I haven't posted anything for a while, so here's some new #paleoart for #FossilFriday: Cetiosaurus in a Middle Jurassic landscape. I've had to compose and execute this in just two days, so hopefully it looks OK! (All data for the plant recons comes from @palaeojules.bsky.social.) #dinosaur #sciart

Wife @gizz47.bsky.social is currently running a 10km race to raise money for Bhutanese tigers. There's still time to donate some money towards the cause if you have some spare change. Would be great to see her make the £200 target! www.justgiving.com/page/georgia...

Marwell 10K 2026: Race to Protect Wildlife

Help Georgia Witton-Maclean raise money to support Marwell Wildlife

justgiving.com

New #paleoart for #FossilFriday: Baryonyx walkeri portrait factoring new epidermal correlate data gathered for an ongoing project. "Yes" to lips, "no" to a cornified sheath on the nasal crest, "yes" to a boss and scale above the eyes. More details at my Patreon: www.patreon.com/markwitton

Hey, look: the cover of my next book has been revealed. Looks like it'll be out next March. Details: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

For #FossilFriday, here's some 2019 #paleoart of Deinonychus subduing a juvenile Sauroposeidon using the Raptor Prey Restraint (RPR) model of dromaeosaur predation: grabbing prey with taloned feet, pinning it down with its body weight, and then eating it alive. Just like modern raptors, then.

This #paleoart of #Pteranodon standing on a wave-crashed rock seems to be a favourite for some, judging by steady print sales over the last 10 years. I recall it coming together quickly, probably because I did it for my own enjoyment and fully engaged with my impulses towards romantic art.

Over at #Patreon, I've been discussing my latest #specevo #dinosaur piece for my upcoming book. Meet Thalassoraptor maximus: non-bird dinosaurs have finally made it into the oceans! About time, guys, sheesh. Lots more detail at www.patreon.com/markwitton/p....

My review of The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Plants is now up at Palaeontologica Electronica. Approaching it wanting to know more about Mesozoic plants for my #paleoart, the reconstruction-heavy format is welcome, but many aspects could be improved. palaeo-electronica.org/content/?vie...

Review: The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Plants

paleontology, palaeontology, dinosaurs, Palaeontologia Electronica, Palaeontologica Electronica, Paleontologia Electronica, Paleontologica Electronica

palaeo-electronica.org

@davehone.bsky.social asked me a question about my comments on Pteranodon from my 2013 book "Pterosaurs", which brought me face to face with my #paleoart from that era. Here's my Pteranodon sensu 2011, vs. Pteranodon 2025, for my next book. The difference? Lots of practise. #FossilFriday

Ok, time for a thread about what I saw yesterday at #CrystalPalace. As you can see, just about everything has been repaired and re-painted, and in places (like the previously misidentified Xiphodon) re-positioned. It looks fantastic and you have to check it out, even if you've visited before...

Don't forget that abstract submission for SVPCA 2026 closes on Sunday 16th of August (i.e. in two days time!). Details about the conference, abstract submission etc. are here: www.geocollections.org/events/199-s...

Another very busy week and manic #FossilFriday, so here's a drive-by new #paleoart post of Middle Jurassic British organisms: the (very poorly known) possible dryosaurid Callovosaurus, two bennettitaleans (Williamsonia and Williamsoniella), plus bonus Cladophlebis ferns. #sciart #fossils #dinosaurs

These are always really interesting and fun to attend, I hope to see some of you there! Please spread the word to those who might be interested.

Chris Manias@chrismanias.bsky.social · 2mo ago

On Thursday 3 September, at King's College London, we'll have a panel discussion entitled "Deep Time Cultures, Current Crises," thinking about how art & culture around deep time can (and can’t) help us engage with the current world Full info: shorturl.at/ufxe2 & sign-up link: shorturl.at/CklAN

It's #WorldLionDay, so here's some #paleoart of cave lions, Panthera spelaea, from my upcoming book, "The Colors of Dinosaurs and the Prehistoric World". P. spelaea is among the Ice Age megafauna we have colour data for, although it's not easy to interpret. press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

For me key points are: - We should better fund our museums to allow them to acquire & display such collections - We should consider are we happy to allow collections of this significance to leave the country (we wouldn’t if it was a Turner).

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2mo ago

One of UK’s best fossil collections sold overseas in ‘loss to the nation’

Locked in Time is an excellent book. Gonna have to look for the others on this list. King Tyrant by @markwitton.bsky.social is also an excellent dive into T. rex history and science.

Arloween 🎃@feraldactal.bsky.social · 2mo ago

• Dinosaur Behavior - Michael J Benton • Locked in Time - Dean Lomax • The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs - Steve Brusatte • DK Smithsonian Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life Okay happy learning 🦖🦕

For #FossilFriday, a fashionably late post of my Musango matusadonaensis #paleoart, the first depiction of this newly-named Zimbabwean sauropodomorph. Commissioned by @profpaulbarrett.bsky.social of @nhm-london.bsky.social, Musango is known from just enough of a skeleton to attempt a reconstruction.

Just added prints of my new coloured Styracosaurus artwork to my web store! If your life needs more elaborate neck frills, grab one from here: www.markwitton.co.uk/product-page.... (And if that's not to your fancy, there's over 140 other #paleoart pieces to choose from.)

Styracosaurus albertensis in (full) colour (2026) | MarkWittonPalaeoart

Uncropped print on 312gsm smooth fine art paper.

markwitton.co.uk

Just submitted a review of the Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Plants. Short version: a book heavy on plant reconstructions is a great idea (and potential #paleoart reference), but it's let down by formatting issues and problematic plant recons. Thanks to @palaeojules.bsky.social for discussion.

I've recently posted new #paleoart and essays at #Patreon: a coloured version of my b+w Styracosaurus (shown here), a #specevo #pterosaur, and observations on whether the jaw fossils of Baryonyx suggest spinosaurids had lips. Check this out at www.patreon.com/markwitton.

I've spent far too long agonising over this.

@hannahcole04.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Do humans and birds share an eye for design? 🐦🎨 For my Master's diss, I’m testing if we share aesthetic tastes with bowerbirds. I need 100 responses to finish! Visual, anonymous & under 5 mins. Link: exe.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... 🧪 cc: @scienseed.com #AcademicSky #SciComm

Seeking feedback on this image of Neanderthals chatting. Any comments or feedback on their appearance or expressions, positive or negative?

Laying out my #DinoCon #paleoart display to check everything looks OK... I seem to have printed an illustrated essay. Bring your reading glasses, folks.

Am happy to say that #SVPCA 2026 >is< happening: a one-day event, 10th September, at the Uni. of Southampton. Registration opens very soon so, if you're on the SVPCA mailing list or FB group, expect details imminently. I'll post links etc. here too. For now, here's the shiny new conference logo...

By criminy, it looks like I've got another book to proofread.

Protoceratops hellenikorhinus sits on a dune on another warm #FossilFriday, wondering when the heat will end. At least it looks cool with those snazzy low horns. #Paleoart from 2016 (one of my better pieces from that period, I think).

Heading back early* from the big shindig to celebrate the restoration of Crystal Palace Park and the @cpdinosaurs.bsky.social. I'm proud to have played a part in a huge effort to repair and restore the Dinosaurs... *Stupid trains.

I turn a lot of my #paleoart paintings into silhouettes for book graphics and diagrams. I think they look pretty neat. If you can correctly identify all of these, award yourself an extra big slice of cake after dinner.

#Paleoart for #FossilFriday from 2021: elasmosaurid Albertonectes vanderveldei explores the deep, dark, cool waters of Cretaceous Canada. (Psst: if you also like murky pictures of extinct animals where you can't see anything, all my art is available as prints: www.markwitton.co.uk)

To celebrate the announcement of my #specevo #dinosaur book this #FossilFriday, here's my giant Olymposaurus, a modern-day abelisaur. The proportions were predicted using real abelisaur scaling regimes: that short, upturned face, enormous thigh etc. are expected features of a 13 m abelisaur. #sciart