wip (nudity)

[ministerart@hotmail.co.uk]

OOOOH...is there a cash prize for getting 100,000 hits?..


Hers how the eye to eye book spreads look.

Copyrite Dorling Kindersley books.

[scottleroc]

Pete minister that is a fine spread you have there.


I have actually been trying to read the dino facts

forget the cash prize I would rather have a signed copy of the book

[ministerart@hotmail.co.uk]

Thanks scott...no proble. e mail me a postal address and I can get DK to post you some freebies...just look out for a big package addressed to Dr scott, keeper of palaentology.

[Etcher]

Wow! Many great updates! Great to hear about the new book deal ! Gotta' agree with Scott on the prize thing though... .
I'm looking forward to the alpha/tools/Wip stuff, hope you'll find the time.

Thanks for answering my question; it's a quesion I've asked many times on ZBC because I always feel it's taking me way too long to get something sculpted due to lack of experience.

[ministerart@hotmail.co.uk]

Hi Etcher (Whats your name?..e mail me please)

I have a really stupidly quick workflow simply because I have so many base models to start with. I have zbrush OCD..i use it 15 hours out of 24. I do often go back to what i thought was a finished model and tweak away and add more and more detail and character...nothings ever really finished and thats why i love digital art.

I can and will be releasing most of my mid res dinosaurs (Only mid res as my clients own the final detailed stuff) on my web site free to anyone who can or would want to use them. I actually cant wait to see what other people do with them. Skullbeast grabbed a simple T rex base mesh I had and made the absolute best version of a T rex that Ive ever seen. so inspirational.

pete

[slashpot]

Holy $h*t Peter! You are producing some awesome stuff! I love the Rex, gotta be top row! and the Pterosaur is beautiful. I'm finding myself totally blown away by the stuff the palaeos keep coming up with lately, like the Theropod hand thing, gotta go fix all my models now! What a time to be in the field! Ever since I was 5 or so I'd wondered why the dinos, particularly the smaller Theropods, looked so much like birds, especially as the science at the time saw no relationship at all. The new renderings of animals with feathers and colours are a revelation, even though we know they can do no more than guess at colours and patterns. But then we thought we'd never know anything about skin patterns or feathering until imprints of skin and feathers turned up and the study of brain cavities started giving us more information about the senses the dinosaurs posessed. I still can't imagine how, but I feel certain we'll be able to fill in some of the blanks about color, pattern, and even the possible soft tissue external features like crests, combs, wattles, and other bird-like bits they might have had.

One only needs look at your gorgeous, dynamic, TRex compared to the upright, kangaroo-looking thing they used to draw when I was a kid. Between the technology and the new places being looked at, particularly China and South America, it's probably the most interesting time in the history of Paleontology. As for the on-going debate, my own guess is that Rex was a hunter capable of tackling all but the biggest sauropods, but who also happened to spend a fair bit of time eating carrion. I can't think of a single reason why he wouldn't fulfill almost the exact role as the African Lion, hunting dinos great and small. But given a choice between risking a fight with a dirty great Ankylosaur or scaring a bunch of Raptors off a fresh carcass, I believe he'd choose the latter.

How much do you do of a spread like the one you've shown us? Does a designer give you layout showing the species and poses he wants or is it the other way around? I love the layout and the little key/legend thing with the sizes, etc. They really do an awesome job at DK, They are so eye catching they almost look like kids books, but the depth of info they contain is brilliant. Can't wait to see this book, when's it coming out?

I think the book idea postulated above is brilliant. You could put all your alphas and base meshes on the accompanying disc! Although a Gnomon style tut disc would be brilliant too. I believe the one Gnomon have is one of their best sellers. If they didn't want to do another one (although as great as that one is, its about structure and drawing, not modeling and detailing in 3D) I'm sure Digi Tutors would leap on it. Either way if it was based on ZBrush it would fly out the door!

Loving the images, keep 'em coming!!

Did I happen to mention that I'm the keeper of Paleontology at Sunshine Coast University?????

[ministerart@hotmail.co.uk]

Hi Slashpot.

My role in a project like this is something that evolves the deeper you get into the job.

I ended up sourcing the background shots from Corbis...that in itself was a massive challenge as you had to source landscape that fitted with the time zone...correct foliage...and the angle of the shot then dictated the lighting and angle of the rendered creatures. Spending hours looking through thousands of landscapes was how I imagine searching for a Russian internet bride would be...After a while they all look the same and you opt for any.

Some of the pages look weird before graphics etc as you also have consider areas for text .

The inhouse designers at Dorling K are probably the best in the business though.

Pete

[Etcher]

Thanks for elaborating a bit more on your workflow. I saw the T-Rex John did -it's a great sculpt-didn't knew you supplied the basemesh. I emailed you/left a comment on your on your website.

[ministerart@hotmail.co.uk]

Just a couple more near finished spreads (minus text etc)

[sevlarievlis]

...I still cant get away from good old pencil and paper.

Please, never do it!! You're soooo good at drawings too!!!!!!

[RawSunlight]

Hey Peter,
More fab work - you're so lucky (yes i know, you worked hard for it too) making dinosaurs for a living... green with envy.
Lovely stuff as always
H

[slashpot]

Oh Yes!!
I was hoping for a Spino! My 5 yo Godson's very favourite - although he talks an awful lot about Parasaurolophus - but mainly because he's so pleased about the fact that he can pronounce it!! (Well, sort of... It's more like "Pawa-swallow-fuss").
I love the rendering as a fish eater, makes a lot more sense of the long crocodillian snout.

The colours on the 'big bird' are magnificent! I guess I (and probably you) would like to see him a bit more scratched and dented, especially being such a vast creature, but I'm betting that's a DK thing?

But I gotta say, the Piece de Résistance is that magnificent pencil rendering! The Theropod (I'm guesing Trex from the hands?) looks like it was done by Durer! I know plenty of artists who paint well but lack drafting skills, it always shows up, but your drawing skills are just excellent. I bet that like me, you don't get much time to use a pencil, but I'd love to see more. That is a superb piece of work!

[ministerart@hotmail.co.uk]

Thanks as always slash.

Gawwwd..that sketch is going back about 5 years now...the hands are wrong. I never sketch as much as i used to..i need to..we all do. Thats why im looking forward to the 3.5 paintstop plug in being released.

DK do go for pristine looking creatures where they can. I can and do illustrate them with a lot more "life". Big predators should and could have had some bad oral hygene with infections etc from biting through bone. The whole prehistoric party was one of death and poop and its hardly ever ilustrated that way.

Roll on the 3.5 plug ins..

some more WIP from the book.

[ministerart@hotmail.co.uk]

Just a coupe more images from the book..apologies for the size..having scaling issues at the mo.

Peter

[ivar_sn]

Great work there....as always
love the sculpts...
Do you use renders from zbrush for the final composite... or do you use any other rendering software ???