Favourite pastime: Rowan posing with a few of his artworks.
THEY may be extinct but dinosaurs are very much alive in Rowan Ng Yu Shi’s world.
Not only do these majestic creatures feature in the 16-year-old’s favourite movies, but they also take centre stage in his drawings – to date, he has produced over 500 art pieces depicting different dinosaur species.
Keen on sharing his work with a larger audience, the budding paleoartist has gone on to post videos of his dinosaur art production on his “itzrowansaur” YouTube channel, which has attracted more than 27,500 subscribers since its creation in July 2021.
His fascination with dinosaurs began at a young age, sparked by movies such as Jurassic Park, Rowan told StarEdu.
“I’m still watching it countless times to this day,” he said.
From there, the Selangor native began making dinosaurs the subjects of his drawings, initially using pencils and crayons before transitioning to markers.
To improve his artwork, Rowan said he follows other paleoartists online.
“I have observed many other paleoartists and their styles. I prefer the realism style; for me, it shows more value and effort to create a piece that looks like the dinosaur is coming out of the paper.
“And I prefer to draw dinosaurs from different angles because it helps make my drawings look less repetitive,” he said.
He added that having family members who are skilled in art has helped him on his journey – his father, who holds a diploma in art, offers guidance and tips, while his siblings share the artistic spark.
Rowan, who has drawn about 200 dinosaur species over the past 10 years, professed to be able to recognise about 400 out of 700 dinosaur species that have been discovered and named.
While the Tyrannosaurus rex is his favourite classic dinosaur, he said he finds other species, such as the Baryonyx, more exciting to draw.
He added that putting a dinosaur on paper is not as easy as drawing directly from a Google image by observation.
“I conduct in-depth research by consulting websites, documentaries and even encyclopaedia entries before bringing the prehistoric giants to life,” he shared.
He noted that drawing the face and snout of a dinosaur can be particularly difficult.
“There’s so much detail packed into that area, from the eye to the teeth and scales. It’s an obstacle for starters, but it’s also really rewarding to get it right,” he said.
“The solution is actually rather simple; just try drawing simple shapes and connecting the dots,” he added.
In choosing which dinosaur to draw next, Rowan takes inspiration from a library of reference photos on his phone. Occasionally, he interacts with his viewers by taking requests or running polls to see what interests them.
Sharing his art online, Rowan said, brings him great satisfaction as it reflects the shared love for dinosaurs between him and his audience.
He also enjoys the views and positive comments his videos have garnered, as well as the sense of accomplishment from finishing a detailed piece that took hours to produce.
For aspiring content creators, Rowan, who aspires to become a palaeontologist or a renowned paleoartist, advised patience.
“Growing an audience takes time and depends on the algorithm’s whims,” he said.
For budding artists, he stressed the importance of finding and mastering a style that feels true to them.
Zhan Xuan, 17, a student in Kuala Lumpur, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. For updates on the BRATs programme, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
With the theme of the article in mind, carry out the following English language activities.
1. What is your favourite pastime? Tell your friends about it, including how your interest first sparked, the challenges you have overcome along the way, and how you plan to take it further.
2. Create questions and answers for an interview with Rowan. Then, with a partner, role-play the interview, with one of you acting as the interviewer and the other as Rowan.
The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme promotes the use of English language in primary and secondary schools nationwide. For Star-NiE enquiries, email starnie@thestar.com.my.
