how to ACTUALLY Draw a Dinosaur and Prove You're Smarter Than a 6-Year Old

Written and Illustrated 1

by Skyler Spence

Table of Contents Introduction

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Step 4

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Step 2

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Step 3

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Step 4

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Step 5

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Congradulations!

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Bonus Step

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How to ACTUALLY Draw a Dinosaur and Prove you’re Smarter Than a 6 Year-Old Written and Illustrated by Skyler Spence

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To Draw a Dinosaur So here you are, probably thinking “I know how to draw a dinosaur.” You probably think you know a decent amount about them. At least enough to know how to draw one. You probably remember that you really liked them as a kid. You played with dinosaur toys, saw them on TV, and you even know how to “walk like a T. Rex.” Even now, you’ve probably seen the latest Jurassic World Movie, or maybe have visited a Museum in the last 20 years. So what is there to know?

I’m here to break the bad news to you; most 6 year-olds probably know more than you do.

Behind that greasy Ipad screen and PB and J smeared face is a 6 year-old who has found the power of the internet, and without knowing it, has consumed a collegiate amounts-worth of scientific knowledge of Dinosauria just by searching the word “cool dinosaur videos” an unreasonable amount of times on Youtube. Their magnum opus then comes to fruition with a simple box of crayons and an overactive imagination. And be honest, you know you can’t compete. That two-legged, long necked, lizard with spikes that you were so ready to draw 2

doesn’t seem so impressive now, does it?

Do not fear, apspring paleo-artist, for there is hope! In this book, not only will you get a step-by-step guide on how to draw a dinosaur, but you’ll gain a heightened understanding of dinosaurs with real scientific facts about them that will coin you the title of being smarter (and more atristically inclined) than a 6 year-old.

So grab yourself a box of crayons, a piece of paper, and turn on that Jurassic Park theme song, because we will be drawing the King of the Tyrant Lizards, Tyrannosaurus Rex.

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Step 1: The body Tyrannosaurus was huge, and I mean HUGE. At around 12,000 pounds, Tyrannosuarus was the biggest terrestrial carnivore that we know of to ever exist. That being said, there are a few popular misconceptions to correct before we begin our drawing.

1. Tyrannosaurus was NOT shrink wrapped to the bone.

Lots of modern constructions of this giant animal are inspired by the famous Jurassic Park movie. While for its time, the T. Rex shown was a scientific marvel, newest discoveries help explain that there was flesh, fat, and muscle between the bones and the skin. The eyes weren’t sunk into the head, and its spine wasn’t pointing out of its back like a starving dog.

We’ll start with the hips and chest to make 4

the body.

2. Tyrannosaurus did NOT have giant plates of armor.

Some recreations of dinosaurs like to “monster-ify” the animals, and add plates of armor, giant spikes, or crocodile scales, all of which are untrue. Most dinosaurs had thick, somewhat scaly and leathery skin.

3. Tyrannosaurus (probably) did NOT have feathers.

Even science can be wrong sometimes. For a brief amount of time, some scientists believed Tyrannosaurus could have been covered in feathers, but after more research, the evidence for feathers just wasn’t there.

Step 1 complete!

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Step 2: The Legs Tyrannosaurus Rex had legs meant for holding up its huge body and hunting down its even bigger prey. Some studies suggest that it had narrow hips, giving it the ability to turn very efficiently. Being as big as it was, it was also a little slow. So contrary to popular belief, you maybe be able to outrun a Tyrannosaurus, but you probably couldn’t outmaneuver one...

Draw three toes on each foot, and remember where the hips on your T. Rex sit!

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It doesn’t take a genius to realize that dinosaur tracks resemble bird tracks... Thats because birds ARE dinosaurs.

That’s right. Not all the dinosaurs went extinct 66 Million years ago, Just the big, flightless ones.

Step 2 complete!

Dinosaurs, and many other animals, are known as digitigrade.

This means that they walk on their toes. If you happen to not know anatomy, Their “heel” is held above the ground, like how we will be drawing the legs on our dinosaur.

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Step 3: Apendages Its time to add the arms, the neck, and the tail. By now, you probably think theres more to it than just drawing tiny arms and a long neck and tail, and you’d be right! Let me explain: Theropod dinosaurs like Tyrannousaurus have had a curse placed upon them for decades, and that is the curse of pronated wrists. Pronated wrists are when the palms and fingers of the hand lie parallel to the ground, and while thats natural for us snooty mammals, its the opposite for the Tyrannosaurus. Like birds, its palms would have rested more sideways, like how a bird folds its wings.

And yes, the Tyrannosaurus had tiny arms, but they were far from useless. Their sharp claws were only complimented by the sheer amount of mucsle in the arms, being able to curl as much as 400 pounds! They would have been small but deadly tools for shoving up against prey and other tyrannosaurs.

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Thankfully, The neck and tail is less convoluted than the arms. The neck of Tyrannosaurus Rex is a lot like a birds (again), where it cruves up, then back down slightly before connecting to the skull.

The tail is like a giant counterweight, balancing the body and keeping the chest parallel to the ground. Its filled with strong mucscles that connect to the legs and spine for support and strength.

Our dinosaur is nicely coming together...

Step 3 complete!

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Step 4: The Head Arguably the coolest part of our giant friend, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, is its gargantuan head. With a bite force of upwards of 35,000 neutons, I wouldn’t want to run into a hungry one. I’d like my bones intact, thank you very much.

But of course, there is one more bad habit you should break before you finish up drawing this animal. It may come as a surprise, But its time to cover up those pearly whites. Its most likely that most dinosaurs had lips to keep their giant, bone shattering teeth from drying out. While their lips weren’t flexible and articulated like ours, they more closely resembled lips like most lizards of today.

Remember, this dinosaur’s head is big and filled with muscle!

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Because of the head of Tyrannosaurus, this animal’s senses were probably top notch. Its brain case had room for some serious olfactory nerves, meaning there was no hiding from a nose like that. To top it off, Tyrannosaurus evolved to have Binocular vision, with both eyes facing forwards, giving it heightened depth perception and easier time scoping out camoflauge.

Step 4 complete!

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Step 5: Color When it comes to coloring in Tyrannosaurus, this part is completely up to you. Because, you guessed it, color isn’t usually preserved in fossils, and there certainly hasn’t been any colors found for Tyrannosaurus Rex. BUT, there are some guidelines that could help create something believable.

First, Tyrannosaurus was a hunter, meaning it most likely had to blend in to its environment. Stripes, spots, or a mottled pattern are all possible for this giant animal. Some reoccuring patterns in nature follow the guidelines of light underbelly, dark back, which is especialy true for birds and predators alike.

For colors, some obvious hues would include browns, blacks, and greens, but don’t be afraid to mix it up. Reptiles, especially birds, are known to have extravagant colors for things like display, and theres no reason why Tyrannosaurus couldn’t have that as well!

Let your artistsic creativity shine, and give your Tyrant Lizard a cloak worthy of a king!

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Congradulations!

You did it! You completed your drawing of Tyrannosaurus Rex! Along with it, you learned how big it was, what it ACTUALLY could have looked like, and how the latest Jurassic world movie was even worse than you thought!

Ehem...

ANYWAYS, re-creating the long extinct animals of the past isn’t just drawing what comes to mind. Theres still a lot we don’t know about Tyrannosaurus, and dinosaurs as a whole, but the

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more we learn from the fossils that tell their story, the easier it is to imagine how they really looked.

Now it may be an entire other rabbit hole to try to explain why accuracy in dinosaurs is important, but to put it simply, its all about appreciation. The world is a big place, and it was just as big 66 million years ago when our Tyrannosaurus called it home. So why not try to appreciate this animal and the others like it for what they were?

Now go beat some elementary school students in an art contest, or at least show off to your dinosaur-fanatic nephew next Thanksgiving.

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Bonus Step: Environment If you made it here, that means you finished your Tyrannosaurus. Great job! Why not liven up your drawing with a scientifically accurate setting from the late Cretaceous?

Conifer trees, cycads, and ferns made up the majority of plants during the age of the dinosaurs. Towards the end of the Cretaceous, the world wasn’t too different from how it is today, just a bit warmer.

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The Tyrannosuarus also existed right up until the dinosaurs went extinct, so don’t be afraid to add a blazing meteor to your drawing if you’re feeling apocalyptic!

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Written and Illustrated

by Skyler Spence