Using my head

The latest Illustration Smackdown posted on the From the Stacks blog featured the chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes. It also set me head-to-head with Jane Goodall, probably the only time in my life I can say that. 

In the aforementioned blog, I blather on for a bit about comparative anatomy, a subject that I find fascinating. It is a good example of why biology is, in my opinion, as much about vocabulary as it is about getting your hands dirty. Hand, paw, hoof, flipper, talon, carpals - all of these words refer to the same set of bones in different animals. While comparative anatomy is usually limited to vertebrates, it is helpful when looking at invertebrates of the same order. 

I created the above image with carbon dust on Ross Board. It was my first usage of Ross Board, due largely to the fact that it ceased being produced before I hit high school. Created by the Ross brothers out of Philadelphia, the board was used for carbon dust illustrations by medical & scientific illustrators.

It is been a long time since it was produced, although many people have tried to duplicate it. The rollers used to make the white clay-coated paper have disappeared along with the Ross brothers into history. I obtained some board through a retired illustrator and have been hesitant to use it. I feared ruining it. Ross board has a heavier tooth than other boards I have used. Having started with smoother boards, I am not sure I like it. I suppose that is all right as I only have a few pieces left. No sense in falling in love with a limited supply. *grin*

Illustration Obsession

What, you may be asking yourself, are those odd shaped sheep in that reproduced image (an engraving from ~1787), brought to us courtesy of the Biodiversity Heritage Library's Flickr stream?* They do look like sheep, don't they? Or some sort of odd ungulate-sized mice lazing about on rocks? Maybe a blocky rat, or muskrat? ...But, NO! They are bats. BATS!?!?! Printed the same size as the jaguar three plates earlier. What was Buffon thinking? I don't know, but I had to do my own illustrations of these little guys to demonstrate how much scientific illustration has improved in 200+ years...

The three bats presented in the above Buffon image done here in pastel, from top to bottom:

• Greater Bulldog bat, Nolctilio nigrita
• Ternat or Greater Yellow House bat, Pteropus vulgaris
• Senegal bat, Vespertilio nigrita

*Buffon's Natural history, containing a theory of the earth, a general history of man, of the brute creation, and of vegetables, minerals, &c. &c. From the French, with notes by the translator.  London:1797-1807.

Tooting my own horn

My new book of illustrations is out!! Twenty or so images interspersed among stunning ocean mythology poetry. Many thanks to Zachary Chartkoff for collaborating with me on this one. :) 

Get your copy here. 

Fish on Friday

Your Friday fish blog is here. I worked up this lovely Remora remora using carbon dust on illustration board for the latest Illustration Smackdown on the From the Stacks blog. Nature is full of wonderful creatures, but this one is just weird. The front dorsal fin has evolved into a giant sucker disc which the Remora uses to attach to a larger fish, turtle, ray, or shark. The larger animal swims fast enough to increase the oxygen flow over the Remora's gills, which is good since they will die in still waters. Wacky!

writing and reference

This past weekend I got some great new cards from the pickypockets booth. I spent the last three hours (in between reference questions - probably why it took so long) enhancing it with my first ever pop-up.

I had so much fun I might make a habit out of this. :)

I have! More pics after the break....

tumbling into indoor safaris

Life changes us all. 

I used to spend time planning outdoor adventures to better study the changes in nature, to witness migrations and annual events. Now I work too much, spend my time indoors and plan excursions to the grocery store. The nature side of my sketchbook suffers (while the snarky cartoons are often on the rise).

Enter social media.

Inspired by the students I work with at the university reference desk, I set up a tumblr account. While I have yet to post anything (I'm not that organized), I have subscribed to many threads that feature some awesome nature photography. When I need to sketch, to feel connected to the world out there, but have 5 more hours to go on a desk shift, I start scrolling. When an image captures my imagination, I'm off and sketching.

Cook This!

I made up a magazine and laid out the cover of the Spring Issue for the latest Illustration Smackdown. Since I have never been known for my botanical illustrations, I tried to ask why anyone would ask me to illustrate fennel in this day and age. Voila! A cooking magazine. 

I laid out the cover in Photoshop, and discovered the "bar code" font. So much easier than drawing my own. Submit your recipes in the comments by the end of the month and I'll attempt to toss together a zine (in my copious free time).  

Fun with a ball point pen

Lately, the only pen in my pocket has been a seven-year ball point (supposedly the ink will last for seven years, but I'll likely lose it long before 2019). I have been having great fun working on a full range of grays using just the one implement. Fun!

This dog is made up from my memory of dogs while sitting in one of the many waiting rooms I get to enjoy on a regular basis. :)

sheep reference thrills

Today I am thankful for a few slow moments at the reference desk. I've written seven letters, and drawn a big horn sheep - and I still have 2 hours to go! The New England Journal of Medicine has come up in five of my last seven searches for folks. I'm sure that means something.....

the truth, the vole truth and nothing but the truth

This little meadow vole just got accepted into a juried show today. I created it a while ago for a wildlife illustration class. During the research for this image, I came across an article referencing these little rodents as the largest pests of commercially grown artichokes. Wacky.