Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
@paleobyliam.bsky.social
Chicago-based paleoartist. He/him. Email for commissions/inquiries at [email protected]
Pinned
I'm Liam Elward, paleoartist looking for work in scientific illustration & paleontology. Specializing in detailed, well-researched digital paintings of extinct & extant organisms.
portfolio: www.artstation.com/prehistoryby...
email: [email protected]
#paleoart
portfolio: www.artstation.com/prehistoryby...
email: [email protected]
#paleoart
One interesting thing you often see scales do is becoming "banded" or forming ring-like formations down the tail. It's present in countless lizards, and pretty clearly visible in crocodilians.
November 12, 2025 at 4:52 PM
One interesting thing you often see scales do is becoming "banded" or forming ring-like formations down the tail. It's present in countless lizards, and pretty clearly visible in crocodilians.
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
I’m just going to say it straight away - the amount of stairs and small steps, and confusing layout makes the ICC an absolute disaster in terms of accessibility. Looking forward to muscle pain at the end of the conference #2025SVP !
November 12, 2025 at 7:56 AM
I’m just going to say it straight away - the amount of stairs and small steps, and confusing layout makes the ICC an absolute disaster in terms of accessibility. Looking forward to muscle pain at the end of the conference #2025SVP !
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
And that's the end of that chapter. What a great success: the SVP Palaeoart Workshop.
November 11, 2025 at 6:27 PM
And that's the end of that chapter. What a great success: the SVP Palaeoart Workshop.
November 12, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
#2025SVP travel advice: as soon as you get to your hotel room find the ironing board and iron and iron all your shirts and suit jacket, if you plan on dressing to impress. Hang everything up in the hotel closet and it will stay wrinkle free until you need it. Then go and hang out (or nap)
November 8, 2025 at 8:52 PM
#2025SVP travel advice: as soon as you get to your hotel room find the ironing board and iron and iron all your shirts and suit jacket, if you plan on dressing to impress. Hang everything up in the hotel closet and it will stay wrinkle free until you need it. Then go and hang out (or nap)
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
salt marsh
A tribute to a small patch of vegetation on a local beach that has driven everyone completely insane
A tribute to a small patch of vegetation on a local beach that has driven everyone completely insane
November 3, 2025 at 10:00 AM
salt marsh
A tribute to a small patch of vegetation on a local beach that has driven everyone completely insane
A tribute to a small patch of vegetation on a local beach that has driven everyone completely insane
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
I’ve been working on some commissions involving Jurassic frogs, salamanders & turtles, so I practiced with a quick portrait study of an indeterminate turtle. I LOVE turtles and it’s always a treat to see them basking, a rare experience in my home of Chicago. #sciart
November 1, 2025 at 8:37 PM
I’ve been working on some commissions involving Jurassic frogs, salamanders & turtles, so I practiced with a quick portrait study of an indeterminate turtle. I LOVE turtles and it’s always a treat to see them basking, a rare experience in my home of Chicago. #sciart
#Temnovember a study of the Jurassic temnospondyl Sinobrachyops, which lived alongside mamenchisaurs. Smaller than I picture temnos! Partly inspired by the work of cqin & Emily Stepp. Larva is speculative & not to scale
November 1, 2025 at 6:18 PM
#Temnovember a study of the Jurassic temnospondyl Sinobrachyops, which lived alongside mamenchisaurs. Smaller than I picture temnos! Partly inspired by the work of cqin & Emily Stepp. Larva is speculative & not to scale
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
After an incredibly long gestation period, I have a new paper out reviewing all the data and evidence we have on the pterosaurian uropatagium. Full link to the paper is in the blogpost linked below:
archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2025/09/16/t...
archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2025/09/16/t...
September 16, 2025 at 6:52 AM
After an incredibly long gestation period, I have a new paper out reviewing all the data and evidence we have on the pterosaurian uropatagium. Full link to the paper is in the blogpost linked below:
archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2025/09/16/t...
archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/2025/09/16/t...
It's one thing to ask how different species might interact with one another (for example with multiple large predators in places like Kem Kem) but "Who Would Win?" is the worst question in paleo lol. So stupid. Especially with animals separated by millions of years
October 26, 2025 at 8:26 PM
It's one thing to ask how different species might interact with one another (for example with multiple large predators in places like Kem Kem) but "Who Would Win?" is the worst question in paleo lol. So stupid. Especially with animals separated by millions of years
A Shringasaurus enjoys the warm sun on its back while relaxing at a river.
Digital animated painting by Peter Nickolaus, 2025.
Digital animated painting by Peter Nickolaus, 2025.
October 26, 2025 at 7:59 PM
To clear up any confusion wrt that viral pic of the Edmontosaurus mummy, the end of the snout is a cast that @tylerkeillor.bsky.social made (and I painted) to help visitors, the press etc understand what they're looking at. Last pic shows what is actually preserved in the fossil
#paleontology
#paleontology
October 26, 2025 at 7:57 PM
To clear up any confusion wrt that viral pic of the Edmontosaurus mummy, the end of the snout is a cast that @tylerkeillor.bsky.social made (and I painted) to help visitors, the press etc understand what they're looking at. Last pic shows what is actually preserved in the fossil
#paleontology
#paleontology
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
Check out this timelapse I made while giving an Edmontosaurus a pedicure!
One small part of the story out today in Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
One small part of the story out today in Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
October 23, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Check out this timelapse I made while giving an Edmontosaurus a pedicure!
One small part of the story out today in Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
One small part of the story out today in Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Definitely recommend following this account if you're interested in #sciart, #paleoart, #paleontology or #naturalhistory in general
October 22, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Definitely recommend following this account if you're interested in #sciart, #paleoart, #paleontology or #naturalhistory in general
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
A portrait sketch a portrait of Diplodocus hallorum based on the skeletal mount at the NMNH. As pointed out by Tess Gallagher, studies like this are a good reminder of how bizarre sauropods probably looked at certain angles.
#paleoart
#paleoart
October 20, 2025 at 8:28 PM
A portrait sketch a portrait of Diplodocus hallorum based on the skeletal mount at the NMNH. As pointed out by Tess Gallagher, studies like this are a good reminder of how bizarre sauropods probably looked at certain angles.
#paleoart
#paleoart
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
And what scientists did ? Well we do have a rule that if different names are given to a single taxon, the oldest has the priority, so in many cases the whole plant is known by the first given name and we kept the others to refer to specific body parts, like Lepidostrobus are Lepidodendron's cones.
October 19, 2025 at 8:25 AM
And what scientists did ? Well we do have a rule that if different names are given to a single taxon, the oldest has the priority, so in many cases the whole plant is known by the first given name and we kept the others to refer to specific body parts, like Lepidostrobus are Lepidodendron's cones.
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
So, during the history of paleobotany, numerous names were given to fossil remains, but it appeared at one point that different fossils were just different parts of the same organism, with a name for the leaves, one for the stem, another for the roots/rhizome, making them morphogenera/morphospecies.
October 19, 2025 at 8:25 AM
So, during the history of paleobotany, numerous names were given to fossil remains, but it appeared at one point that different fossils were just different parts of the same organism, with a name for the leaves, one for the stem, another for the roots/rhizome, making them morphogenera/morphospecies.
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
Naming plant fossils has historically been really different to naming animals. Due how much plants can break appart, they are frequently found in different pieces, and important detail : not all of these pieces are connected when you discover them.
October 19, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Naming plant fossils has historically been really different to naming animals. Due how much plants can break appart, they are frequently found in different pieces, and important detail : not all of these pieces are connected when you discover them.
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
#paleoctober2025 day 19 : Asterophyllites equisetiformis !
Fossil leaves such as these are super abundant in Europe during the Carboniferous and belonged to horsetails relatives that could reach tree-like sizes
And this time, I'm gonna talk a bit more about paleobotany so if you want, read below !⬇️
Fossil leaves such as these are super abundant in Europe during the Carboniferous and belonged to horsetails relatives that could reach tree-like sizes
And this time, I'm gonna talk a bit more about paleobotany so if you want, read below !⬇️
October 19, 2025 at 8:25 AM
#paleoctober2025 day 19 : Asterophyllites equisetiformis !
Fossil leaves such as these are super abundant in Europe during the Carboniferous and belonged to horsetails relatives that could reach tree-like sizes
And this time, I'm gonna talk a bit more about paleobotany so if you want, read below !⬇️
Fossil leaves such as these are super abundant in Europe during the Carboniferous and belonged to horsetails relatives that could reach tree-like sizes
And this time, I'm gonna talk a bit more about paleobotany so if you want, read below !⬇️
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
Another from early last year of Progura campestris, a pleistocene megapode bird, encountering a monitor lizard. This one was inspired by getting called at by a malleefowl when I accidentally got too close to its nest 😅. #paleoart #palaeoart
October 20, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Another from early last year of Progura campestris, a pleistocene megapode bird, encountering a monitor lizard. This one was inspired by getting called at by a malleefowl when I accidentally got too close to its nest 😅. #paleoart #palaeoart
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
Alamosaurus
October 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Alamosaurus
Reposted by Liam Elward Paleoart 🇵🇸
3rd thread in my Cyonosaurus behind-the-scenes process:
First cast out of the mold here turned out great! Sometimes the first time I fill a new mold, I’m learning how to work with it & it isn't always a useable cast, but no major defects this time. My son gave a hand demolding🙏
First cast out of the mold here turned out great! Sometimes the first time I fill a new mold, I’m learning how to work with it & it isn't always a useable cast, but no major defects this time. My son gave a hand demolding🙏
September 21, 2025 at 9:52 PM
3rd thread in my Cyonosaurus behind-the-scenes process:
First cast out of the mold here turned out great! Sometimes the first time I fill a new mold, I’m learning how to work with it & it isn't always a useable cast, but no major defects this time. My son gave a hand demolding🙏
First cast out of the mold here turned out great! Sometimes the first time I fill a new mold, I’m learning how to work with it & it isn't always a useable cast, but no major defects this time. My son gave a hand demolding🙏