Pirate Brachiosaurus
I’m no dinosaur expert, all I know is that the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park are NOT from the Jurassic era. I think they’re from the cretaceous period. Anyhoo, this dinosaur looks suspiciously like a Brachiosaurus to me. However, Ian Gunn refrained from identifying the specific genus of his portrait. I think that’s a pterodactyl sitting on his shoulder.
This poor vegetarian dinosaur has lost a leg and an eye. I wonder if he ran foul of a group of velociraptors? Those guys creep me right out!
The backstory behind these silly illos
Ian Gunn, creator of these silly illos (illustrations), was an award-winning artist based in Melbourne, Australia. Cancer took him too soon. But his legacy includes numerous illustrations for zines, books and even school textbooks.
We’ve published a veritable museum of Ian’s Silly Illos here. Many of these illustrations are available for sale.
Victoria’s science fiction convention, Continuum, occasionally presents the Ian Gunn Memorial Award recognising the ‘unsung heroes’ of fandom. Recipients work in obscurity for years without recognition. This award commemorates Ian’s selfless efforts to reach out to others, encouraging others and thereby building the science fiction community.
K’rin Pender-Gunn, Ian’s widow, gave Dark Matter Zine permission to republish Ian’s artwork. Thanks, K’rin!
