The Palaeoartist’s Handbook: Recreating Prehistoric Animals in Art

Extinct worlds live again in paleoart: artworks of fossil animals, plants, and environments carefully reconstructed from paleontological and geological data. Such artworks are widespread in popular culture, appearing in documentaries, museums, books, and magazines, and inspiring depictions of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals in cinema. This book outlines how fossil animals and environments can be reconstructed from their fossils, explaining how paleoartists overcome gaps in fossil data and predict "soft-tissue" anatomies no longer present around fossil bones. It goes on to show how science and art can meet to produce compelling, interesting takes on ancient worlds, and explores the goals and limitations of this popular but rarely discussed art genre.

Multiple chapters with dozens of illustrations of fossil animal reconstruction, with specific guidance on fossil amphibians, mammals and their fossil relatives, and a myriad of fossil reptiles (including dinosaurs). Explores how best to present diverse fossil animal forms in art - how best to convey size, proportion and motion in landscapes without familiar reference points. Explains essential techniques for the aspiring palaeoartists, from understanding geological time and evolutionary relationships to rebuilding skeletons and muscles. Suggests where and how to gather reliable sources of data for palaeoartworks. Includes a history of palaeoart, outlining the full evolution of the medium from ancient times to the modern day. Examines stylistic variation in palaeoart. Showcases diverse artworks from world-leading contemporary palaeoartists.

Palaeoartistry is a popular but rarely discussed art genre. This new book outlines how fossil animals and environments can be reconstructed from their fossils. Of great interest to everyone interested in palaeoartistry, dinosaurs, natural history and fossils.