Ella Larson
in association with
Black Hills Institute of Geological Research Inc.
I've worked part- and full-time with BHI, and over the years they've commissioned various logos, reconstructions, and illustrations.
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Black Hills Institute of Geological Research Inc. is a paleontology museum located in Hill City, South Dakota, which has mounted fossils and casts displayed around the world. Attached to the dense, beautiful museum is a lovely gift shop which sells books, minerals, toys, and fossils. BHI is not associated with and does not endorse And a Dash of Anxiety.
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All images used with permission from BHIGR.
Bones Rock! Illustrations
In the summer of 2024 I had the opportunity to create illustrations for the new edition of "Bones Rock!" by Peter Larson and Kristin Donnan! This was a really awesome experience that taught me a lot about book illustration and how to create a large number of smaller artworks aimed at children and education, and I feel so honored to have been a part of it. Here I'm including a few of my favorites, but there are more in the book!
I modeled my illustrations after Dorothy Norton Kashuba's original pieces so the book would remain consistent, and I owe so much credit to her charming artworks. I hope I did them justice!
A quick correction: as of March 2025 the book it says I received two Bachelor's degrees -- that's a misprint! I received one Bachelor's with a double major!
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You can buy the book at BHI's online bookstore! (Linked below)
Reconstruction of DUFFY
DUFFY, a fossil whose rights belong to BHIGR, is the name given to a Tyrannosaurus rex specimen. The company asked me to do reconstructions for their 50th anniversary magazine, and I was honored to be able to give a face to this beautiful creature. I worked with Alex Ruger, with advice from Peter Larson and under the supervision of Sharon Weaver and Sam Farrar, in order to research what he would have looked like, culminating in an article published in a 50th anniversary magazine published the spring of 2024, edited by Kristin Donnan.
I've lowered the resolution of the images in order to protect copyright.
