Artist information
Name: Vittorio Serrenti
Cards created: 55 - Acrocanthosaurus Atokensis, 79 - Scipionix Samniticus, P4 - Hylaeosaurus Armatus
Reference techniques: Digital painting
Paleoartistic period: Renaissance
Historical period: Early Cretaceous
Before “Release the creatures: Dinosaurs!” were you already interested in dinosaurs?
“Yes, I’ve always been fascinated by dinosaurs. Especially when I was young, I watched movies with dinosaurs from the 1990s and 2000s; my favorites were The Land Before Time and We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story.
I had some illustrated books, particularly an issue of the Great Encyclopedia for Children published with Repubblica, from which I copied all the illustrations. Finally, toys like big action figures.”
Did your passion for drawing begin when you were very young? What did you draw at first, and when did you realize you wanted to make it your career when you grew up?
“So, I’ve always drawn; it’s been my main activity since preschool. As a child, I went through phases when I would become obsessed with certain subjects: there was a period when I drew only cars, then boxers, then animals, then pirate galleons, and so on. Maybe someone would take me to an exhibition or give me a book, and I would be fascinated; that would spark a new obsession. Drawing is a way to explore the subjects that intrigue us.
In art school, I met my friend Federico Tardino, who was already a great fan of Italian, French, and Argentine comics. Thanks to him, I discovered a world I didn’t know and that felt much closer to my interests than manga and American comics. That’s where my desire to tell comic book stories was born, especially the ones we came up with together.”
This is the first time you have collaborated with Tomodachi Press. How did the initial contact come about?
“I remember that I was sleeping when I saw the notification saying that Dario had started following me and had sent me a message. I thought it was a dream and fell back asleep..
Then I woke up and it was real. Honestly, I was shocked. After that, we talked and talked, and everything was very natural and pleasant.”
Did he tell you right away what it was about? Were the dinosaurs chosen in advance, or were they chosen later?
“No, no, at first everything was secret. After several weeks, they told us the subjects. Dario chose the dinosaurs based on our style and the paleoartistic period in which we felt most comfortable.
In my case, he combined my rough style with the "Renaissance", meaning rather violent and impactful scenes typical of 1980s comics, in which dinosaurs were depicted as killer monsters. Later, they provided us with a series of paleoart illustrations and artworks to use as references for our cards. I chose the works of William Stout, who, together with Dario and Willy, unknowingly became my spiritual guide in creating these works.”
“Release the creatures: Dinosaurs!” was created under the artistic supervision of Dario Moccia and the scientific supervision of Zoosparkle. How stimulating was this dual review process?
“I really enjoyed working as part of a team. Dario mainly gave feedback from a narrative perspective, focusing on storytelling and composition. Willy , on the other hand, helped me tremendously with anatomy. He provided us with preliminary material to help us work correctly, and then also reviewed the work in progress.
Let’s say that for someone who has never drawn dinosaurs professionally and anatomically accurately, it’s very difficult without the help of an expert. In this case, however, it was relatively “easy”.”
Something I’ve always been curious about is the question of colors: how do you choose which colors to pair with the dinosaur? Do those have a scientific basis too?
“Well, I’m not a dinosaur expert, but in my case I was given some general guidelines. Then we had a written description of what we needed to know about the dinosaur in question, its behavior, its disposition, and so on...”
“For example, on card 55 (Acrocanthosaurus atokensis), we depicted a scene inspired by a fossilized footprint discovery. At the Paluxy River site, a double trackway of footprints was discovered, leading researchers to hypothesize that it might have been a chase between an Acrocanthosaurus and a sauropod, perhaps an animal similar to a Sauroposeidon.”
As for card 79 (Scipionyx samniticus), you published its creation and development process. Initially, it seemed to be based on depicting an ongoing hunting scene, whereas in the final card you decided to go with a hunt that had already ended. Why?
“Initially, this was also supposed to be a chase scene: it depicts the Scipionyx chasing a lizard or a similar animal. When we created it, Dario noticed that it was practically identical to another card already in the set and suggested this alternative framing, which is typical of dinosaur depictions if you think about it. It is also similar to the logo of Jurassic Park. And strangely enough, no one had chosen it yet.”
That’s where we started with this new idea, which, in my opinion, really highlights the chosen dinosaur. Although it is depicted in a threatening way, covered in blood and with the appearance of a predator, it still retains something tender because it is still a young one. For this reason, this card has a special significance for me.
The dinosaur depicted is Scipionyx samniticus, whose holotype, discovered in Italy, was in fact an individual that had not yet reached adulthood. This mix of killer and young, vulnerable creature is what fascinates me.
In paleontology, the reference specimen of a species—the fossil on which the scientific description is based—is called the holotype.”
The third card was also discussed by Tomodachi Press during a conference at Comicon in Naples. The card depicts Hylaeosaurus Armatus in a scene showing the local fauna fleeing. What was it like creating all that chaos?
“The greatest challenge was undoubtedly from a narrative standpoint. The dinosaur in question had to seem both in trouble and in danger, while at the same time appearing to be dangerous itself. So, on the one hand, the threat had to be substantial: a large number of predators, the rocky, uneven terrain, the wounds on the dinosaur, and so on... but at the same time, it had to seem like the "king" of the crocodiles. Once we understood this and how to convey it effectively, everything fell into place.
From a graphic standpoint, I found it very difficult to draw the osteoderms, which are the bones that protrude from the side of the dinosaur. Drawing all the crocodiles wasn't easy either, with each one in a different and believable position." He adds: "At first, they were supposed to be turtles, but they didn't seem threatening enough."
If you could choose another dinosaur and a paleoartist era to interpret for a special card (like the timeshifted cards), what would you choose?
“Honestly, I feel very lucky. I was assigned four completely different dinosaurs, and they were all interesting. If I had to choose, I’d probably say the stegosaurus. As for the era, I would have liked to try the futuristic ones, but overall I feel very comfortable in my 1980s splatter period. All things considered, I would also have been happy as an artist in that era.”
How has your perspective on the world of dinosaurs evolved after this project?
“Well, I discovered paleoart, its history, and its world of enthusiasts. In the future, I would like to do more work on dinosaurs; I hope I get the opportunity to have an excuse to study them further.”
Before we say goodbye, would you like to leave a message for the collectors reading this?
“I hope they are as excited as I am about the arrival of these cards and that they appreciated our work. We really gave it our all. I hope that dinosaur experts are satisfied with the level of accuracy of my dinosaurs!
And I can't wait to see the cards in person too.”
Vittorio Serrenti's favorites
- Layout: Heroic period
- Paleoart period: Renaissance
- Historical period: Early Cretaceous
- Favorite card from the set: Tyrannosaurus Rex by Attila Schwanz
- Artists: Federico Mele, Roberto Ali, Francesco Mazziotta, Emanuele Desiati, Valentina "Banjo" Napolitano and Lorenzo de Felici
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