Progress posts

Critter of the Week: Stegosaurus

| Patricia Bujard

Meet Steggy.  She might not have very much of a brain, but she makes up for that with the softness of her heart.  There’s not a whole lot that’ll surprise her (thanks to Pete’s training), and she’ll let just about anybody clamber on her back. 🙂

steggy

I say “just about” anybody, because there was that one time some kids wanted her to be their fortress in a water balloon battle.  That was a bit too much for Steggy.  But that class of preschoolers who came to visit were adorable.  Steggy just sat there and let them climb all over her (Pete stuck a few tennis balls on her spikes, so they wouldn’t be so sharp).  The kids had a great time painting stars and hearts on her big plates.

Steggy’s pretty mellow because of all the surprise games and “scary new things” Pete does with her.  Like horses, Stegosaurus tend to be nervous around anything new.  Like training a race horse to ignore the noise of the crowd and the track, Steggy here’s been trained to not freak out when she sees something new or something jumps out of the bushes.

That small brain (just one, and about the size of the average dog brain) means that Stegosaurus tend to be more reactive, you see.  More temperamental and aggressive when they’re surprised, nervous, or scared.  And they’re fast with that tail!

That tail is a spiked mace of pure muscle, and most Stegosaurus have a “swing first, don’t ask questions” sort of attitude.

But once Steggy figured out that Pete is just going to throw new stuff at her all the time, she learned to just not be surprised.

Here’s a peek into her thought process…

A giant stuffed bear in the crook of a tree?  Huh?  Weird.  Leaves are tasty…

Neon flags waving along the fence line?  What’s that! Ooh…pretty. (steps closer, takes a cautious bite out of a green one) Ooh, they taste funny.

A big, inflatable Halloween spider sitting in a corner of the pasture.  Monster?! Wait…monster? (stares at it for a while) Hmm…not coming closer…What’s for breakfast?

Making progress…

I’m clipping along at a pretty good pace.  Or at least a steady one (not really all that fast 😛 ).

  • On Monday I officially posted my 50th post.
  • I now have 19 amazing readers who also enjoy prehistoric critters.
  • The website is looking more like a furnished house than an empty lot.
  • The Critter Cards for six of the primary characters featured in the book are complete and ready as a set of free printables.
  • All the sign-up forms and follow-up pages for Pete’s Postcards from the Shop are done and ready to go (just need to purchase domain name and “email space” so I can send ePostcards from the Shop. 🙂

And all this over the course of almost 6 months. 😀  Amazing what you can do in 15 mins – 1 hour a day

Next step is completing a collection of mini-comics.  Critter Cam: What You’re Dinosaur is Doing When You’re Not Looking.

I’ll also be working on the next set of Critter Cards, and slowly updating some of the header images on the site.  Like the Homepage picture and Meet the Critters.

While I do this it’d be awesome to see a small trickle of income…so the comic-collection gets priority so I can put it up on Amazon. 😀

Thank you so much for spending your time with me.  You’re awesome, and I truly mean that.  I hope what I do can give you a few moments of joy, entertainment, perhaps learn a little something you didn’t know…I always love hearing from you in the comments, so if there’s any way I can make your stay better, please let me know! 🙂

Coming Next Week…

This shy giant will do anything for his special person, even if it means getting out of his comfort zone.

Share your guess in the comments! She’ll be one of the critters over on the critter page. 🙂

Critter of the Week: Diplodocus

| Patricia Bujard

Meet Dippy!  A giant with a heart of gold, life is never boring when this big guy is around.  Nothing is out of reach!  He’ll stick his nose into everything until every mystery is solved.

Dippy.jpg

Looks like he’s found a very, very big ball to play with.  That ball is pretty much indestructible, and something that comes in handy when you have curious giants like Dippy around.  He loves food just as much as your average sauropod, but Dippy is…how shall I say?  Easily distracted. 😛

Dippy here loves investigating anything new.  He’s not the sharpest rock around, but when you’re this big, brains aren’t a requirement.  I wonder what he plans to do with that ball?  Pete found his old one flattened out in the pasture a couple weeks ago, so we’ll see how long this one lasts.

What’s that you say?  An accident?  Oh no, I’m sure the ball was squished on purpose.  These guys have an amazing sense of touch.  Dippy doesn’t like stepping on certain things, and he’s very careful where he puts his feet (elephants are like this too).

Dippy seems to like the smooth bounciness.  But who doesn’t like to play every now and again? 🙂

To get an idea on how big the ball is, check out the super-sized balls these horses are playing with. 😉

 

Making progress…

Dippy’s official page is up! 😀

And it looks like I can purchase a domain name (like PaleoPetshop.com instead of PaleoPetshop.wordpress.com) and be able to forward emails from the site for less than $100!  So that’s awesome. 😀

With that in mind, I’m working on the next step- finishing the first collection of mini-comics for an eBook.  This eBook will be available for 99 cents, but you can purchase a physical copy for a few more bucks.

Once this collection is finished, then I’ll purchase the domain name and you’ll get to download and print those free collectible Critter Cards I showed you a couple weeks back. 😀

Dippy.jpg
Here’s Dippy, since he’s the Critter of the Week. 🙂

 

Just a friendly reminder.  If you’re seeing this in your email right now, it would be awesome if you’d click on the post title.  That will take you to the actual page, which helps the Paleo Petshop get noticed by Google, which is a good thing if you like what you read and want to share it with others. 🙂 Thank you so much for being here with me.  I truly appreciate it when we can chat a little together.

If you don’t mind spoilers, here’s a preview for one of the comics- Dippy vs. Ball. 

 

dippyvsball

 

 

Coming Next Week…

A real sweetie who’ll tolerate just about anything, even dress up.  Just be careful not to spook her.

Share your guess in the comments! She’ll be one of the critters over on the critter page. 🙂

 

Critter of the Week: Allosaurus

| Patricia Bujard

Meet Alfred.  The lion of the Jurassic!  The prince of the Mesozoic! The…oh, there he goes after another butterfly.  All he needs to be happy in life is his food, his chew toy, and a nice long nap.

 

Alfred

Looks like Alfred has found something to chase.  No worries though, that butterfly has nothing to fear, and he’ll give up soon enough.  Allosaurus (ah-low-saw-rus) wasn’t very fast, but he can’t help it- if it runs off, he’s got to chase it!  After a quick sprint, Alfred loves to settle under the shade of a tree and take a nice nap.

What’s that you say?  He’s a fearsome predator?  Well yes, yes he is.  Take a quick look at lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my!), and most of the time you’ll actually catch them napping.  Crocodiles and eagles, Alfred’s closest living relatives, also do a lot of nothing.  Once you have a full belly, why not enjoy a siesta in the sun?  🙂

You can find out more about Alfred at his critter page.

Fun Fact: This guy is the first critter that I kinda found my style.  All the ones I drew before him were very inconsistent, but this one had the sketchiness and detailed painterly mixture I was looking for.  All other critters after him I’ve been refining my technique and getting better.

Now I have to practice on my people!

 

Making progress…

I had a big surprise planned.  The goal was to have Pete’s Postcards from the Shop all set up by my birthday (that’s today.  I just set it as a convenient goal date. 🙂 )

The Critter Cards were done, I got the PDF file sorted out, Mailchimp all set up and ready to go…I run through the motions to test it out for myself and…

Nothing.

I wasn’t really surprised, since I can’t really use my personal email account to send you emails from the Paleo Petshop.  But it was worth a try.  I’m trying to spend as little money as possible until I start earning a little.  This can turn into a really expensive hobby really fast if I’m not careful.

Not exactly what I’m going for. 🙂

So now I’m figuring out the best place to purchase a domain name, so that PaleoPetshop.wordpress.com can turn into PaleoPetshop.com.  Only problem is that so many places offer so many different packages with bells and whistles I’m not ready for just yet.  Like webhosting.

All I need is an official domain name, and the email address I can use with Mailchimp.

Wish me luck!  I’ve got a couple of options I’m looking at, but it’s just a matter of figuring out which one’s a better fit. 🙂

In the meantime, here’s the Critter Card chart with all dinosaurs colored in. 😀

chibi-critters-progress-copy4

 

Coming Next Week…

A giant with a heart of gold, life is never boring when this big guy is around.  Nothing is out of reach!  He’ll stick his nose into everything until every mystery is solved.

Share your guess in the comments! He’ll be one of the critters over on the critter page. 🙂

Critter of the Week: Archaeopteryx

| Patricia Bujard

Meet Tango. This bird likes to party, and loves being the center of attention even more!

tango_update

Tango is a pretty good example of when you should check with your neighbors before you choose your pet.  Of course, if you live out in the sticks like I do, then it doesn’t matter so long as you don’t mind going deaf.

Ok, ok, I exaggerate.  But really, unless you like a whole lot of this going on, I’d reconsider a quieter critter.

 

Making progress…

I’ve got profile pictures for all the critters on the critter page!  (I’m super super excited, because that’s the most obvious sign of my progress so far XD )

Speaking of profile pics, notice how Tango got a shiny updated one? (hint hint, nod nod)

Now I’m starting on their official character pages.  You can go to the critter page and click on Tango (or if you’re lazy, just click here 😛 )  It’s pretty basic, and not very shiny yet, but hey, it’s a start. 🙂

I also got Tango’s card done.  One more dinosaur to complete the series, and I’ll open up the official sign up for Postcards From the Shop!

chibi-critters-progress-copy3

 

Coming Next Week…

This guy will chase after anything that moves, or smells good… 😉

Share your guess in the comments! He’s one of the critters over on the critter page. 🙂

Critter of the Week: Ceratosaurus

| Patricia Bujard

Meet Bowser. Those horns may look intimidating, and his toothy grin can be downright fearsome.  But you know what they say about books and their covers… 😉

 

 

bowser

 

Bowser is the pit bull of Jurassic predators.  He’s buff, he’s tough, and he’ll stop at nothing to protect his special person.

He also has an unfortunate reputation.

Pit bulls are only as bad as their owners.  Give them a good home and training- you’ll have a loyal friend that is sweet and adoring.

Bowser is very much the same.

Pete has trained this big guy ever since he was a hatchling, and he never shows his teeth except when chomping down on a meal.

Personally, I’m kinda glad he usually keeps his mouth shut, because take a look at those chompers!

ceratosaurus74583s
The teeth on this mount may be extra long, because teeth tend to slip out of the socket when there’s no soft tissue to hold them in, but they’re still super long!  This is a younger individual, so the horns aren’t as big as Bowser’s.  Photo courtesy and copyright of Dr. John Meck.  Obtained from qilong.wordpress.com

 

 

Making progress…

 

Yay!  Two more trading cards complete. 😀

I’m really liking the idea of printable character cards.

chibi-critters-progress-copy2

 

 

Coming Next Week…

This bird knows how to party. 😉

Share your guess in the comments! He’s one of the critters over on the critter page. 🙂

Critter of the Week: Rhamphorynchus

| Patricia Bujard

Meet Ron. He’s the flying ace.  He’ll swoop from the sky, dive into the water, and swim anywhere for a shiny fish. 🙂

ron

Rrr- just how do you pronounce that?  I wasn’t 100% sure on that myself, so I looked it up on Youtube…

There, mystery solved. 🙂  I wonder if there’s one for all the really hard paleo-critter names out there.  I may have to include something like this from now on until I figure out a better system.

Oh, and before you ask, yes, there is evidence that pterosaurs can swim. 🙂 Ron here seems to spend most of his time in water, which might be why we have so many perfect fossils of this little guy. 🙂

He’s fast though.  It took a whole bucket of fish to entice him to come over for a quick chat.

And there he goes!  Ah well, if you want to know more about these guys, I know a pretty awesome blog post written by the great pterosaur expert, Mark Witton.  It has lots of pretty pictures too!

 

Making progress…

The big reveal for what I’ve been working on lately (aside from the book of course)…drumroll please…

alfred

Little character trading cards!

I’ll be making sets of six.  Dinosaurs first, then a set of other prehistoric critters.  I’d love to have a fancy set made at some point, but this way I can make them available for free.

Yes!  Free printables!  I’ve got to admit, I must say I’m quite pleased with the two I’ve made so far. 😀

To add to the fun, here’s a chart of the (currently) planned critters.  I’ll color them in as I complete each card. 🙂

chibi-critters-progress-copy

 

Coming Next Week…

He looks tough, but once you get to know him he’s loyal to the core…and more of a softie really. 🙂

Share your guess in the comments! He’s one of the critters over on the critter page. 🙂

🙂

Critter of the Week: Leedsichthys

| Patricia Bujard

Meet Gulper. He’s the biggest, most easy-going fish in the sea.  All he wants in life is to drift through nice sunny waters.  He’d love it if you joined him for a swim, and you’re welcome to hitch a ride on his fin. 🙂

 

gulper

Gulper has a giant mouth, but don’t worry, all he eats are tiny sea critters called plankton- just like whales. 🙂

Also like whales, this guy is enormous!  Here’s a short video of a whale shark and diver, just to give you a hint on how big they are.

 

As big as the shark is, Gulper is even bigger. 😀

Probably not much bigger, and most reports you’ll find are greatly exaggerated.  But hey- whale shark size is still huge, and anything bigger than that is just about mind blowing!

Just for fun, here’s another clip.  This one is from the TV show River Monsters.  I’m not a fan of the way he talks about these fish as monsters- Gulper is pretty laid back- but it’s still interesting.  Keep in mind the length of the fish is probably exaggerated in the clip. 🙂

 

Making progress…

This week was better for staying on track. 🙂

I rather like having the A&S posts every two weeks, with a shorter sort of preview post in between.  It gives me more time to research on the chosen critter. Good research makes sure the critters are accurate to science, but also lets me know what I can speculate on the details.

So you can look forward to more youtube videos and possibly links to other awesome posts. 🙂

 

Coming Next Week…

He’s a flying ace!  He’ll swoop, dive, and swim anywhere for a shiny fish. 🙂

Share your guess in the comments! He’s one of the critters over on the critter page. 🙂

Critter of the Week: Camarasaurus

| Patricia Bujard

Meet Bella. She’s big, she’s loud, and she’s really happy to see you!  She’s happy to see anyone really, except Alfred, but can you blame her?  There’s about a-bazillion years of conflict going on there…

 

Bella.jpg

There she is!  She is the most accommodating of Pete’s very large camarasaurus herd- voted least likely to accidentally trample the equipment.  They can be an excitable bunch, and don’t always pay attention to what they’re bumping into.  I’ll just say that when Pete finally got her separated from the herd there was a tractor, some flags, an air horn, and a rubber chicken involved…

These Camaras are more closely related to the smaller wild species, C. lentus (there are 3 🙂 ), which are only about 49 feet long.  But that’s still a lot of sauropod on the move, especially when you multiply it by 80!

Why so many?

Paleontologists may call Bella the ugliest sauropod, but they’re pretty popular for anyone with plenty of pasture.  Their friendly and calm, cow-like attitude makes them an easier alternative to the larger giants like Elmer.

If only they weren’t so loud!  But some may call Bella’s singing endearing.  It’s lovely to hear their chorus far out to pasture.

 

 

Have the video play in the background while you look at Bella above, I can’t help laughing at the mental picture of 50 or 100 of these fat, happy sauropods calling to each other constantly.  In a herd of such large animals, you don’t really need stealth. 😀

 

Making progress…

The past couple of weeks it’s been tough to keep up.  I need to rethink how I do things, or get better at more efficient use of my time during the day.  One of the two. 😛

I’ve kind of fallen into the bad habit of keeping right on the posts.  It feels a bit like plugging holes in a leaky dam.  As I get one done, then I’m scrambling to get the next one done, half afraid I won’t be able to keep up.

I’m not saying this to complain of course, just as a way of evaluating where I’m at, in a way that I can look back later and remember where I came from. 🙂  Looking back at earlier posts has been the best way for me to see my progress, slow as it’s been.  It keeps me going by knowing how far I’ve come. 🙂

Speaking of earlier posts, I used to have a list of future posts, and I would update information and write little snippets whenever I could.  I’ve been kinda scrambling ever since I wrote all the posts on the list.

Time to write up another list!  And perhaps have a couple of posts with relevant youtube videos like Monday.  If you like those, I can do it a little more often. 🙂

 

Coming Next Week…

This giant likes to bask in warm, sunny waters.  He’d be super easy to care for if only the tank didn’t need to be the size of the Mediterranean…

Share your guess in the comments! He’s one of the critters over on the critter page. 🙂

Designing a Book Cover

| Patricia Bujard

We interrupt our regular Monday program (The Art & Science of Pete’s Paleo Petshop) to give you a bit of quick behind-the-scenes sneak peak.  I’m deep in the heart of picture-book production, and I’m at the point where I want to have the front cover all nice and shiny, so it can be the proverbial carrot at the end of the stick for me.

If I have a clear image of what I’m headed for, then it may be easier to keep heading that direction. 🙂

I would like it very much indeedy if I could have a bit of feedback.  Doesn’t have to be much, just enough to help me steer in the right direction. 🙂

First though, a quick (and brief!) rundown of what’s needed in a picture book cover.

  • Visually appealing- obvious is of course obvious.  What’s your first reaction when you see it?  A resounding yes!  Or…not quite hitting the mark?
  • Gives hints about the story- it makes you want to know what happens.
  • Gives you a “feel” of the story.  Style, general mood, if it’s funny or serious, etc…
  • Text is clear, and can be read from a distance, or at least get you to take a closer look.
  • Would you buy it if you saw it on a shelf?

 

There’s more to designing a book cover, but those are the basics.  So I have a couple of questions for you…

  • What’s your first reaction when you see the picture?
  • Would you pick up the book if you saw it on a library shelf?  Please tell me why or why not. 🙂
  • Are there any questions you have about the characters or the illustration?  Does it make you want to know more, or know the story behind it?

 

With those questions in mind then, here is the sketch.

Cover copy.jpg

 

And here is the colored version as I have it now.  It’s only colored as much as necessary to get an idea of style and general look.  It doesn’t have fine details yet.

 

 

Cover_colored_test.jpg

Thank you for swinging by my little corner of the internet, and thank you for taking the time to chat with me today. 🙂  I think it’s pretty awesome that indie publishing is an option, and that you can be a part of this.

Here are those questions again, and it would be most helpful if you could answer the questions for each image above.  Whichever ones work best for each picture. 🙂

  • What’s your first reaction when you see the picture?
  • Would you pick up the book if you saw it on a library shelf?  Please tell me why or why not. 🙂
  • Are there any questions you have about the characters or the illustration?  Does it make you want to know more, or know the story behind it?

Thank you again for taking the time to help me give you something better. 🙂  I love to read your answers in the comments! 😀