cmkosemen posts
Posts: 721
Files: 2512
Palaeontologically accurate Indominus from the Jurassic World franchise
Created for generous fans A. and E. - the palaeontologically accurate version of Indominus rex from the 2015 film Jurassic World.The original Indominus was a monstrous genetic hybrid which had, according to the film's official lore:...DNA from Velociraptor, Carnotaurus, Giganotosaurus, Majungasaurus, Rugops, Pycnonemosaurus, Quilmesaurus, Viavenator, Deinosuchus, and Therizinosaurus. There were also the DNA of modern animals such as cuttlefish, tree frog, and a pit viper snake.A potent mix indeed! When Jurassic World first came out, I had a...
Turning a pet frog into a Lovecraftian deity
Generous patron B. G. came to me with a great commission; to turn her boyfriend's "chud son named Jabba, an African bull frog" into a wise, strange, alien deity.My process with this commission proceeded as before. First, I drew some very loose sketches of Jabba in ink to better get a handle on his form, and to explore how I could transform him.The sketches eventually grew more detailed and complex. I liked the idea of giving it four arms, and a loosely humanoid bodyplan.There's a real joy to making these loose, fast, colourful s...
"Ex-Voto for a Broken Leg"
Acrylics on cardboard, 22 cm. high.Don't worry, my leg is OK!
"Sutherlandian Demon"
Charcoal, watercolour and other media on cotton art paper, 20 cm. high.The title is a reference to Graham Sutherland (1903-1980) - one of my artistic idols.
"The Night Piper"
Better heard than seen!Acrylic ink on art paper, 42 cm. high.Thank you all for your support on Patreon, and beyond!
The "Jersey Devil" as a realistic animal
Created for generous patron E. S. - a depiction of the famous "Jersey Devil" cryptid as a winged artiodactyl.This was a very welcome commission - the original illustration depicting this beast was living rent-free in my brain since I first saw it in one of Karl Shuker's books as a child...I used the classic image as the basis of my initial study. I imagined the Jersey Devil as a flying artiodactyl, with pterosaur-like wings supported by cartilaginous struts.I referenced hammerhead bats - Hypsignathus monstrosus, and gerenuk antelope...
"Ultimate Gamer" posthuman
Generous patron A. had a very interesting commission - a spec-evo caricature of a friend as a posthuman adapted exclusively for a life spent gaming and drinking diet coke.This gave me a chance to pay homage to one of my favorite artists - Basil Wolverton (1908-1978), known for his bizarre and grotesque caricature portraits.I started my process with sketches of the person this creature was meant to lampoon, as well as a detailed anatomical study.The concept was approved, and I drew up my detailed rendition.Once again, I drew the hands and the fa...
"Wheeled Floater"
Charcoal, watercolour and other media on cotton art paper, 20 cm. wide.Really enjoying this mixed media technique! Everything melts into the paper while staying crisp and vibrant.
A therianthropic "persona" character
Created for generous patron D.S., an animal-like form of their "original character" persona.Like previous commissions, this character started out as a number of sketches based on my patron's initial art. Images of mummified foxes were a strong inspiration.We chose the final sketch, and I created an ink rendition.I drew the head separately and in a larger format to better illustrate its intricate, interlocking teeth. Note how the tongue was drawn separately and "installed" later as a different layer.Final, composite form.Fina...
Livestream painting
I created this mixed-media painting while live-streaming on the 14th of September, 2025. Charcoal, watercolours, pencil on Khadi cotton art paper, 15 cm. wide.Thank you all for your support on Patreon, and beyond!
"Ravennoid Figure"
Charcoal and watercolour on art paper, 20 cm. high.This painting is free to view - but I'd really appreciate if you subscribed.Even a dollar a month makes a huge difference!Thank you all for your support on Patreon, and beyond! :)
Fox infested with an alien brain parasite
A short and mysterious commission for generous donor J."Just a regular red fox with an extra tendril extending from between his ears shaped like a red rose... And instead of pupils a starry field for eyes."I think the stalk-tendril was inspired by Cordyceps, the famous "zombie ant fungus"; and the detail for the eyes was inspired by degenerative ocular conditions such as asteroid hyalosis or synchysis scintillans.I started by creating a collage from various photos, and drawing over it.I used this collage as the basis of my drawi...
A Demon's Palanquin
Another concept created for the "In the Liminality" game project, commissioned by my generous patron S. A.This was a commission for a giant palanquin built to carry one of the chief antagonist demon figures in the game.Palanquins are these box-shaped litters carried by servants historic India and the East. The commission consisted of a design for the palanquin - as well as the creatures that were supposed to carry it. Here are my initial sketches for the palanquin:We combined details from the first two sketches to create a final composi...
"Rotifer Sunset"
Surreal painting, oil on small canvas board,20 cm. wide.Inspired by bdelloid rotifers - strange microscopic animals which look like this:Thank you all for your support on Patreon, and beyond!
A singing, alien plant
My rendition of the mysterious, singing "Llano Vibra" plants from Robert Reed's "Great Ship" universe - created for generous patron J. M.These plants are not explicitly described - we know from the stories that they can learn songs, listen to commands, and can grow individually, or "in meadows". Here is a passage that describes them:Every llano-vibra was descended from that single specimen, and because it was an alien to that world, and because there were no explanations about how it was planted there in the first pl...
Audio file and presentations for the "Tanysauria Deep Dive" podcast
Check attachments - and enjoy!
All Tomorrows "Author" creature repaint in old saliva painting style
Created for a private supporter, with the signature "saliva painting" technique I had used for the original All Tomorrows. After 20 years, it's nice to see that I still got the good old saliva magic!I noticed that I don't fret over non-focal details as much as I used to; and textures, postures, and background details now have a more natural way of just... flowing.Thanks for all your support on Patreon, and beyond! If you want bespoke All Tomorrows art like this one, all you have to do is ask!
Attempts to illustrate "music"
When younger, at certain moments was dealing with extreme fever, I used to hear strange "dream music" when the illness was having its way with me. A few years ago, I tried to capture that feeling while messing around with paint.Right after this, I made a few surreal sketches, incorporating a "melody of colours" into the bodies of creatures. Here is one.I then tried to go completely abstract, and tried to illustrate a certain melody without any hints of figures in my art.Obviously, none of these works are my best, but I just want...
Nophtha proditor - entomology illustration
Commissioned illustration of Nophtha proditor - discovered and described in part by my good online friend Niko Kasalo; who generously named a new species - Naskreckiana kosemeni - after me in 2023.Nophtha proditor is a grasshopper nearly the size of a flea. What a marvel of adaptation!This picture started with photos of the specimen Niko sent me.I printed and studied these diagrams, and using them drew a basic outline of the critter.Trying to chisel details out of the nearly homogenous, wart-like texture of the grasshopper was really fun! Next,...
Eustreptospondylus
Legacy palaeoart, pencils and watercolours on art paper, 50 cm. wide.
Chilesaurus
Legacy palaeoart, pencils and watercolours on art paper, 50 cm. wide.
Fona herzogae
Legacy palaeoart, pencils and watercolours on art paper, 50 cm. wide.
Tanycolagreus
Legacy palaeoart, pencils and watercolours on art paper, 50 cm. wide.Do let me know if you want to purchase this painting!
Grasshopper-langur in colour and other bio-collages
An intuitive, silly photobash for your eyes only!I've created numerous photobash experiments like this before - they look very cool but there's really no science behind them. Just match animals that seem close "in spirit" somehow, and have fun! Here are a few:
A treasure trove of my art at Exeter Dinocon, 2025
This week I am a little slow on new posts and art - because I was away at the Dinocon expo in Exeter, UK, between 16-17 August, 2025. I will get back to my studio soon, and will resume sharing cool new stuff with you.In the meantime, thanks to everyone who visited me at Dinocon! It was really nice to meet so many fans - and Patreon supporters - during that cool event!
A titanic relative of Rhamphorhynchus
A personal spec-evo concept, a giant descendant of Rhamphorhynchus-grade "primitive" pterosaurs which somehow evolved to be as big as the famous Quetzalcoatlus.To put things very simply, there are two main lineages of pterosaurs. Rhamphorhynchus, with its teeth, long tail, and short wings, belongs to the "Rhamphorhyncoid" branch.Big, "advanced" pterosaurs like Quetzalcoatlus, on the other hand, hail from a way more derived lineage of tailless, long-necked, beaked "Pterodactyloids" or "Monofenestratans".Th...
Portrait of a patron's dog as a medieval demon
Created for generous patron J. - a beloved pet dog turned into a medieval demon with eyes all over.The overall look was inspired by these old depictions of demons - with unnatural eyes, faces, and claws all over their bodies. I created the initial sketch with rough pencils - which by itself looked really cool. It was approved almost immediately, and I moved on to the final drawing. Final raw drawing based on the sketch above. Final line-art composition. The tail had a smaller "face", which I shrank and blended in. Screentones added in. ...
A symmetrical rhino-like alien
Another commission for the generous J. M., from Robert Reed's Great Ship universe, the depiction of a bulky, rhino-like alien with a curious "twin ended" symmetry. Here is how it was described in the story:The alien’s body was also its head -- a cylindrical affair, without a preferred front or back. The upper half of the head was littered with milky white eyes that looked everywhere. One mouth was between the front arms, the other mouth in the rear. The rectum was in the belly region, a tidy pile of wastes still warm on the ground...
HUGE compendium of natural anomalies and weird organisms
The "biological forteana" archive I have been curating for 20+ years - a big selection of strange natural deformities, vagaries of evolution, cladograms, illustrations, and more. Fuel for your spec-evo projects - or just cool stuff to share and gawk at! Some are very weird but all are tastefully curated - no gross stuff!
ANON: a pseudo-humanoid demonic entity
Created for generous patron S.C.- who always commissions the most delightful sort of liminal entities. This commission started out as a vision of "chaotic humanoids with grey skin and sunglasses". After sharing this sketch - my patron & I reviewed the concept and refined the face - I'd forgotten that the entire face was meant to be a mask.This last rendition then formed the basis of the final drawing.I once again employed the trick where a larger drawing of the face, then shrunk and composited, allowed me to capture more natural det...
