Welcome to the sixth annual Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs holiday gift guide! This is always a lot of fun to put together, a true labor of love. As ever, we choose books, art, clothing, and other items that strike our fancy, feature copious independent artists and creators, and never take any money or other considerations in exchange for inclusion in the guide. So now that you feel warm and fuzzy about this whole enterprise, we shall commence.
Books
Abby Howard’s Mammal Takeover
The trilogy is complete. After Abby Howard brought us Ocean Renegades and Dinosaur Empire, it’s time for the Mammal Takeover. What exactly did the dinosaurs get up to after the devastation of the Chicxulub impact? Abby’s wonderful comic approach will fill you in. Check out where you can buy it at Abrams Books.
The World of Dinosaurs: An Illustrated Tour by Mark Norell
Norell’s latest gives readers a primer on the history of paleontology and then shifts gear to focus on a roster of iconic taxa from different clades of dinosaurs. Visit University of Chicago books for purchasing information.
Dinosaurs Rediscovered by Michael Benton
Benton’s Dinosaurs Rediscovered takes the approach of telling the story of dinosaurs and our modern understanding of them by exploring the history of paleontology. Visit Thames and Hudson for purchasing information.
A Brief History of Life on Earth by Clémence Dupont
You may remember this one from June’s This Mesozoic Month post, when I featured Dupont’s Triassic period spread as my moment of paleoart zen. It’s great for all ages, with fun color palettes and a willingness to feature the oddballs and less popular animals of the prehistoric world. Find purchasing options from Penguin Random House.
Thunder Lizard by Steve White
Steve White has a new book compiling much of his paleoart, and it looks pretty scrumptious. He recently tweeted about how to place an order. If you aren’t a Twitterer, please visit Steve’s website.
Art
Zhenyuanlong by Jed Taylor
Jed Taylor has been pumping out wonderful paleoart of (mostly) feathered dinosaurs for years now, and a nice selection of them are available in his shop. I really love this Zhenyuanlong, and you can buy it at Redbubble.
The Dinosaur is in Captivity and No Longer Extinct by Mary Sanche
Mary Sanche can do so many styles so well, even medieval tapestries! This 5 x 7″ print is so cool! Buy it here!
Nocturnal Sea’s Trilobites
While searching for new-to-me artists to feature here, I was charmed by the colorful trilobite art of Nocturnal Sea. They are available at Redbubble.
Protoceratops Sentry by Kees
I love the choice to not show the face of this Protoceratops, suggesting a larger story at play in ancient Mongolia. Buy it at Redbubble.
Toony Dinosaurs by Stieven van der Poorten
Pick up this Cretaceous fisherman at Redbubble, where Stieven has several more paleoart pieces for sale.
Aimee Jane Hacker’s Brachiosaurus Lagoon
Artist and paleontology educator Aimee Jane Hacker has designed a poster that twists my favorite Jurassic Park scene in a fun and colorful way. Originals in a few different colors are available at Etsy.
Plateosaurus portrait by Bálint Benke
Plateosaurus is one of those dinosaurs that doesn’t get a ton of love – except among discerning aficionados of Mesozoica. This delightful portrait by Bálint Benke is available at his DeviantArt shop.
Ceratosaurus linocut by Melody Brooke Safkin
Linocut is a terrific medium for expressing the primal forms of fossils, as in this Ceratosaurus skull print by artist Melody Brooke Safkin, available on a variety of colors. Pick yours out here.
Brontësaurus by Natee Himmapaan
Our own Natee’s mashups of history, literature, and paleontology are a constant source of delight, and their Redbubble shop has many pieces that have been well-loved on social media. Brontësaurus here is a perfect example (and the rate at which it is swiped by content scraper accounts is testament to its charm). Purchase it here.
Wearables
Jurassic Portal t-shirt dress by Sharon Wegner-Larsen
Brachiosaurs discover the multi-verse: design by Sharon Wegner-Larsen transcends the usual boundaries of paleoart. Buy it from her Omegafauna Redbubble shop, where it’s also available on a number of different products and a green and purple colorway.
Anzu wylei by Sean Closson
I love Sean Closson’s bold and colorful dinosaurs, and his Anzu, rendered in subtle earth tones, is just wonderful. It’s available on a variety of t-shirt styles in Sean’s TeePublic shop.
Rainbow Caihong by Elevenels
With its iridescent feathers, Caihong juji has been quite inspirational for paleoartists. Alex, aka Elevenels, took the opportunity to add to her growing roster of feathered dinosaur pints with a pride flag twist. Pick one up at Etsy.
Convergent Evolution Pins by Kory Bing
Kory Bing’s giddiness in the face of prehistory is readily apparent, and she’s not afraid to get really nerdy with it. Case in point: her awesome convergent evolution pins, highlighting bat, bird, and pterosaur wings. And they glow! Buy them here!
Parasaurolophus skeleton hoodie by Permia
Permia’s Bonebed collection of hoodies, featuring art derived from Scott Hartman skeltals, will keep you warm in style. I love the Parasaurolophus but they’ve got a bunch more to choose from!
3D Fossil Pins by Greer Stothers
Greer Stothers has created a sweet new line of enamel pins which combine feathered dinosaur fossils with saintly, stained glass-inspired imagery. Buy them from her Story Envy shop.
The Dragon Within by Chris DiPiazza
In a bit of a departure from his watercolor paleoart, Chris DiPiazza designed a really cool line of t-shirts featuring prehistoric animals paired with supernatural monsters they are associated with. Here you see an awesome pairing of a dragon with Dracorex. Buy it from his Zazzle store, and browse the other items in the line as well.
The Flower Dance tee by Raven Amos
Parksosaurus is another of those dinosaurs that doesn’t get a ton of play in the media, but here Raven Amos has lavished it with attention, surrounding it with exhaustively researched paleobotanical detail. It’s available in a wide variety of products, such as this fetching tee. Pick it up at Redbubble.
Other Gifty Stuff
The Featherlution mug by Angela Connor
Artist Angela Connor has designed the perfect mug for the hardcore bird evolution nerd in your life, featuring five stages along the path of feather evolution. Buy it in her Redbubble shop.
Joe Raffe’s cute lil’ Carnotaurus skeleton
Joe Raffe’s Gold Fossil shop is stocked with cute representations of historical figures and prehistoric animals. He’s designed a collection of adorable skeleton stickers, including my favorite, this Carnotaurus. Buy it at Redbubble.
Embroidered Archaeopteryx Patch by Rebecca Groom
Rebecca Groom’s Palaeoplushies are quite well-known in the paleoart community; the speed at which her limited edition plushes sell out is evidence of her high reputation. But if you miss out on those, you can take advantage of her other awesome items, like this lovely Archaeopteryx patch. Buy it here.
Woodinos
For a bit of a fancier treat, perfect for a dinosaur lover with a taste for minimal decor, check out the lovely work of Woodinos. Buy your own here.
Beasts of the Mesozoic Ceratopsians
As you hopefully have heard, the second Beasts of the Mesozoic line, focusing on our beloved horned titans, was a big success. The Kickstarter may be over, but you still have time to grab one or several. Preorder at Backerkit until December 4.
Orogenic Industries Etsy
This year I rebooted my paleo-centric Etsy shop, stocked with fun stickers, pins, and handmade prints. It’s also the only place you can currently purchase my prehistoric ABC book, Mammoth is Mopey. For the next month, all orders over $5.00 US get a 20% discount. Head over to Etsy to check it out.
This list is just a small amount of the cool stuff waiting for a place in your dinosaur-smitten friend’s home (or your own). Most of the artists above have much more to browse after you follow the links I provided. And if you’re hungry for more, look back on previous years’ guides to find even more ideas:
Additionally, you can look at my monthly This Mesozoic Month roundups, as each features two cool products in the “Empty Wallets Club” section. Poke around those and you’re sure to find more wonderful ideas.
Thanks for checking out this year’s gift guide! If you like what we do and want to help us support and promote independent artists and small businesses, be our hero and make a monthly pledge at Patreon!
1 Comment
Brock
November 22, 2019 at 9:21 amThe link to Natee’s Brontësaurus seems to have gotten mangled.