  It got a little chilly sitting over the AC vents...call it "suffering for my art".  :)

And just like last visit, I couldn't resist having some fun in front of the "Dino-tron", like any big kid should.  Here I'm about to be eaten by a T-Rex...then was wing-slapped in the face by a fire-breathing Dragon...had my foot stepped on by a Velociraptor...and finally...completely soaked by a splashing Mosasaur!!  A very nice day, indeed!