Le rex. Her name is Jadis.

‪Today's doodle: Stegosaurus stenops To look at the bones, I would not have thought these animals capable of "frolicking," but when they think no one is watching, they can really cut a rug :)

Hi guys! I thought this might be of interest to some of you. It's a brand new YouTube channel that teaches proper technique in finding, excavating, and preparing fossils!

Seasons Greetings from the Ghost of Christmas Cretaceous

Goofing around with a caricature of Sir Richard Owen, the man who coined the term “dinosaur” in 1842. I always thought he would make a great Ebinezer Scrooge … of course, the Christmas turkeys this guy dealt with would not have fit on the Cratchets’ cooking spit … Merry Christmas and stay rad! 

Today’s Doodle: Allosaurus fragilis and Camarasaurus supremus

“What’s eating you buddy?”

A TED Talk featuring some of my work

Hi all! A few months ago I did a painting of an animal called Oryctodromeus for my friend MSU Paleontologist L.J. Krumenacker. At a recent TEDx event in Idaho Falls, he spoke about his experience finding some of the first known dinosaur fossils in Idaho, giving us rare glimpses into the ecosystems of the Mesozoic in the gem state. He offers some great tips on fossil hunting, and some rather profound thoughts as well.

Today’s Doodle: Dinosaur gestures (compilation)

My favorite kind of art to do is “gesture drawing”. These are quick drawings, taking anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, trying to capture the essence of  a pose. These drawings tend to be simple but full of energy and life. I do it every day to warm up, and try to carry some of that same energy into my finished drawings. Usually gesture drawing is done with the human figure, but I find that paired with “book” study of any form, human or animal, doing lots of gestures is a great way to get an intuitive sense of their anatomy.

Not a real dinosaur? Fans say Goodbye to “T. rex”

Say it ain’t so! Scientists announced this week that Tyrannosaurus rex is no longer a real dinosaur. In a turn of events that has rocked the paleontological world, the tyrant lizard king has been dethroned. How could this happen, you ask? 

Documents that recently surfaced at the CGNU Museum of Natural History show that Dr. Leroy Jenkins, founder of the institution, discovered and described a partial skeleton belonging to the dinosaur in 1903, a full two years before it was described by Henry Fairfield Osborne. This means that Tyrannosaurus is no longer a valid genus; Jenkins’ name takes priority. Dr. Searqim Rogers, the museum’s current curator, commented,  "We haven’t really lost Tyrannosaurus, just the name. He’s still around, you understand, like ‘an artist formerly known as ‘Prince.'’ I know there will be a lot of upset dinosaur fans, but this is actually a very exciting moment in the history of tyrannosaur research. Regardless of the name, Dr. Jenkins’ specimen is truly remarkable. It’s a rare instance where we have preserved not only bones but also behavior.“ Dr. Rogers refers to the specimen’s pose, which scientists believe was preserved only moments after death. Clenched in its jaws is the hindlimb of its last meal, an as yet unidentified hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur). This unique preservational situation led Dr. Jenkins in 1903 to christen the animal with the name by which it will be now forever known: Trapodosaurus jenkinsi, or "the leg pulling lizard.”

Article posted April 1, 2016

Happy #FossilFriday! 

“American lion for literacy: Read kids. Or else.”


(Panthera atrox skull cast, Weber County Public Library).

Today’s doodle: Beelzebufo wishes you a hoppy leap day!

Happy #FossilFriday ! 

 Teratophoneus curriei attempts a '90s "Family: Isn't it about time?" commercial. (Jk, a shot I took at the Natural History Museum of Utah)

What’s it really like to go on a dinosaur dig?

Hi guys! This was a short minidoc I did a couple of years ago for The BYU Museum of Paleontology about daily life on a dinosaur dig site. Enjoy!

Happy #DarwinDay !

This piece was done by my good friend, the talented Morgan Rhys Gibbons for this month’s issue of *New Era Magazine; he asked if I would consult on some of the scientific details. It illustrates a great article written for Christian teens on reconciling faith and science. The article can be found here: Link I'm posting this on Darwin day because I think it does a great job of representing the spirit of Darwin. He loved God, and was curious to find out how the natural world worked; his theory was not constructed as a weapon against religion. There is a sad but common misconception that Darwin set out to destroy faith and religion with his work. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, before pursuing science Charles Darwin studied for a time to become a priest. While his religious views fluctuated over his life, at the time Darwin wrote On the Origin of Species he still firmly believed in God. I do not say this to persuade you to change your views on whether there is a God, but to encourage kindness and tolerance between atheists and people of faith. It’s ok that we don’t all believe the same thing; most people, whether atheist, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, or what have you, believe in kindness as a measure of a human being. There’s nothing wrong with talking about our beliefs or even persuading others to join us, but let us always do it with respect and love for each other as human beings (even toward those not present for the conversation). That would be a true evolutionary leap :)

* A teen magazine published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Snatching a moment to work on Allosaurus. It's informative to work in three dimensions; I'm learning things I hadn't realized even with years of drawing him. Thanks to Scott Hartman for advice on the musculature!

Girls like dinosaurs too—your thoughts needed:

Hi all! I’m developing ideas for a product line for all dinosaur lovers, and I’ve noticed in the past that dinosaur products tend to ignore girls. If you are a girl and love dinosaurs, I need your help—both input to help me make my products more inclusive, and thoughts to persuade manufacturers of your interest. If you would like to help, please reblog your answer to the two following questions, and spread the word to your dino-loving friends: A) Why do you love dinosaurs? B) As a female dinosaur lover, did you feel underserved by dinosaur products and marketing? If so, how?

*PS—Please do not describe a specific idea you have for a product, as I do not want to steal your ideas [and will not be held liable for any similarity].  I’m looking more for general thoughts about what’s missing in commercial dino products/marketing and how girls can be served better.

Happy #FossilFriday ! 2014: Dr. Rodney Scheetz and his lovely assistant Gastonia prep staff for a tour at The Museum of Paleontology at Brigham Young University.