Here’s a sketch of a new Saurus. I’ve recently gotten into kayaking. I injured my hip last year, and have been unable to get up on a surfboard, so I needed another activity that involed getting out in the water. I’m amazed at how many people are kayaking — probably, because it’s relatively easy to get started. It doesn’t take years and years of practice to have an enjoyable experience. I live three blocks from the Navesink River, and less than a mile from the Shrewsbury River. Both empty into the Atlantic Ocean to the east. about three miles from my home. To west, the rivers are fed by tidal estuaries , which are habitats for herons and other amazing birds. I try to get out there several times a week in the warmer weather. So I guess that makes me a Kayakasaurus.
Inked Drawing And Color Study
A new Saurus for a new millennium — sounds a bit too dramatic, but it’s been some time since I drew one of these guys. I’ve still got some work to do on the definition, but I’m happy with the drawing.
And A Little Further…
The printer didn’t seem necessary, but I felt a desk and chair might bring all the elements together. Wow, this was way easier when I didn’t really think too hard about what I was doing — I just drew the first thing that popped into my head, and that was usually the design we went with.
Sketch
Here’s a first shot at a 2006 version of the Computasaurus. My biggest problem: what should be on the screen? Second: the definition. The old one was rather simplistic. So send me some feedback as to what it is people generally do with their computers.
The Modern Saurus
The final push to make a new Saurus actually came from my father. A few weeks ago, he sent me his version of a modernized Computasaurus. He’s been learning Photoshop and used it to insert a new monitor and keyboard. I thought it was a great choice of color and I was finally moved to update the old classic.
Going Through The Archives
After some digging, we found an old stat of the original Computasaurus. Penned around February 1986, this was the drawing that started it all. A phone call from a friend who was struggling to learn DOS on an IBM personal computer inspired this sketch. It was done with one single drawing, there were no studies or alternate poses. It just appeared.
That Went Well (What Went Well?)
This site was originally posted on Blogger.com as bloggerasaurus.blogspot.com and up until recently, it was very easy to import a blog from Blogger into a new WordPress blog (which is what I’m using. Unfortunately, I have to import all my posts manually and have no way of preserving the dates of the posts or eveyone’s comments. So for the record, this blog was actually begun in November of 2006, but it will appear to have started February 2007.
Saurus Returns
Many people have asked me over the years if I would ever revive the “Sauruses” or “Saurus Gang”. They’ve cited many reasons to re-launch the once ubiquitous reptile, such as nostalgia. Many 80’s icons are very popular now. While one in 10 Americans owned something with a Saurus on it back in the late 80’s, I wondered if today’s public would be interested in something created in 1986. Others suggested that two decades later, there are many new Sauruses to be drawn that didn’t exist years ago.
Lately we’ve been getting quite a few emails at Talking Tops from people asking if we still made Saurus T-shirts or coffee mugs, etc. So I thought it might be fun to draw a few new characters, and dig out a few old ones.
We have quite an archive of Saurus materials at Talking Tops. Beyond the expected original art that I penned 20 years ago, is examples of Macy’s ads, Hallmark products, unpublished comic art, and prototypes of many products that were never made. My favorite proposal was the toilet paper holder for the Philippines.
So I’ll be posting a few original 1986-89 Saurus drawings, as well as some new sketches. I’d be interested in any feedback and suggestions; what sort of Saurus would roam the Earth today? I’ve been thinking about cellphonasaurus a lot lately, but surely there’s many other activities that didn’t exist in the late 80’s… including blogging. Computasaurus was the first Saurus I came up with back in February ’86. Maybe I should begin with Computasaurus in 06.