Why I do what I do
This is me with one of my favourite dinosaur descendants, Toffee
I am thrilled that everyone who uses my Colours of The Past Collection knows they are getting scientific up-to-date templates of nine dinosaurs, two marine reptiles and one pterosaur, worthy of a palaeontology enthusiast.
– Noah, Creator of Colours of The Past
My story is your story
Before I created Colours of The Past, there was no authentic dinosaur template around. All you could find were watered-down versions of these mighty creatures.
They were all too cute
Then one day I wanted to do some comparison of colour tests, to see how spinosaurus might have looked like in different colour combinations. In looking for a template to use for this colour test, I could only find colouring in books made for children. None of the dinosaurs there were realistic though. They all looked cute, cuddly, and friendly and all lacked realistic features. Even worse, some were depicted in poses that are anatomically impossible.
Divergence
I am mentally and neurologically divergent of the norm. That means while others have no problems accepting shrink-wrapped heads, pronated wrists or tripod poses, these kind of things make me cringe and my eye twitch. You see, I am a stickler for accuracy in prehistoric animals – as much as it is possible to know for sure anyway.
First I was concerned that people would consider this a bit extreme. Why should young children be concerned about accuracy in dinosaurs when they often still live in a fairy world?
But then I thought – why not? What if someone is more interested in facts (as we know them) than in cuddliness? What if there are people like me, who prefer realistic dinosaurs over cute ones? What if there are others who would like to speculate about colours but maybe don’t have the skills or the time to draw?
Authentic and scientifically up-to-date
So I decided to create the most authentic, scientifically accurate templates for Colours of The Past for the most enthusiastic prehistory fans, whether they are professionals, fellow citizen scientists, or beginner palaeontologists.
It turns out,
the road was more difficult than I imagined. There are a number of theories around what these creatures may have looked liked, some more credible and probable than others. It took quite a bit of research, discussions with the “Spec Squad” and other paleo-interested friends and sorting through a lot of written material.
When I had finally put together my selection, I feared that no one would like them and I found it very challenging to take care of the technical site of offering a product like this.
Nevertheless,
… with some support I pushed through and the response has confirmed what I hoped: there are a lot of people who cherish these creatures as much as I do and, like me, value we can determine what is most likely accurate over what looks cute and appealing or over-exaggerated and frightening for the simple sake of effects.
Together, we can have fun, go crazy with our colour theories, express our admiration and enthusiasm about prehistoric animals, even speculate about alternative evolution, and keep it all based on scientifically up-to-date information and consideration.
For an extended vita and more work samples go here:
You can also find my works on Instagram and DeviantArt.