"You're going to be an artist." That's what my father, David Marshall, told me at our kitchen table, when I was about out of high school, and I had just informed him I was going to be a rock star! Well, as it turned out, my father had some insight and I had some wild dreams. That was in 1986, Sabetha, Kansas.

I moved to L.A. soon after that and gave my dreams a shot. I did well in the rock-n-roll scene, but by some strange fortune I started painting album covers for some of the biggest rock bands in town. Every band from Motley Crue, W.A.S.P., L.A. Guns to Kix! This was pretty wild considering I had never had an art class in my life! I had the chance to become friends with most of my heroes, and art just came kind-of naturally to me. I fell in love with the airbrush and acrylic paints, and then it was all over. Art was in my veins, and it was much more lucrative than singing in a rock band. Well, at least for me.

I worked for years doing my art for various record labels, rock bands, and rock clubs in L.A. I started to get pretty tired of the politics of the record businesses. I wanted to expand my horizons. I started tattooing for a few years and painting motorcycle tanks for the Hells Angels in my spare time. I work in the themed entertainment industry for many years, and even traveled teaching airbrushing.

In 1996 I was accepted in the very prestige's art school in Pasadena called Art Center College of Design. That was the best move I had ever made! While getting to dive deep into art of all types and mediums; I finally got the chance to get back to the core of what I felt I really was meant to do! I had the opportunity to meet so many great artists at Art Center, but a big turning point was when I was introduced to one of my art heroes, Mark "Crash" McCreery, then head designer at Stan Winston Special Effects Studios. He did all the wonderful designs for the dinosaurs in the motion pictures, Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park II. Crash was, and still is a great inspiration to me, as a colleague and as a great friend. Crash has his own company now and a wonderful, beautiful family. He's still kicking concept art ass and working on the newest and coolest films.

All of that inspiration got me back into painting what I love the most, the rendering and illustration of prehistoric animals. I can remember that I could draw a Brontosaurus (a.k.a. Apatosaurus) before I could even write my name! For my entire life I studied paleo-life and loved everything about it. I still strive to do the best paleo-art I can. I've been very fortunate over the last decade or so, to work with some of the world's top paleontologists, science magazines, books, museums, collectors, and much more. In 2005 I was awarded "The John J. Lanzendorf Award: for Best 2D Paleo-Illustrator of 2005", by the international society, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP), which I've been a proud member of for many years. That just blew my little mind!

Through this past decade I've also been lucky enough to illustrate over a dozen new species to science. Most I've done in collaboration with Dr. Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago and Project Exploration (www.projectexploration.org). I am still working with Paul on many new finds. What a thrill it's been and I hope I'll be doing it for a long time to come. Stay tuned for many new wild and crazy critters!!!

My full time gig has been working as a Senior Concept Artist, and Art Director for Digital Gaming Studios.

I'm a great fan of nature and living things and their relationships with one another. I always look for this kind of relationship in my compositions for my paleo-illustration. I would recommend to anyone interested in doing paleo-art; really studying the anatomy and skeletal constructions of past and present animals. How muscles and bones work together, and how skin lays, and folds above that. Study textures and how light and shadow mold everything you see. Study environments, faunas in all regions and areas of the world. Most of all: love and believe in what you are doing! Hey, people will believe in you, if you believe in yourself!

There are so many family, friends and artists I owe so much to. Too many to name, but you know who you are. And I thank you all for everything you've contributed to my life. My greatest striving in life is to inspire others with my art, like so many have done for me. Thank you so much from the bottom of my little black heart.

Yes, I do commissioned pieces and I sell my original pieces. So those of you that might me interested, please feel free to drop me a line. Contact me either at paleotodd@earthlink.net, or at toddsmarshall@earthink.net. The later being my best email account.

To all those 'fans' out there; thank you so much for all the great support you've shown me through the years. I would be nothing without you all. I truly mean that. YOU ROCK!!!!

I do receive a lot of emails both business and fans, and I'm not always the best person in the world at getting back to people. For this I do apologize and please believe me it's not personal. It is usually because of my busy work schedule. So if you try and contact me, you've now been warned. I will do my best to try and get to you as soon as possible. Just try, and try again.

Best wishes to all of you creatures!!!

Todd S. Marshall
2008