Happy New Year Duck Bill Dinosaur Style!

Happy New Year from the Hadrosaur Saurolophus!

They have help celebrating from a Pteranodon

Did you notice the Volcanic Mesozoic Era fireworks?

Happy New Year T. rex style!

Happy New Year!  T. rex style

...from the State of Utah, USA!

He has a little help partying from Pteranodon and Saltosaurus!

Note the volcanic Mesozoic Era Fireworks.  

...and YES we paleontologists HAVE found a T. rex and other Tyrannosaurs in Utah!

Styracosaurus

NOTE:  The first drawing in this post can be found in printable format by clicking on either of two buttons above:  Paleontology or All Printables.   The recent drawings are always last on the list. 

Styracosaurus feeding on ferns

Styracosaurus was a Ceratopsian dinosaur of the Cretaceous Period.  The name means "Spiked Lizard."  They lived about 70-75 million years ago.  They were a branch on the Ceratopsian Branch of the evolutionary tree.  We do not think they evolved into another type of Ceratopsian dinosaur...they were just replaced by other Ceratopsians...like Triceratops.  Ceratopsians are the horned and frilled dinosaurs.  Styracosaurus had one large nose horn that was about 2 feet or .6  meter long.  They were about 18 feet or 5.5 meters long.  They stood around 6 feet or 2 meters tall.  They weighed up to 3 tons.  They had a beak and shearing teeth for cropping and eating plants.  Probably they were browsers eating shrubs and ferns...maybe even stripping bark off of bushes and trees... ...but they were probably not grazers who eat grass mostly.  However, there was grass during that part of the Cretaceous Period so Ceratopsians may have eaten grass as well.  The above new drawing has a Styracosaurus feeding on ferns near a river.  The below drawing also has it feeding on ferns.  Note the spots on the body and eye spots on the front of the frill.

Stryracosaurs lived in herds in North America and its fossils were found in Alberta Canada.  The Genus name is Styracosaurus and the species name is albertensis.  This type of Ceratopsians probably defended their young with their nose horn and size.  Their 4-5 spikes or horns on their frills were probably defensive adaptations to make it harder for an Albertosaurus to reach around and bite their back or neck.  Albertosaurus was the top predator at the time and in that region of North America.  It is interesting to note that 100 individuals (in fossil form) were found in a bone bed in Arizona.  This supports the theory that Styracosaurus lived in and migrated in herds.

Albertosaurus with leopard pattern

(This drawing was used in a Mother's Day Post)

Those frills, spikes or horns on Styracosaurus also may have been for males to attract females.  . . . as in  "come make babies with me honey, I have the toughest and biggest horns."  Evidence shows that the frills had a lot of blood vessels and may have been able to be pumped with blood for display.  Some paleontologist have suggested that the frill may have been a great place for eye spots.  Eye spots are an adaptation that makes an animal look bigger.  Of course in Styracosaurus' case it would be to make it look even more big.  3 tons is not exactly small.

Triceratops

Styracosaurus lived well before the better known Triceratops.  Also, Styracosaurus was big, but quite a bit smaller than the 30 foot (9 meters) long Triceratops.

Apostle Andrew

The Holy Bible tells us that the Apostle Andrew was one of Jesus' original 12 Apostles.   The name Andrew means manly or Brave or Valor.  The Greek Orthodox Church call  him "The First Called."   He was the first apostle called by Jesus.  Andrew is actually a Greek name.  This may be due to the mixed Gentile and Jewish population in the Galilee region of Israel.  Andrew was the Apostle Peter's younger brother.  They both were fishermen.  In fact, Andrew's fishing partners were Peter, James, and John.  Andrew actually found out about Jesus before his brother Peter did.  Andrew was a follower of John the Baptist and went to find out about Jesus.  Then he went and found his brother Peter and said, "We have found the messiah!"  Andrew was very close to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Only Peter, James, and John were closer to Christ.

The rest of the story of Andrew is from various ancient but non-biblical sources.

The Apostle Andrew kept the command of the Savior and went to many parts of the Roman Empire and brought the Gospel of Christ to many people.  He ran into trouble in the city of Patrus in Achaia. ...part of Edessa area.  The governor of Edessa had Andrew crucified, by tying him to a cross.  When first threatened with the cross it is reported that Andrew said,  "Had I feared the death of the cross I would not have preached the majesty and gloriousness of the cross of Christ."  The governor was angry because Andrew had converted the governor's wife to Christianity.  Andrew was sentenced to the death of crucifixion but he reportedly went joyfully and willingly.  So Andrew was crucified and he hung on the cross and taught the people from the cross for three days.  The people pled for the governor to let him go but Andrew felt that his work was done and he prayed and asked God to take him to be with Jesus.  Andrew then died, that is his spirit left his body and went to be with Jesus Christ.

When Andrew is resurrected...if it has not already happened... Andrew and the other 12 Apostles of Jesus will judge the 12 tribes of Israel.  Personally, I think that they will be working under the direction of the Savior and be in charge of judging everybody at the end of the world.

Apostle Andrew, mending a fishing net

Happy New Year!!!!

Happy New Year to you all!!! I drew Father Time as the old year of 2017 and of course the Baby New Year is 2018.  We all have the chance to use this time of year to try and make changes to improve ourselves.  By the way, the roundish things in the trees are mistletoe.  

Father Time and Baby New Year

So, it has been a very interesting year in the history of our planet and the people thereon.  I know many bad things have happened, but I have seen good people rising up to help others in the face of disasters.  I feel like we all need to take comfort in that showing of kindness.  There are still many good people out there... and among us.  I also like to remember that one day our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will return and bring peace. 

Jesus At His Second Coming

So, when times get tough for you.  .  .  and EVERYONE has tough times in their life... When times get tough you can have one of two approaches:  You can get angry at God, stop believing that he cares about you... and reject Him.   .   . OR you can turn to God and get his help in calming your mind ..maybe making your burdens light...and often in getting divine assistance to deal with your problems.  It could be guidance, it could be direct revelation to YOU to help you deal with your challenges.   You really do have a choice.  Since you are going to have problems either way, why not turn TO God to deal with them?

Battle of the Centaurs

Battle of the Centaurs

(Centaurs Make Trouble at the Wedding of King Pirithous)

There is a well known Greek and Roman legend from Greek Mythology.  It is about the people of Lapithae who made the mistake of inviting Centaurs to the king's wedding.  King Pirithous was getting married to Hippodamia.  The centaurs had never had alcohol before and they quickly got drunk on the wine.  They then tried to carry off the bride and the other women guests at the wedding.  The men of Lapithae naturally fought back.  At least one Lapithean and one centaur were killed.  Eventually the humans won the battle and the centaurs who survived withdrew.  Needless to say the centaurs were not invited to any more weddings.

On a much more serious note, in the real world, many (but not all) people who become alcoholics have a faulty gene that makes them not process alcohol like other people.  The alcohol dumps into their blood stream and goes to their brain without being metabolized.  People with the other type of gene at least partially break down alcohol before in gets to the blood stream.   I guess the centaurs had the faulty gene.

The Parthenon had many  that showed this story of the Battle of the Centaurs vs the People of Lapithae.  Some of these metopes were removed 200 years ago and are now in the British museum.  The Greeks are taking steps to preserve the others and are removing them from the Parthenon and placing them in a new museum.  I THINK the Greeks are planning on restoring all the outside of the Parthenon and making replicas of the amazing metopes.  Metopes are a kind of statue that is carved sort of into a wall or made to be placed against a wall.  .  .  You might notice that since these are coloring pages for primarily kids it seemed appropriate to put clothes on the people of Lapithae.  They are nude in the sculpture . . . or nearly nude.  There were a lot more of these statues / metopes.   I hope they will be able to preserve them and restore the Parthenon. 

Centaur vs Lapithian

Centaur tries to carry off the bride

Bastet the Cat Goddess of Egypt

NOTE TO ALL:  This blog is being modified.  I am adding additional buttons with categories of drawings to download for free.  This will make it easier to find the drawing you or your children would like to color.  This may take a few days to get completed.  The button that once said: "Free Printable Downloads" has been replaced with a button that says:  "All Free Printables" I will continue to put all drawings on the "All Free Printable" button...but I will also add all new drawings to the correct button for the different categories.  
 .  .

Bastet as Part Lioness

Egyptian people in ancient times had a Cat Goddess.  She was known as the daughter of Ra the king of the gods.  Her name was Bastet.  Up until 1,000 BC she was portrayed as part woman and part lioness and associated with the sun.   I thought it was interesting that one statue of her has her holding this staff with a head that looks for all the world like it came from a Pteranodon.   I drew the picture from a photo of the above mentioned statue of her, and her staff looks like it has a Pteranodon head on it. So, maybe the ancient Egyptians found a Pteranodon skull. There were several statues with this "Pteranodon" skull on Bastet's staff. Although maybe being a paleontology fanatic I see evidences of fossil finds everywhere.

Pteranodon Fishing

(Notice how the head looks like Bastet's staff.)

Bastet The Cat Goddess

(with the head of a cat)

Then, after 1,000 BC, she was often portrayed with the head of a cat and associated with the moon.   Eventually she was only portrayed with the cat head.  Bastet was the goddess of fire, home, cats and pregnant women.  She had a gentle and docile side and a violent side. He gentle side was seen as she cared for the home and pregnant women.  Her violent side was when she was in battle. 

Bubastis was a city in the Nile River Delta region and Bastet was thier local deity.  This is why she is portrayed here by the Nile River.  Bastet was also called the defender of the Pharaoh and of her father Ra.  She could be a vicious warrior in battle.  But she had that mild side too.  In one myth she was the personification of the soul of the goddess Isis.   That would make sense because Isis, the Mother Goddess, was the goddess of marriage, fertility, motherhood, magic and medicine.   Bastet was also called the Lady Of The East.  Another goddess, Sekhment, was Lady Of The West.

Egyptian Relics
(including Bastet as a Cat)

Bastet as a Cat

In our recent trip to Europe we went to the British Museum and the Louvre in Paris.  We also went to the Vatican.  All three had Egyptian relics.  My favorite was the beautifully done cat sculpture.  Scientists at the British Museum found that she, the cat sculpture, was 84.7% copper, 13% tin, 2.1% arsenic, and 0.2% lead. This black cat sculpture above represents one form in which  Bastet was supposed to be able to appear.

Santasaurus

So, I drew a similar drawing for my 2 year old granddaughter today during church.  She looked at it with a very confused expression on her face.  So, I know it's a little odd, but it was fun to do.
I know I am not the first person to say "Santasaurus"... in fact, I got the idea from a great book that comes with a CD.  It is called The Dinosaurs Night Before Christmas.  I think you should color the dinosaur's stripes red or green or a combination of the two Christmas Colors.

Santasaurus with a Candy Cane

Santa Claus

Santa Claus has been depicted many way.  These first two drawings are very traditional.  I love the stories I have read or seen on the screen about Santa.  He is a positive person with good magic.  I think that it is a wonderful tradition to tell your kids about Santa.  As kids, when we get older, we start to question how he does it all.  How DOES he get around the world so fast in one night.  Clearly the answer is magic.  However, just because he comes down the chimney in the USA...on December 25th... he does not necessarily do the same things on the same day in every country.  In some countries he comes to give presents to the children on December 6th.  And in England he leaves the presents at the foot of the children's beds...not under a Christmas tree or in stockings.

I think that reindeer flying is a marvelous idea.  Maybe it was due to magic feed corn...or maybe fairy dust like Peter Pan uses... or maybe just Christmas Magic is what makes the reindeer fly.

Santa Out Feeding an Apple to one of his Reindeer

Santa in the Snow

(by his magical North Pole)

I heard a cool story yesterday about how Santa focuses all that Christmas Magic that comes from positive thoughts by using the magical North Pole he constructed.  You see, the Earth's magnetic field already brings so much positive energy up north that Santa figure out how to concentrate that energy and transmute it into Christmas Magic.  Hence, the ability for reindeer to fly and faster than light speeds.  And the ability for Santa to travel that fast and get his work done so fast.  

Saint Nicholas

Remember to click on the "Free Printable Downloads" button to see the list of pictures to print and color.  These latest drawings will be on the bottom of the list so you will need to scroll down.

So, we just got back from a trip to Europe.  It was a true challenge giving our health problems, but we wanted to travel while we could.  If you wouldn't mind including me in your prayers I would appreciate it.  My heart is acting up again and I found out because my pacemaker ratted me out to my cardiologist.  He put me on a new medication and I should be fine but it was still kind of scary.  I am enjoying life so much I would like to stick around.  I gained a new respect for people of faith who sacrificed to build such beautiful churches in Europe.  We visited Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Protestant Cathedrals.  As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and a fellow believer in our Savior Jesus Christ, I want you to know that I could appreciate the beauty of these magnificent houses of worship.  As an artist I was also in awe of the artwork ... sculpture, stained glass windows, and paintings... that we saw in these houses of worship.  I also think we all need to recognize the good done by others in the world, whether they are of our faith or not.

So, in honor of it being Christmas: 

On our trip we went to the Italian city of Bari.  THAT is where the REAL Saint Nicholas lived.  He was known for being kind to and helpful to children who were in need.

I heard a story from my cousin yesterday.  She said that Saint Nicholas was from a wealthy family.  When he heard that a poor man was going to sell his daughters into servitude Saint Nicholas found a way to help out.  The night before the eldest daughter was to be sold she washed her stockings and hung them by the fire to dry...thinking that this was her last night in her family's home.  But when she went to get her stockings in the morning she found a bag of gold coins.  Her father used the gold coins to help his situation so his daughter did not need to be sold.  Then, the next morning, his next oldest daughter also found a bag of gold coins in HER stocking.  The father decided to wait up and see who his family's benefactor was.  In the middle of the night he heard a clang as a bag was thrown through the window into his youngest daughter's stocking.  He looked out the window and caught a young man standing there.  The father thanked him but the young man told him that Father Nicholas was the true benefactor who had sent him there with the bags of gold.

Have you ever wondered where the tradition for an orange or some sort of citrus fruit in the toe of the stocking came from?  The orange represents the bag of gold coins in those girl's stockings...put there by order of Saint Nicholas.

I drew Saint Nicholas in two ways.  One is in a plain robe.  Probably more how he dressed while he was doing his good work.  By the way, there is some debate on whether he did that good work in Bari, Italy or Myra, present day Turkey.

Statue of Saint Nicholas in Bari

Saint Nicholas in Plain Robe

Saint Nicholas in Ornate Robe
This is more like the statue.

Baryonyx the Spinosaur

Baryonyx was a Theropod fish eating dinosaur of the early Cretaceous Period.  The first Baryonyx fossilized skeleton (partial skeleton) was found in England.  It appears that this was not a mature individual because some bones in its skull were not fused or ossified, but the dinosaur would have been 33 feet (10 meters) long and weighed close to two tons.  We now know that Baryonyx was a type of Spinosaur.  Spinosaurus was 55 feet (17 meters) long so perhaps Baryonyx grew to a much larger size. 

The end of the nose or snout of a Spinosaur like Baryonyx appear to have sensors to detect movement in water.  This would have been a great adaptation for fishing.  Baryonyx could sit in the water or stand in it with snout immersed...and he or she could feel the fish swim by and thus snap them up.  Modern crocodilians have this set of motion sensors on the end of their snouts or nose.   

Baryonyx the Spinosaur

NIke or Victory the Favorite of Zeus

Nike is not just a brand of athletic clothing.  Nike is from Greek Mythology.  She was or is...  the daughter of the goddess Styx and the Titan Pallas.  She and her sisters are often seen next to the king of the gods, Zeus.  She was considered to be a favorite of Zeus.  Nike is also the Goddess of Speed, Strength and Victory.  The Romans called her Victoria, which means Victory.   The famous statue at the Paris museum, called the Louvre, has no head.  It was probably broken off before the statue was collected.  Her arms are broken off as well.   I chose to draw in intact Nike based on a small statue of her that I purchased in Europe last month.  It is a gift to one of my daughters.  I am planning on doing a detailed drawing of Nike and my model will be a dancer from our Mediterranean cruise.   The original statue is huge.  I'm guessing it is about 10 feet or 3.048 meters tall!

Nike or Victory at The Louvre

Nike or Victory

Giant Ground Sloth & Tree Sloth

Giant Ground Sloth

The Giant Ground Sloth was an enormous slow moving herbivore of the past. .  A few years ago they found the bones of one in South America that was 18 feet (5.5 meters) tall.  If you have watched what I considered fun movies in the "Ice Age" series you will remember Sid.  Since Sid is supposed to be a ground sloth he SHOULD hae been enormous...not the size of a 4th grade human.  In fact, he would have been nearly as big as Manny the woolly mammoth.   Poor Diego the saber tooth cat would have not weighed as much as one of Sid's arms.  What's more, giant ground sloth have huge claws for defense.  There are 3 claws on each hand and they are up to 10 inches long.  The Genus is Megatherium.  Only a few species of mammoth were bigger animals at that time of Earth history.  The Giant Ground Sloths appear to have lived in South America.  Their bones have been found in many parts of South America.  I did not say "fossilized bones" because these are more recent animals.  Early man may have hunted them.  They went extinct only about 10,000 years ago.  Because they are more modern or recent than extinct animals like dinosaus, sloth bones have not had time to mineralize or fossilize.

Three Toed Tree Sloth

Tree sloths are relatives to the Giant Ground Sloths.  As you surely already know, tree sloths are small, only about the size of a small  dog.  They are only about 18 inches or 45 cm long.  They weigh about 8-10 lbs or 3.5-4.5 kg.   This drawing is of the three toed sloth.  The modern sloth moves so slowly that algae grows in its fur.  They sometimes look rather green.  This may be excellent camouflage since they spend the great majority of their lives in the trees of the Central or South American rain forest.  Sloths are primarily herbivores but they are know to also eat insects so technically they are omnivores.  They will eat leaves from over 50 species of South American or Central American trees.  They move rather slowly but they can change trees up to 4 times in one day.

Ouranosaurus, Spinosaurs, and Dimetrodon the Sailed Reptiles

NOTE:  To get to a printable version of my drawings, just click on the "Free Printable Downloads" button above.  The most recent drawings are at the bottom of the list.  The Ouranosaurus and Dimetrodon drawings are both new.  There are around 300 drawings that you can print.

Ouranosaurus

Ouranosaurus was an unusual dinosaur.  It lived in the mid to late Cretaceous Period in what is now North Africa.  It had a sail on its back... sort of like a Spinosaurus.  However, Ouranosaurs was a herbivore, not a carnivore like Spinosaurus.  Another unusual feature is this Iguanodont dinosaur had a duck bill much like a Hadrosaur or duck billed dinosaur.

Ouranosaurus at the Venice Museum

We saw a skeleton display of this unusual dinosaur at the Venice Museum of Natural History.  Now, maybe most tourists don't go to Venice to see Natural History...but we are retired science teachers!  We went with two smart young men...our teenage grand-nephews.  We all were amazed at the number and quality of the displays at this nice museum.  If you go to Venice, we recommend this museum.

Spinosaurus Fishing

Spinosaurus was a huge Theropod carnivorous dinosaur.  New discoveries in Morocco have shown that it was in fact 55 feet or 17 meters long.  (I reccommend the DVD Bigger Than T. rex)  Spinosaurus probably primarily ate fish.  When the fishing was bad it would look to land based prey.  Both Ouranosaurus and Spinosaurs lived at the same time in the same place.  When fish were rare it is probable that Spinosaurs hunted Ouranosaurs.  The other question is why did both dinosaurs that must have evolved from separate lines both have sails on their backs.  Perhaps cooling and heating in this hot Cretaceous Period were the reasons for both Ouranosaurus and Spinosaurs having sails on their backs.

Dimetrodon of the Permian Period

Note:  I did a little remodling of this Dimetrodon drawing since I first posted it. 

It might just be that also in the hot environment of the Permian Period that having a sail was a good adaptation for cooling off.  You might recall that Dimetrodon... a mammal like reptile that lived way before dinosaurs... also had a sail on its back.  The sail may have been used to warm up by standing at 90 degrees to the sun.  Then to cool down the animal would face directly at or directly away from the sun and a breeze or wind may have helped the sail cool off the blood. Although as a little boy, I had Dimetrodon toy animals that came in my package of toy dinosaurs... Dimetrodon is NOT a dinosaur. Dimetrodon lived in the Permian Period well before the dinosaurs.  .    .  MIlLIONS of years before the dinosaurs.  In fact, the name Dimetrodon means "two length teeth"...because it was the first animal with canine teeth.  It is thought that Dimetrodon may be the ancestor to all of us now living mammals.  Another interesting fact is that one of the primary prey species of Dimetrodon was also sporting a "radiator" sail.  It was called Edaphosaurus.  (Sorry...too tired to draw one right now.  but it was much like Dimetrodon but with a smaller had and blunt plant eater or herbivore teeth.)

Paul on Mars Hill

While in Athens last month we saw Mars Hill from the top of the Acropolis hill.  We remembered that this is where Paul taught the Greeks about Jesus being the Christ and Savior of us all.  He also taught them about the resurrection. 

Mars Hill from the top of the Acropolis 

Paul the Apostle went to Athens, Greece and saw that the people were deep into worshiping idols.  He went up to Mars' Hill and saw that they had built an alter to "THE UNKNOWN GOD"  Paul then proceeded to teach the Greeks of Athens that Jesus was the unknown god who they should worship.  He, Jesus, made the Earth and makes it possible for all of us to be resurrected. 

Many of the Greeks laughed at Paul's teachings, but some believed as well.  Interesting that now over 98% of Greeks are Christians.  The great majority of Greeks are members of the Greek Orthodox Church.  Their religion is an important part of their culture.  Yet those that follow the Greek gods of Mount Olympus are few and far between. 

You have to respect Paul.  He was forced out of other cities by unbelivers before he ended up in Athens to preach on Mars' Hill.  Eventually he was arrested and appealed to the Roman Emperor (which he could do because he, Paul, was a Roman citizen).

Paul Preaching on Mars' Hill

Icelandic Horse from refrigerator magnet

So, we just got back from our big trip to Iceland and Europe.  I got a lot of inspiration for new drawings during or trip and visits to many museums.  So, expect to see a flood of new drawings on this coloring page blog. 

This drawing is from a refrigerator magnet that we got for our son in law who was once a horse trainer.  I changed quite a few things from the drawing, but I admire the artist who drew the original. 

Remember that the Icelandic Horse is considered the purest breed of horse in the world.  They have not allowed any new horses to be brought to the island for hundreds of years.  They are a sturdy breed and have shown to be able to survive the Icelandic weather...which can be very extreme. 

About the volcano... You will notice an eruption of an active volcano in this drawing.  This is not a mistake.  Iceland is one of the most volcanically active places on Earth.  There is a rift or crack down the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.  Iceland sits right on top of this rift.  It also appears that there is a particularly active area of the Earth at that spot.  The geologists call this a "hot spot."  The islands of Hawaii are also from a hot spot.  But Hawaii does not sit on top of a rift zone.  I don't know if there are any active volcanoes within site of a farm or ranch in Iceland...but the whole island IS volcanically created. 

We saw the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis from the side of one of these Icelandic volcanoes.  Of course in was a dormant or extinct volcano. 

Icelandic Horse Refrigerator Magnet

Icelandic Horse drawing from magnet

Moses Parting the Red Sea

If you look in the Holy Bible you see the story of Moses and the Children of Israel leaving slavery in Egypt.  Pharaoh held a grudge and sent his chariots to kill the once slaves who were now free.  The Bible says that the Children of Israel were murmuring and the Lord told Moses to stretch forth his hand across the waters and it took all night, but an east wind parted the sea to allow the people to cross over on dry land.  Then the Egyptian army tried to cross over too in order to attack and kill the Israelites and the sea closed up again and everyone in the Egyptian Army drowned.

Moses Parts the Red Sea

Sphinx

NOTE:  Click on the "Free Printable Downloads" button and scroll all the way down though the titles of drawings to find this picture's title.  Click on it and you can print it.

Sphinxes have been depicted as either male or female.  They have a human head and a body of a lion.  They are one of the oldest mythological creatures thought up by man.  That is, because the oldest depiction of a sphinx dates clear back to 9,500 years ago.  Sphynx statures and carvings are seen on royal buildings often as decorations on the outside.   There were sphinxes depicted in several ancient cultures and the use of the sphinx in architecture and art was revived in the renaissance.

I saw several sphinxes on buildings and as decorations in Rome, Venice, and even in the Vatican.

Here the female sphinx is depicted hanging out with a young unicorn on a hilltop.

Sphinx Female

Lion of Saint Marks

The Lion of Saint Marks was seen by my wife and I on a tall pedestal monument and on churches in Venice, Italy.  We also saw it on a church in Rome, Italy.  It is a lion with wings and is often depicted holding a bible...or one paw is on an open bible.  It is the symbol of Venice...formerly the Republic of Venice.  Did you know that Venice had a bit of an empire for a while?  Their influence was felt as far away as Croatia.  .    .  probably even farther away.

Centaur Girl

We are still in Germany.  But, my niece and her husband have this compatible computer so I am adding a Centaur today.   We just got back from Rome and Greece so this seems appropriate.  I have some photos of centaur statues but they are all male so I will just post my drawing of a young girl or female centaur.

Obviously there would be female and male centaurs...at least in my opinion.  Some stories of centaurs make them very wise.  Others make them rather self centered.  I like the positive way of thinking of centaurs so my young female or girl centaur is nice.

The goat-man is called a Satyr.  They are mischievous and sometimes rather naughty.  I think the Fauns who are rather like the Satyrs.   My favorite one in literature is the one from the Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe.  HE is very nice.  His name is Mr. Tumnus.

Icelandic Horse

Icelandic Horse 1

Hello there!  Yes we are on vacation and I told you I would not be posting for a while, but my niece

and her husband here in Germany have a scanner I can use . . . so here we are!   The drawings on this blog page are from iPhone photos of my drawings, however the printable versions are from the scanner so they are better quality.  Please click on the "Free Printable Downloads" button up above and then scroll down to the bottom of the list to print Icelandic Horse drawings.  

Icelandic Horse 1

The Icelandic Horse originated in Norway or at least the Nordic countries.  It is a small breed of horse but it is not a pony.  It is hearty and sturdy.  It has been called "the most useful servant."  It is considered the purest horse breed in the world since it has lived on the island in isolation since the Vikings settled Iceland.  In the year 987 a decree was made that forbad the importing of any more horses and so the Icelandic Horses came form the same original breeding stock.  

The one problem with this is that these horses are very susceptible to equine or horse diseases.  They are essentially too inbred an that means very little variation in the species.   SO if a disease hits the horses perhaps the whole breed would be at risk of dying.  So the law says that you can not take your Icelandic Horse off the island and ever bring it back.  Some breeders actually breed some horses for export though.  The law may seem extreme but this protects the breed from invasive disease. 

Photo of Icelandic Horse (Brown with Dark Mane)

Even though the inbreeding has problems for health,horse farmers or ranchers have bred for many coloring patterns in their horses.  In fact, the variety of color patterns ...including the manes, is truly amazing. They can be paint or multi-colored, and they can have manes of various colors.  There are over a hundred words in the Icelandic language for the different coloring patterns of the Icelandic Horse.  

Icelandic Horse 2

Icelandic Horse (tan with dark mane) Photo

I used this photo for these last two drawings.  This Icelandic Horse is from the town of Grindavik. It is located just south of the amazing "Blue Lagoon"

Icelandic horses are very hearty and with very thick fur and a heavy hairy mane so they can stand the bitter cold Icelandic winter. They have compact bodies with legs that are shorter than most horses seen in other parts of the world.  Just to show how hearty these Icelandic Horses are...Here is an example of a type of animal that did NOT make it on Iceland.   At one point musk ox were brought in to Iceland and they all died of the ever changing cold weather.  (While we were there this week in was sunny and rainy and snowy, all in the same day, nearly every day we were there.)   But it is an amazing country with spectacular scenery...and great looking horses.  By the way, the people of Iceland were very friendly to us.  We, my wife and I, having lots of health limitations, they were always very accommodating to us. l  .  and very kind to us as well.  

Icelandic Horse 3

Icelandic horses have an extra gait that makes riding them a very smooth experience.  This smooth four beat gait is called the "tolt" and it makes for a very comfortable ride. The horses are rather friendly too.  Breeders do not breed for speed but for other qualities.  The horses are not raced but competitions are based upon various gaits, horse and rider relationship, and of course appearance.  Remember that for around a thousand years the Icelandic Horse was the only means of transportation on the Island so they were vital to the survival of the settlers...and residents.  

All these drawings are of Icelandic Horses in the winter...or at least in November...cause that is when we were there.  I would love to go back to Iceland in the summer if my health holds out.  Maybe I could actually handle riding one since their gait is very smooth.  

Christmas and Thanksgiving Pictures to Color

Here is a Thanksgiving drawing.  Never forget that without the help of the Native Americans the pilgrims never would have survived in the New World.  There were Pilgrims and Native Americans that were good friends.  This includes my ancestor Penelope and the man she called her "Indian Father."  Yes there was terrible conflict and horrible mistreatment of the Natives by many European settlers...but not everyone failed to get along.  In fact, many of us people in America who appear to be Caucasian are actually part Native American.  I read that it is over 80% of us "white Americans" are part Native American.  I am part Iroquois.   I think I'll write here on my blog some true stories here . . .true stories, of my Native American ancestors.  .   .    .  but that will have to wait until December or so.   

Pilgrim with Native American Friend

I know it's just a little early, but here are some Christmas drawings from last year. 

Santa Claus and Reindeer

This drawing is from last year...I think I've gotten better...as an artists.

Younger Santa Claus

Mary and Baby Jesus

Leopard Shark

NOTE:  This is my last post for a while.  Although I might re-post some drawings for the holidays from previous posts.  No crisis just going to be busy.  OK, ONE of the things is surgery, but fun stuff first.   I'll explain when I come back to my coloring page blog in about a month or sooner.  Remember that there are many many blog posts and you just need to scroll down to the bottom and click on "Older Posts" and you will be able to read them.  ALSO...there are many drawings to print and color on the "Free Printable Downloads" button.

Leopard Shark

We went to the Living Planet Aquarium in South Jordan, Utah and we saw this amazing shark.  I took it's picture and drew it for a coloring page.  In nature leopard sharks live along the Pacific Coast of North America.  They eat mainly clams, various other shellfish, sea worms, and some small bony fish.   Their cool spots give them their common name of Leopard Sharks.  This spotted pattern looks like a leopard or maybe a cheetah in some individuals.  There are two species.  Like in the picture, they prefer being near kelp beds and more shallow water. 

Leopard Shark at Living Planet Aquarium