My constant companion

I did this drawing in 2011 when I was writing my Honours thesis: ,

It actually took me two years to complete because of my workload. Honours was a torturous time for me. The only thing that drove me forward was my dreams and aspirations. Drawing is the process by which I consolidate wh I am. The drawing is a process of my being. This was not being respected during my time in Sydney and this is the major reason why I am not living there. Aquiline is my alter ego and in this life, which has been a solitary psychic struggle until quite recently, Aquiline is my inner shadow self, a large part of my spirit. When I draw Aquiline I feel what it is like to be Aquiline. I feel the power in his muscles and the fluidity of his movement. His body taut like a coiled spring and ready for action, is pelt glimmering and metallic like flowing thick water. Aquiline's eyes are forever watchful, missing nothing inthe darkness in the void that is the underbelly of human nature, and challenging what is dangerous with their firey crimson hue. I feel unity and harmony within myself. I kept looking at this drawing regularly to remind myself of my personal power and that no-one could beat me into submission or make me become anything that was not true to my nature. I gave the original away but I did scan it before doing so. I printed out a copy and pinned it to a kitchen cupboard. In the morning it looks really awesome because I made kitchen curtains out of shock which is an aquamarine colour with a yellow metallic sheen. During this time,the kitchen is bathed in the colour and energy of Aquiline. It feels good to see that my psychic self has a physical expression, a space were it can be visible without having to fight for the right to be.

Various Images of Aquiline

I know that Aquiline has not much to do with pure palao-illustration but this is my reality. I got into palao-illustration because of my alter-ego called Aquiline. I wanted to create a world for him and it has to be believeable. Also, I think this is a great opportunity to boost public awareness of Australian palaeontology! :-) I think people are smart enough to tease apart mythology and truth. Afterall humanity has always needed a legend to make sense of reality. Aquilin is an Imperial Diallonyx (Diallonyx melanofelis imperialis). Being what he is, his relationship with Reddiegonians and the Kadimakara which are the extinct animals of Australia are quite complicated. For every palaeo-illustration I might do nine drawings of Aquiline.

The two drawings above show Aquiline with Rose, the person I am roleplaying with on My Space (http://www.myspace.com/mistyvaleintheforest). The uppermost image is of Aquiline sitting on a rock. I could not concentrate on it so much because I was really supposed to be studying for that Environmental geology exam. I was really focused on how the claws would grip the rock. I was full of tension that day and this is how I release it. I've had a brainwave lately and figured out how the phalanges are positioned under the flesh of the paws. I think it's actually quite similar to possums. The one below that shows Aquiline taking off. He has wings that are quite like swift's wings. At rest they are housed in pouches whose intterior is located in a different dimension. That is why they are not visible when a Diallonyx is on the ground.




These are various pictures of Aquiline's face. It can be difficult to draw him because his face can so easily look vicious but yet there has to be a hint of kindness to him. I suppose the best place to put this is in the eyes. Here you can also see a little picture of the head of a Muttaburrasaurus langdoni. I really like this animal, I think it has equine grace. I look forward to working on it more. You can also see the skeleton of a drawing of a person on the left.



Here I was trying to illustrate the very odd shape of a Nothosaurus to a friend. I could not really remember it well and I've put the wrong number of temporal holes in it's skull. I didn't have any reference at the time, I was on an Environemental geology field trip. That was the most depressing trip I went to. We went to the Strahan and saw the King River delta. It was totally dead. There was no sign of life anywhere and it was totally silent. Everything had been killed by the toxic acid mine drainage and the entire area was covered in a moonscape of tailings orange due to the rusting of iron. There was not even a single bird call or a scrap of algae. n some places an unknown white substance oozed out of the ground like pus from a wound on the face of the Earth. I really hated that subject.

In this picture, on the right, you can also see a top view of Aquiline's head comeplete with his whiskers.