To the journal nature painting cover

To the journal nature painted cover "ancient flying beasts" recovery www.thebeijingnews.com graphs zhizuoshouji · 2006-12-18 9: 11: 23 · Source: Beijing News 14 December, the journal nature published in the United States New York Museum of natural history and ancient Chinese CAs mengjin spine by Hu Yaoming, Wang Yuan Qing, Wang Xiao Lin and Li Kui written papers to the northeast of China a Mesozoic gliding mammal. " The issue of the nature at the same time as this newspaper columnist, the ancient Institute of paleontology network editor in the spine XING Lida and Chinese Dinosaur NET artist Zhao Chuang cooperation "ancient flying beasts" recovery plans as the cover page. This is the portrait of paleontology recovery plan first landed on the cover of the journal nature, to some extent over foreign artist monopoly China paleontology theme restoration of historical maps. XING Lida draw ancient flying beast head detail drawing. Painter tried to sketch with the beast James Golden Hamster similar patterns. Revised and modified on 5 September 2006, I was informed after Wang Xiao Lin researcher on flying mammal is the official acceptance of the journal nature, will be responsible for drawing the recovery plan. Prior to this, I have given the ancient spine teachers do many recovery, but repeated shocks "nature", "Science" both top-level scientific magazine cover pages are not successful. The chance again, I naturally tempted. My thesis first author contact mengjin, understand the explanation of the flying beasts, and drawing from photos, profile information and resilience of sketch. Subsequently and Zhao Chuang start drawing recovery plan of cooperation. To recover in the first step is drawing the zoning plan. It is inferred that Xiang beast is most likely nocturnal animals. So we should take in the evening time. At the same time, the outline of the beast also James roughly forming:long 12-14cm, square head, long tail, the hind legs are skin membrane. But our first batch of zoning plan has revealed many drawbacks, such as the shape of the extremities, skin film too progress dimension shape obviously wrong, and so on. After communication with the repeated mengjin, we make multiple changes to the draft plan, finally determine ideal composition. The final composition have two flying beasts, so you can show from the two sides of a beast all Xiang distinct features: including their very special tooth form in the mouth, shut up-time of different forms, movement and shape of the limb at rest, the surface of the leather flared and the specific shape and animal front and rear of the essential outlines. Composition is complete we start drawing sketches. Excellent recovery plan is the key to accurate animal body proportion, detail-rich, in order to make the image of the beast James as accurate as possible, Zhao Chuang by Xiang beast bones measurement data outline diagram drawn scale, I draw the beast head detail sketch Xiang. In this key, we constantly hear mengjin professional opinions: Xiang beast is a special kind of carnivorous animals, canines, mandibular joint Department of the darker, distinguishes it from other Mesozoic mammals, close to the carnivorous bat mandibular class. Give up recovery drawn pattern figure last phase is the paint. We have to determine the overall tone of the screen. Although flying beasts mainly in the evening activities, but we do not want to portray the sunset scene directly, it is just when nightfall. Plus we take into account and the red and yellow sunset scene compared to the dark screen more conducive to the magazine cover, so the eventual recovery of background processing into deep blue, the sky with stars, leaving only dad standing a Ember, a slight Orange from the reader's direction into the picture, the flying beasts. Figure two flying beasts of paint are more smoothly. Flyingbeasts is the first one with the hair of mammals. In General, the more primitive mammals, hair patterns more monotone, and a progressive type pattern will be more specialized. Therefore, we only flying animal hair tone pattern made simple. In this procedure, we have thought about for flying beasts with such as honey bag wu or Golden rat-like beautiful patterns. But after several attempts, we gave up this idea. Because we found patterns disrupted screen tones, but also undermines the picture-in-the outline and structure for the animals, so that the picture looks. Finally, we are only lightly in its back and tail made some simple decoration. Finally, the big beast co-star, supply Xiang climb a tree on stage. Mengjin recommendations drawn as loose or Ginkgo. Our first trial of the pine trees. But the tree bark too rough, the destruction of the screen, and screen of pine needles also looked very discordant. So we decided to change into a Ginkgo biloba. But the picture of Ginkgo has been criticized. Mengjin in final letter to ask for correction of Ginkgo biloba, because Jurassic of Ginkgo biloba have multiple cracks, Palm-shaped, and is now a fan of Ginkgo biloba are completely different. Long wait after completion of the release is a long wait, original papers may be expected mengjin on October 18-21 North America ancient vertebrates school year will be the weekly meeting. But on the magazine cover, paper is pressed down, onto a 14 December. Fortunately, the hard work efforts, picture finally got on the cover, and received high praise. Now to see this recovery plan, or feel that there are inadequate, the picture still has many amendments and supplementary details. Zhao Chuang said: "I feel really guilty in this honor, I was just an innocent child to follow all guidelines, follow in the footsteps of people stumbled down. " We hope that their immature painting can grow slowly, as the development of China's paleontology and paleontological knowledge can do. □ XING Lida (Chief Editor of our China paleontology network columnist)