Flora and Fauna of the Universe
  • Blog
  • About
  • Books
  • Resources
  • Author
  • Store
  • Contact

Expedition to Darwin IV

2/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Wayne Douglas Barlowe is an artist and the author of Expedition, the story of mankind’s visit to planet Darwin 4, home of large, blind, sonar-using liquivores. His paintings of alien plants, animals, and landscapes are amazing. He describes their physiology and behaviors. This is one of my favorite books that I dig out of storage from time to time just to look through. It has inspired me to make my own exobiology art books out of my old doodles, but at the moment I am far too busy.

The trends on Darwin 4 include large size and leg reduction. Some animals have six legs, others four, and others only two. Many have their rear legs fused into one or else have keels to support their weight. Others have their front legs fused into one. The gyrosprinter has both its rear and front legs fused, leaving it with two legs in a row. There are even monopods. Most animals are hermaphrodites, eyeless, rely on sonar, and digest meals outside the body before sucking them up, though there are exceptions to all of these trends. I think my favorites are the tundra creature whose head detaches to become a flying animal while the lower body becomes nothing more than a living shelter, and the groveback – a creature that spends its life sleeping and growing underground while trees cover its back.

Barlowe also paints demons, hellscapes, and other awesome things and is available for commissions or licensing. Check out his website.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Books And Movies
    Projects
    Resources

    Archives

    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    February 2021
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017

    RSS Feed

Like alien art? Check out my store.

Copyright © 2017
  • Blog
  • About
  • Books
  • Resources
  • Author
  • Store
  • Contact