Raven Amos on DeviantArt

David A. Trampier Tribute

D. A. Trampier, the man whose illustrations defined an entire generation of Dungeons and Dragons players, passed away on the 24th of March, 2014. He was an inspiration to many, including myself, and will be incredibly missed. The world is suddenly a little less vibrant somehow...

Charging Triceratops WIP - feet

---***CRITIQUE REQUESTED***---

Messing around with the forelimbs of my Triceratops after being informed that the feet were initially too pronate. Please leave critique in the comments. Thanks!
(Will be moved to scraps/deleted later)

Charging Triceratops

A triceratops charging toward an off-page opponent. Detail of a larger work in progress.

Rhamphorhynchus Flapling

A color rough and sketch of a rhamphorhynchus flapling (baby).

***Updated 20th January 2014*** - adjusted arm and wing proportions proportions, stance, and feet, as well as tweaked the pattern a little.

Grumpyceratops

Insomnia does interesting things to my brain. I will have more art soon, I promise.

Ghrendali Road Markers

An exercise in world-building for the Ghrendali race - road marker statuary.

Ghrendali, while able to convey facial expressions, rely more on body language and ear position to denote mood and intent. The top statue, sitting with ears pricked and arms crossed, convey that the way ahead is safe for travel. The bottom statue conveys that the way ahead is dangerous or unknown, with the figure's ears drooping or pinned back, claws outstretched in an aggressive pounce. The eyes of many Ghrendali statues are bored through the entirety of the figure, allowing light to shine through the holes and making many traveler feel as if they are being watched, for good or bad. The sketch at the right is an attempt at abstracting the "danger" statue, much like how we humans abstract the concept of "poison" or "danger" with a skull and crossbones, or the Mr. Yuck face.

While sketching this at a cafe, I was approached by a patron who wanted to see what I was drawing. After looking upon my sketches, she decreed them "adorable" and went about her business.

Conchoraptor Valentine

Nothing says "love" like a heart-patterned dinosaur holding a heart. It's even pink!

Happy Valentine's Day to all my watchers and followers.

All Yesterdays Contest #2 - Lesser Bowertyrant

A courting pair of lesser bowertyrants, or Gorgosaurus, with the male displaying his mating colors and feathers, offering his potential mate a Lambeosaurus skull trophy. The bower is an "avenue" type bower, with carefully arranged driftwood logs and scavenged bones on either side of a narrow aisle festooned with stones, bits of wood, and chunks of vertebrae - anything that is white or light in color.

Other bowertyrants, such as the "Greater Bowertyrant", or Tyrannosaurus rex, create their bowers from strategically gnawed trees, adorned with the decapitated heads of triceratops or other prey animals. All species are able to cannibalize the more edible parts of their bowers in times of drought or famine, deriving an extra shot of calcium from the bones therein. Indeed, it is the very reason the male offers the choicest bits to his would-be mate - the extra calcium in the offered bones allows for better egg production and a healthier brood.

*****UPDATE 9/25/2013*****
This painting is featured in the new e-book "All Your Yesterdays" from the fine folk at Irregular Books! Download your free copy today!

www.irregularbooks.co

Ghrendali Abbreviated Evolution

Some really fast and loose sketches of an abbreviated evolution of my Ghrendali race, from Gorgonopsid to sentient creature.

Swamp Dragon - All Yesterdays Contest Entry #1

After much prodding from friends and family, I decided to enter this into the "All Yesterdays" contest, put on by and

Ichthyovenator laosensis - the fish-eating hunter of Laos, known only from a single type specimen found in the Aptian age Grès supérieurs Formation. Siamamia, a Cretaceous cousin of the North American bowfin fish, is known from similarly aged rocks in the Sakon Nakhon Province of Northeastern Thailand.

I have depicted this icthyovenator as having a semi-aquatic lifestyle, cruising the Cretaceous swamps with powerful tail muscles anchored to the large neural spines along its back, hips, and tail.

*****UPDATE 9/25/2013*****
This painting is featured in the new e-book "All Your Yesterdays" from the fine folk at Irregular Books! Download your free copy today!

www.irregularbooks.co

Conchoraptor gracilis

Painting #1 of a 13-part series - Conchoraptor gracilis representing the astrological symbol of Cancer. In its claws is a hypothetical (imaginary) freshwater hermit crab that has inhabited a Viviparus shell.

This was originally supposed to have a begging Conchoraptor chick and an art-nouveau styled archway with the symbol and dates for Cancer, but time got away from me and I wanted to get it hammered out for my upcoming art show in January, Archosaurs and Automata. I will probably revisit this later with the missing elements.

Nemegt Sunrise

Sunrise over the Nemegt River Basin, Maastrichtian era. The foreground plants are a hypothetical reconstruction of the bennettite cycad Baikalophyllum, with Pseudolarix conifers in the background.

Pages