I suppose it is not surprising to any of my long-term art followers that when I start to feel comfortable with a subject I begin drawing cartoons of it. Today's case in point being the above spiny lobster. Quick sketches like this are my way of seeing what I have learned, and what I still need to know. For example, I know that spiny lobsters have four pairs of walking legs and roughly how long they are in relation to the body. How many segments are there on each leg? What shape are the final segments? More research is needed!
My next Illustration Smackdown will feature the Japanese Spiny Lobster, Panulirus japonicus. My main frustrations on this challenge relate to it not currently being lobster season. Therefore, I cannot get hold of a live spiny of either the Japanese, or closely related California variety. So I go into the Smackdown knowing that my illustration will be more of an approximation than a true scientific illustration. This is often true when depicting "living" color when working from preserved specimens. One can pull the specimen from the ethanol and measure, but the color will have dulled or changed completely. And since P. japonicus is quite the edible delicacy, most of the photos I have found are of it cooked. Frustrating! If I were working directly with an invertebrate zoologist on this illustration, I would be able to rely on their reference photos and knowledge. Time to flip through the contact list and see if I know anyone who can help...
Bonus illustration: Random Made Up Birds!
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