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EWilloughby

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Since I'm not very active here anymore, here are some other places you can find me:


Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/emilywilloughby


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ea_willoughby/?hl=en


Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxy92BOqCXiLDCfcF9So6JQ

And much more on LinkTree! https://linktr.ee/emilywilloughby

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1a by EWilloughby

Just over a year ago, myself and Agahnim reached a major milestone in our long-term goal of evolution education and outreach, which served the basis for starting our DA group Domain-of-Darwin over 11 years ago. We published our first book! Published by Inkwater Press and titled God’s Word or Human Reason?, the book has been available on Amazon since January of last year.

I am now offering direct purchases of signed, inscribed hardcovers that are personalized with a drawing of a bird or dinosaur of your choice. They are $40 (U.S. and Canada) or $50 (everywhere else), shipping included. Thanks to my excellent web developer friend, you can do this easily through this form on my website, with PayPal or a credit card:

Buy my book with a personalized signing and dinosaur drawing!


3 by EWilloughby

We wrote the book with the original intention of educating creationists and fence-sitters with nuance, reason and kindness, but we guarantee that just about anyone who accepts evolution has something to learn from it too. For those of you who don’t already know about the book, here’s the Amazon description and inside flap teaser:
God gave humans the ability to reason, but the Bible commands that we have faith in Him. According to Answers in Genesis, the largest and most influential creationist organization in the United States, the conclusions of human reason must be rejected if they contradict our understanding of the Bible. What are the implications of this worldview, and is it the best one for a Christian to live by?

The book is the result of almost a decade of effort by its unusual collection of authors, each of whom has written a chapter (or two) in their area of expertise or interest.
  • Jonathan Kane, the originator of the book’s concept and purpose, has written the opening chapter on the nature and purpose of science as well as the centerpiece chapter on bird and dinosaur evolution;
  • Emily Willoughby has written the chapter on radiometric dating and contributed the book’s centerpiece illustrations of feathered dinosaurs (all of which were produced specially for the book and which include 3 exclusive paintings not posted on any of my online galleries); 
  • T. Michael Keesey has written a chapter extensively detailing the emergence of the human primate from our diverse panoply of primate ancestors;
  • Glenn Morton, a professional geologist, has written a chapter on the pitfalls of “Flood geology” and what the fossil record tells us;
  • and James Comer, who has written the concluding chapter on how it’s possible to intrepret the Bible in a way that’s consistent with an acceptance of evolutionary theory.
One of the most unique things about our book is that all five of its authors were once creationists. We each eventually came to reject creationist ideology at different points in our lives, and from different catalysts, as we became exposed to the science of evolution, paleontology, and geology. Today, the five of us are represented by two atheists, one deist, and two evolution-accepting Christians, and each of us has written a short narrative following our chapters on the unique experiences and circumstances that led to our rejection of creationism and, in some cases, of Christianity.

We're delighted that the book has been well-received so far, and has recently been reviewed by the excellent Darren Naish of Tetrapod Zoology, and mentioned by evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne. If you were ever a creationist or know someone who is, are interested in learning about creationist arguments and their strongest rebuttals in much more detail than any other book on the market, or would simply like the opportunity to support us and our creative endeavors (and get a commissioned sketch from me!), now's your chance to snag an exclusive copy.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for supporting me and my artwork over the years!
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At long last—it is here!

After nearly a decade of hard work, patience and stubborn perseverance, the book on the evolution/creationism debate that I've been working on with Agahnim and colleagues is finally ready for public consumption.

Published by Inkwater Press, 424 pages, you can get the hardcover on Amazon for $36: www.amazon.com/Gods-Word-Human…

Among many other things, this book will feature a handful of totally new full-color pieces of my paleoart, a teaser of which I will upload here soon, so stay tuned.

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Dakotaraptor!

4 min read
Most of my watchers by now will have seen my two illustrations for this new dromaeosaur, but I think the discovery is exciting enough to warrant its own journal entry as well!

Without further ado: meet Dakotaraptor, the first "giant" dromaeosaur from the Hell Creek formation.


I've been sitting on these illustrations for months and can't think of the last time I've been so excited to illustrate a new taxon. At 5.5 meters in length and with magnificently robust ulnar quill knobs, this is not only the first "giant" dromaeosaur from Hell Creek, but it is also the first dromaeosaur in this size range with indisputable evidence of feathers. And not just shaggy and sparse "protofeathers" as many skeptics purport in defense of the "half-arse" integument pattern (I'm sorry you hate that image, Tom, but no other infographic uses the term "half-arse"...).

No, Dakotaraptor had massive ulnar quill knobs, which meant that its arms likely supported thick, heavy feathers with a stiff central rachis. This confirms, once and for all, that feathers stage 3 and beyond existed on dromaeosaurs larger than Velociraptor and Zhenyuanlong. What was such a large dromaeosaur doing with feathers like this? There are several options which are not mutually exclusive: brooding eggs, aggressive mating and territorial displays, shielding young... but many of you will recall my particular fondness for Denver Fowler's 2011 paper on "raptor prey restraint", which posited a unique predatory role for robust wings on non-volant dromaeosaurs. These wings would have acted as stabilizers and balancers for a large animal as it struggled atop still-living prey, much as modern birds of prey do. Modern hawks and eagles have evolved particularly stout and powerful ankles for this purpose, which allow greater torque for the inner claw on each foot to dig into unruly prey. This inner claw is, certainly by no coincidence, by far the largest on most birds of prey.

Dakotaraptor's Ornithomimus Dinner by EWilloughby 

The use of RPR by Dakotaraptor means it would have been especially appropriate when grappling similarly-sized prey, and Hell Creek has given us the perfect also-feathered match: Ornithomimus, a new feathered specimen of which has been described just days before.

There is much to be said on Dakotaraptor, from its possible synonymity with Acheroraptor to its ecological relationships with other Hell Creek carnivores, but it should come as no surprise that the role of feathers in its predatory ecology is what interests me most! I look forward to seeing what future analyses and potentially more material will bring.

As for my watchers, I have a request of all of you: I have not had the time to sift through the rapid influx of new illustrations of this exciting taxon, so please link to your favorites in the comments! (I have seen the Saurian version many times and am more interested in seeing others, mind you.)
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Well, I've been tagged on this a few times and my previous journal entry here is over a year old, so I might as well. :)

  1. How long have you been on DeviantArt?
    Over ten years, and it will be eleven in October.

  2. What does your username mean?
    It's my name.

  3. Describe yourself in three words.
    Paleoartist; eventual scientist.

  4. Are you left or right handed?
    Right.

  5. What was your first deviation?
    Squirrel by EWilloughby
    This piece of Redwall fanart. In fact, the Redwall fandom was my introduction to DeviantArt: I had been a member of The Long Patrol forums, doing sketches for people of their Redwall-inspired characters, and was told that I MUST register an account at DA and share my art with the world. I wonder if I still have any watchers from those Redwall days?

  6. What is your favourite type of art to create?
    If "type" means subject matter, then it's accurate feathered dinosaur paleoart. If "type" means medium, then see question #13.

  7. If you could instantly master a different art style, what would it be?
    Oil or oil pastels in the manner of Douglas Henderson. 

  8. What was your first favourite?
    <da:thumb id="3365392"/>
    This Bambiraptor by Heather "Kyoht" Luterman, who was one of my favorite paleoartists back in the day and was one of my first exposures to accurate dromaeosaur art.

  9. What type of art do you tend to favourite the most?
    Accurate paleoart of mostly feathered dinosaurs, and some bird art and bird photography.

  10. Who is your all-time favourite deviant artist?
    Probably :iconjconway:, :iconalainbeneteau: and :icondinomaniac:, though DA is no longer the best place to follow their work.

  11. If you could meet anyone on DeviantArt in person, who would it be?
    I've met a number in person already, so it's hard to say. Maybe :iconkeesey:, :icondrscotthartman: or :iconnazrindi:.

  12. How has a fellow deviant impacted your life?
    Well, the most obvious answer is :iconagahnim:, whom I met through this site (sort of) almost 10 years ago. He has had a greater cumulative impact on my life in these past 10 years than probably any other person I've known in that time, online or off.

  13. What are your preferred tools to create art?
    I bounce between digital art (CS4 with a Wacom tablet) and gouache/watercolor traditional pieces. Preference at any given time depends on client's preference, suitability of the composition to the medium, and specific level of rage I'm currently feeling towards Photoshop.

  14. What is the most inspirational place for you to create art?
    I don't think location has affected level of inspiration to a significant extent.

  15. What is your favourite DeviantArt memory?
    Meeting Jon or being contacted for publication in a book for the first time, which was the biggest single thing that made me reconsider a career as an illustrator. There is much I dislike about this silly website, but damn if it hasn't been kind of ridiculously integral to most of the things I've found valuable over the years.

    #DeviantArtistQuestionnaire

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Featured

Our Book on Evolution: Signed Copies Available by EWilloughby, journal

My book is published! by EWilloughby, journal

Dakotaraptor! by EWilloughby, journal

DeviantArt Questionnaire by EWilloughby, journal

Why is Paleoart Important? - A Response to Cau by EWilloughby, journal