By Lisa Danford
Brandon Hawkins always loved drawing. He also had a strong interest in dinosaurs from a very young age. As he got older, it was only natural to combine the two.
“It started with the excitement of learning about different dinosaurs. That eventually grew into learning about the evolution of dinosaurs and the earth,” wrote Hawkins, 19.
“Drawing my favorite things was only natural. I used my imagination and put everything I was learning about dinosaurs into pictures.”
The drawings stopped when he was 12 years old. Hawkins came home from a friend’s birthday party with a terrible headache. During the night, he woke up unable to breathe and experienced a severe anoxic brain injury.
Years later, as a senior at Taylor High School, Hawkins took a class where each student had to complete a passion project. For him, it was teaching younger kids about dinosaurs and art.
After his earlier drawings were assembled, Hawkins decided which facts to use for each dinosaur. His coloring book, The Paleo Prince and His Dino Friends, is a play on the nickname he earned from classmates. “Seeing my work come to life again and so many kids enjoying it was amazing!” he said.
The Paleo Prince and His Dino Friends is available on Amazon.
