Friday, April 1, 2011

Hadrosaurs...the most beautiful of dinosaurs


At least to me. Everyone who knows me knows that I love these things. It pains me to always see them portrayed running in fear, falling over dying at the mere roar of a predator, always colored a dull grey. Always...boring. Just meat for those cool Tyrannosaurs.

I imagine them as very graceful, beautiful creatures. The males may well have been fantastically colored. Brilliant shades of everything to attract females or to show off to a predator that he was a healthy adult bull perfectly capable of defending himself and his herd.

And so I can't stop drawing these color keys. These are just simple sketches meant to try out different variations on color for my 3D models. So just getting my ideas out before I finish my models.

Let grey, boring Hadrosaurs be no more;)

9 comments:

Albertonykus said...

Hear, hear. Even more bewildering are the reconstructions portraying (coyote-sized) deinonychosaurs attacking adult hadrosaurs. How that is even supposed to work I wish I knew.

Bryan said...

I absolutely agree with EVERYTHING you just said!!!

And everybody agrees that we need more info about Reign of the Dinosaurs! I have a good feeling that this may be the greatest thing ever :)

axiomalchemy said...

I remember it was Rod Ruth's painting of Anatosaurs from Album of Dinosaurs that began my fascination with Hadrosaurs. I don't know why they are so easily dismissed by so many. They were one of the most diverse and successful animals the earth has ever seen. Some were the size of ponies, and others were only surpassed by the sauropods in sheer mass. "Cows of the Cretaceous" some have called them, yet if I saw a cow fifty feet long and twenty feet high at the hips I would certainly eat my burger with more humility. I can imagine them striding along with a rhythmic grace envied by every plodding elephant. They walked on their toes, and their slender front paws that could support a body the size of a small whale. It amazes that they could even walk bipedally. I imagine their multi hued finery and I even suspect that their brilliance extended into the ultraviolet color spectrum, which I am certain they could see. Like you I am certain they were not merely fodder for predation. In fact I'm sure they were no pushover. Anyone who has spent time on a farm will attest, farm fowl can hold their own. Can you imagine a hissing angry goose the size of a Greyhound Bus? I am pleased you see them with eyes similar to my own. Better yet, you can share how you see them with the world. Thank you for that.

Anonymous said...

i agree everyone thinks hadrosaurs are the perfect prey "Big, slow, stupid and defenseles", i doubt that, every animal defends himself when he is in danger, and hadrosaurs are pretty big, so they were surley dangerous to hunt, zebras can also kill lions so why not Hadrosaurs kill t-rexes ??

I think its good to give dinosaurs some color, i think they were very visual animals.

Trish said...

Well, axiomalchemy said everything I was going to, so thank you. But yes, I've always had a soft spot for hadrosaurs too. Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with for the upcoming A-E gallery.

Anonymous said...

i have to say, i would really like to see some theropods like abelisaurs from you.

Angie Rodrigues said...

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way! Thank you for all your comments. Yeah, I don't think duckbills were push overs. Prey animals often kill other animals and are capable of defending themselves.

Plus, they should really get the focus sometimes. Its usually the predators that are the star of the story, with these guys as just the fill in. I long to see stories focusing on the "underdogs" for a change. They must have led interesting and colorful lives as well;)

Thanks again, you guys are good company:)

Dinorider d'Andoandor said...

yes! beautiful!

Angie Rodrigues said...

Thanks!! :)