So after something like 2 months (?) of work, I can finally stop thinking about alligators. The goal of this project was to pick a specimen (one that can be easily obtained) to create a plate that describes an interesting fact about it.
Being the masochistic being that I am, I decided to go with an alligator. To obtain two alligators, I had the pleasure of digging through the Functional Anatomy department freezer. It was by the most fascinating freezer I've ever seen. Once the alligators were thawed, I had the pleasure "kalima-ing" one alligator (aka, dissecting and removing the heart) and posing the other.
I lucked out since the alligators preserved in a swimming position. All I had to do was hang the alligator and use pins to move the arms.
Then we spent a whole lot time drawing the specimen in pencil. After a while the scales started to get nauseating.
Then we took the drawing and photoshopped the background, text, and insets . The little factoid I concentrated on was the crocodylian heart anatomy. Long story short, alligator hearts are complicated and cool.The end of this project feels like the end of an era.
Up next 3D sculpting, inked stuff, or things I waste time drawing . We'll see.
WOW, That looks awesome! So will you be illustrating the next Gray's Anatomy book?
ReplyDeleteGreat positioning, exceptional rendering, but your specimen is a crocodile of some sort rather than an alligator. (Color is dappled olive rather than an alligator's striped black, and the head is too tapered). I'd have to see more pictures to identify the correct species. Your information on the heart, however, is spot on. Crocodilians are truly incredible animals. Great poster!
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