T. K. Arispe

The Museum of Idaho has been hosting a travelling exhibit all about the Permian Era, and I managed to make it before they moved on! I love the Permian--I think it's so overlooked and underrated in culture because a lot of people just kinda gravitate toward what happened next: dinosaurs. But Permian critters weren't just the warm-up act for the main event--they were fascinating and successful animals in their own right. And, like the dinosaurs, their demise came about because of an unfortunate mass extinction. Gorgonops and Ulemosaurus and Lystrosaurus may not be household names, but in my opinion they should be. <3

I brought my drawing supplies, and although I was a bit tired that day, I managed to do a pretty nice marker sketch based on the lovely Dimetrodon mount in the exhibit. My sister says he looks like he wants treats from you. That's probably accurate.

They also had some fun animatronics scattered around the exhibit--it was awesome to see animatronics of lesser-known critters and not just big-name dinos. I really wanted to pat their tummies and bring them home and give them treats, but my cat would not approve.