King Talk: August 2013

Back when we were little we are easily fascinated. Whether it is large fighting robots, riding ants at microscopic size or going to faraway galaxies it is that youthful innocence that makes everything larger than life. I was never one to miss out, as I am also fascinated with a lot of things. But one of the number one things that I'm really fascinated was...

DINOSAURS!!!

I really love them when I was a kid. They are one of Earth's mightiest creatures ever. These big, mysterious reptiles ruled the earth 65 million years ago. They range in size from the towering Brontosaurus to the small Compsognathus. There are savage meat-eaters like the famous Tyrannosaurus Rex to a humble plant-eater like the lumbering Stegosaurus. I often thought what if they are still alive today? Would some scheming businessman catch some and offer people a ride for a price?

My father liked my passion for these prehistoric creatures and nurtured it. He kept on buying books and toys on Dinosaurs, and I absorbed all of them. I knew all the famous Dinosaurs from A-Z. I knew where the word "Dinosaur" comes from and who named it ( "terrible lizard", Richard Owens ) I knew the theories of how they died. I knew if that Dinosaur was a meat-eater or not ( clue: it's in the teeth ). And it's because of this that I was often being teased for knowing so much about the Dinosaurs. I remember one elementary classmate saying that Elephants are bigger than Dinosaurs. One even tried to post on our classroom bulletin board DINOSORE with my name on it. Some kids can be cruel and in this case, stupid.

Now usually your fascination can die down when you grow up, and that happened to me as well. Exams, peer pressure, girls and Anime became my new fascination. I tried hard to get it back, even buying an updated Dinosaur encyclopedia a few years ago, but the fascination is just not there anymore. I mean, one of my favorite Dinosaurs, the raptor-like Dienonychus, had an updated look because of the recent discovery of feathers on some bird-like Dinosaurs. It just looks wrong. But in the field of Science, you have to discard coolness for what's scientifically correct.

old look

new, less cooler look

Now there are beautiful artworks found all over the internet of these magnificent animals that make me want to be fascinated again, and I want to share them with you. Maybe I can be instrumental in rekindling your "Dino-Explorer" kid inside you as well.

One of the best Dinosaur artists in the art world is Joe Tucciarone. An Ohio-born physics graduate, Joe wanted to be an artist instead and drew subjects on the solar system and eventually his first love, Dinosaurs. Here are some of my favorites:

You could check some more of his art at his official website. Check it here.

From deviantart user Fel-X...

Maybe this is how Dinosaurs became extinct? From deviantart user TomPreston

...Or maybe it is this theory? From the famous spot gag comic strip "The Far Side" by Gary Larson.

And we must not forget the artwork of Calvin and Hobbes super-private comic strip artist Bill Watterson...

A local artist also draws some mean-looking Dinosaurs. Check out Life In Progress comic strip collections at your local bookstore.

Dinosaurs versus Aliens??? Now why didn't someone think of that??? Fantastic artwork by Marvel Comics Indestructible Hulk artist Mukesh Singh of India.