Pagurus Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 The amazing artwork by some of our members inspired me to buy a box of graphite pencils and try my hand at some fossil drawing. Most of my drawing is "cartoony" but I thought I'd give this a try. This drawing is modeled after one of Roger's (Ludwigia's) Ancolioceras ammonites. It's not accurate like a scientific illustration, just a general representation with a slight resemblance, I hope. I browsed the internet a little for some ammonite reconstructions and then just did my best to guess at what a live critter would have looked like. I'm still confused by the aptychus, and whether or not it belongs on the top of the head, but that's where I drew it. Any comments would be appreciated. I'm also not too sure about the size, shape and position of the siphon. I've dissected dozens of squid but never an ammonite. Anyway, I'm pretty happy with it as a first attempt. I'm looking forward to some more drawing time. Even if it's not as good as I would like it's still a great way to learn more about the subject of the drawing. Thanks for looking. Mike I should add that this isn't the color of the original pencil drawing. The photos I took all had a brownish tint to them, which I kind of liked, and I adjusted the color a little more in Photoshop and trimmed around the edges of the drawing to make a sharper background. I think it looks a little like the antique sepia prints I enjoy. 1 Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 It looks great! My only suggestion would be to use darker shading around and in the eye to give it more of a three dimensional feel. Even just a dark line around the bottom half of the outside of the eye would help. ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkinhead Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Very nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Looks great to me, Mike! Well done. Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) Hey-hi Mike, That is a very good drawing and shows a lot of talent!! If You look at modern nautilus the tentacles start at the outer edge of the aptychus and the body fits the shell opening more tightly. The tentacles in cephalopods tend to be the same length with the exception of two longer tentacles (used in procreation) that have a flattened termination. The shell opening should be in alignment with the center of the shell. I agree with the placement of the aptychus on the top of the head, and I think the size ratio to shell size is right on. I also agree with an even number of appendages, and as far as I know there is no definitive answer as to how many there were, or even if all the amanoids had the same amount of tentacles. The siphon appears to be properly sized and placed. Again that is a very nice drawing that show a lot of talent! (I hope My comments do not offend You, as that is not My intent.) Tony Edited August 10, 2015 by ynot 1 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiggieCie Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Try this little cheat. Make a full size color copy. Try mild changes on the copy to see how they work, before putting them on your original. I would try adding a darker edge to the shadows on the shell as a bit of accent. This no harm done, and saves on erasing. It is looking very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagurus Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 ...My only suggestion would be to use darker shading around and in the eye ... Thanks Charlie. I really appreciate your help. After seeing your wonderful drawings I wanted to at least see what I could do. It's a great challenge and I'm really enjoying it. Very nice Thank you. Looks great to me, Mike! Well done. Thank you Tim! ...I hope My comments do not offend You, as that is not My intent. Tony Honestly, Tony, I really appreciate and thank you for taking the time to comment on my drawing. That's exactly what I wanted and needed. You made me see some of the errors I made. Mike Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoWilliam Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Nice job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbshark Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Wow, that looks awesome Mike! Nice work Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 very nice Mike "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 very nice! "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagurus Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 Thanks, everyone, for looking, and for your kind comments. You've encouraged me to draw some more. Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissa318 Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Great job! Looking forward to seeing more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagurus Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 Thank you, Lissa! Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Nice job, Mike! I'm flattered to read that you used my ammos as models. I think you captured that species very well. The exact position of the aptychae is still debateable, but your solution fits in with what most experts think. The sipho is positioned just inside the outer part of the whorls (ventral). http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/palaeofiles/fossilgroups/ammonoidea/morphology.jpg&imgrefurl=http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/palaeofiles/fossilgroups/ammonoidea/Characters.html&h=801&w=977&tbnid=a35vgXbiSqA5vM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=110&usg=__O6tZz9uuatxndwtl0VdUaRwYYEE=&docid=u4OV9XLfyaGUCM&sa=X&ved=0CCgQ9QEwAmoVChMI66nHpcWhxwIVyZ5yCh0sPADi Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Very , very nice.... light years beyond anything I could do.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFOOLEY Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 The sepia tone is an excellent touch...you have yourself a wonderful "vintage" ammonite print. "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagurus Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 Thanks again, everyone. I do rather like the vintage look of it. Thanks for the link, Roger, it's very helpful. I don't know, Malcolm, I'm finding that it just takes a lot of patience and persistence, a bit like prepping I guess. Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njfossilhunter Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Great work......looking forward to seeing more drawings... TonyThe Brooks Are Like A Box Of Chocolates,,,, You Never Know What You'll Find. I Told You I Don't Have Alzheimer's.....I Have Sometimers. Some Times I Remember And Some Times I Forget.... I Mostly Forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pterosaur Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 I think your drawing is very well done. Especially for someone who (if I understand correctly) does not draw very often. Your shading is excellent and you have a good eye for detail. Darker shading would certainly make this drawing pop more. However, I like that it kind of has a sepia effect going on. Could make for a pretty cool Fossil Forum logo. "I am a part of all that I have met." - Lord Alfred Tennyson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagurus Posted August 21, 2015 Author Share Posted August 21, 2015 I think your drawing is very well done. Especially for someone who (if I understand correctly) does not draw very often. Your shading is excellent and you have a good eye for detail. Darker shading would certainly make this drawing pop more. However, I like that it kind of has a sepia effect going on. Could make for a pretty cool Fossil Forum logo. Thanks for your comments. I can't remember the last time I used pencils for finished artwork, probably not since high school fifty years ago, but I do have experience with painting and an occasional pen & ink drawing, though it's several years since I've done one of those. My pen and ink drawings have mostly relied on stippling for shading, mostly because that's what I learned in a marine microbiology class years ago. I have illustrated a couple of children's books I wrote, but those are "simple" cartoony style paintings. I'm still painting, but it's rare that I complete one that I'm happy with. I'm glad that I did try this pencil drawing of the ammonite, and I am pretty happy with the way it looks, and I'm grateful for the comments that will help me improve my drawings. I've discovered that I really do like working in pencil. I don't think this ammonite is accurate enough for a fossil forum logo, and I'm quite happy with the one we have, but thank you for the compliment! Maybe I'll print a few for bookmarks to give to kids the next time I do a fossil program. Mike Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squali Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Nice Job! I'm always in awe of you folks that can draw. It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pterosaur Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Thanks for your comments. I can't remember the last time I used pencils for finished artwork, probably not since high school fifty years ago, but I do have experience with painting and an occasional pen & ink drawing, though it's several years since I've done one of those. My pen and ink drawings have mostly relied on stippling for shading, mostly because that's what I learned in a marine microbiology class years ago. I have illustrated a couple of children's books I wrote, but those are "simple" cartoony style paintings. I'm still painting, but it's rare that I complete one that I'm happy with. I'm glad that I did try this pencil drawing of the ammonite, and I am pretty happy with the way it looks, and I'm grateful for the comments that will help me improve my drawings. I've discovered that I really do like working in pencil. I don't think this ammonite is accurate enough for a fossil forum logo, and I'm quite happy with the one we have, but thank you for the compliment! Maybe I'll print a few for bookmarks to give to kids the next time I do a fossil program. Mike That's very cool that they would teach stippling for illustrations in a marine microbiology class. I would never have guessed. I got my undergrad in graphic design, and for some reason we never got to stippling. I love the process, the look, and the intense patience it requires. Also, I am right there with you in regards to rarely being 'happy' with your paintings. "I am a part of all that I have met." - Lord Alfred Tennyson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Pocock Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Hi, I think that you have an exceptional eye for detail, and taking on-board what everyone has said re advice to improve the drawing, you are the person with the talent and sometimes you need to go with your gut feeling, i like the idea of making copy's to alter as then you can try several things and if you don't like it it has no repercussions on your drawing. I once had a job writing reports for an insurance company and my manager wanted to review them before i sent them off, he would always ask me to make changes, this was down to his writing style and not the content of the report. Needles to say the point i am trying to make is no 2 people will view your drawing in the same way and you as the creator will have had a reason for the way you drew the ammonite stick with your gut feelings and you wont usually go wrong. The changes that have been recommended will improve the drawing in the eyes of the person making the recommendation but that will not mean that it improves your drawing to everyone else. The picture is brilliant and i personally would not change it. Thanks for posting it. Regards Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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