I’m thoroughly old-school. I start with small
thumbnail sketches in pencil or watercolor. If
it’s an architectural subject or a dinosaur, I’ll
build a maquette out of any material at hand.
If necessary I enlist models to pose in costume, usually friends or neighbors. I either
take photos or draw tone paper sketches of the
models. I have a large mirror mounted in the
studio and often
do action studies
of myself posing in costume
to get the basic
pose. I also have
a scrap file of
color magazine
photos that I
use for texture
and form ideas.
If the painting
requires scientific or historical
accuracy, I consult with experts
at every stage of
the process and
incorporate their
suggestions.
cal illustrators and moviemakers are the eyes of
paleontology. New discoveries and new theories
take on a physical, concrete presence when they
are visualized well. And if they’re not visualized
well, old and incorrect stereotypes can be reinforced.
RR: How closely do you work with paleontologists, and have your drawings ever changed how they
thought about
fossils and ancient
life?
JG: I’ve worked
with many different paleontologists while
working on
science articles
for Discover, National Geographic,
National Wildlife,
and Scientific
American.
For each project like that, we
typically work
with just one
expert, so that
After all these
we don’t run into
studies, I work
the need to adup the line
judicate conflictdrawing—and
ing theories. My
sometimes a full
job for such a
charcoal drawpublication is to
ing—and finally
try to give visual
begin the final
form to their
painting. People
ideas. In the case
can follow the
of the “World
process in my
of Dinosaurs”
videos “How I
postage stamps
Paint Dinosaurs”
for the US
or “Tyrannosaur:
Postal Service, I
Titanoboa
from
“History
and
Science.”
Image
courtesy
of
the
artist.
Behind the Art.”
worked with five
different experts,
RR: Do you feel
each in a differthat illustrators who focus on science topics, includent field of study, because we had to look after
ing paleontology, have an impact on their respective
a variety of fauna and flora. For the Australian
fields? If so, how, exactly?
stamps (“Australia’s Age of Dinosaurs,”) we had
a principal consultant, Tom Rich, who introJG: I don’t know... I suppose you’d have to talk duced me to several of his colleagues, and each
to scientists in those fields. But perhaps it’s
expert helped with specific questions.
fair to repeat the old saying that paleontologi-
SciArt in America June 2015
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