The Dino Hunt

A little while before lockdown began, my boys and I went to a dinosaur museum to sketch. As an illustrator I’m used to bringing my sketchbook along to places to draw, but this was the first time that I took my sons along to draw with me. My oldest son Jonas, who is ten, is already an avid paleontologist. His enthusiasm for the subject had rubbed off on his two younger brothers, age 6, and 9 who were also excited to learn more about these huge animals that once roamed the earth.

Time to Sketch

We headed off to the Sedgwick Museum in Cambridge, UK which in addition to having a few complete skeletons, is also so old that it is easy to imagine walking its aisles a hundred years ago looking for drawers full of bones. We walked around the museum for a few minutes until we found a fossil or skeleton that we wanted to sketch, pulled up some chairs and started drawing. It was a wonderful experience. My usually rambunctious boys were quiet and concentrated. They also wanted to learn how to sketch shadows and tips for proportions. There were no complaints and they all agree that we should sketch again another time. After a couple of hours we left with our heads full of dino ideas.

I was very impressed with my children's drawings. Of course, as their mother, I am a biased observer. Nevertheless, I loved how much attention they paid to the use of shadow and shape. The most realistic drawings, in my opinion, were from my ten year old son in the middle. In addition to their drawings, I also made a few funny ones to add to the mix. Who doesn't want to see a dino with a handbag?

Looking for Fossils

When we got home, the dinosaur fever didn’t stop. Out on the playground, the boys gathered rocks and began making dinosaur fossils. Then they asked me to search the playground for bones like a paleoentologist and to try to figure out what dinosaur I had found. Was it an Allosaurus? A Pterandon? A Triceratops? I loved looking at their dinosaurs. It was not hard to imagine the broken rocks as bones left behind.

Now, in the midst of partial lockdown, I am reminded of our dino hunt. The playgrounds just reopened and my boys are glad to be free again to use more space than just our mini-backyard. They are all still big fans of dinosaurs. 

I think its time to go hunting for fossils again...  

Keywords: Dinosaurs, paleoentologist, sketching