Beetle Calligraphy
I enjoy dabbling in Calligraphy and hand lettering. Here is a piece that I made a few years ago for my husband’s birthday. It says Chalcosoma – a beautiful genus of beetle, which at the time husband was raising.
Here’s a quick story of how I became interested in Calligraphy and lettering: Some years ago I was working on a sketchbook specifically dedicated to beetles. Each beetle drawing was accompanied by it’s scientific name, which I hand lettered (as best as I could at the time). Every day I would create a beetle illustration to post on Flickr. A wonderful friend and neighbor of mine, Orrin (and Gayle) would critique my work. I love a good honest critique, and always enjoyed the input. So one day Orrin told me that if I stepped up the quality of the lettering a bit it would make the beetle illustrations all the more aesthetic. He was (and often is) right. Orrin was about 83 at that time and I have a great deal of admiration and respect for him and his advise. So I heeded his words and set out to improve my lettering, which soon lead me to calligraphy. I’ve been doing it ever since, and Orrin approves. Thank you, Orrin!
Beetle Love
Some beetle sketches from many moons ago.
Dobsonfly
While surfin’ around the other day looking at insect photos and reading up on the six-legged, I came across a cool Word Press blog called Confessions of an Entomologist. As I perused the neat posts and stories, one in particular got me thinking about the Dobsonfly, Why World Oceans Day is Sexy. So, one thing lead to another and here is my watercolor of a Dobsonfly. Be sure to check out the links above to read more about the very interesting lifecycle of the Dobsonfly
Goofin’ around again. The attempt has been to to go right in with brush and paints, no references and little planning. In other words, stepping out of my comfort zone. The process has been a lot of fun, and once again I can’t help but humor myself by playing around with these silly little characters.
Sketchbook Fun – Beetle Sketches
Dragonfly Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans) Florida
A few dragonfly photos as I’m in the process of some artwork. I think that she was probably on her last day or close to expiring. I think this because of docile behavior and because she looks old in the face and the jagged wing tips.
Paper Wasp Nest (Polistes exclamans) Florida
Thought I’d post a cool photo while I work on some art projects. I love these wasps and photograph them with great respect as they are very protective of their nests, and will sting. You will notice that some of the cells in this nest are capped closed. The larvae spin silk over the opening of their cell prior to entering the pupal stage. Each day I watch as more and more cells are enclosed.
Robber Fly (Assassin Fly)
These hairy little guys are pretty fierce and aggressive predatory flies. From the family Diptera. I’ve enjoyed the Robber Fly in action many times. They seem to be completely unbothered by humans and focused on the hunt. It is not unusual to see one zoom by with another fly or even a dragon fly in his grasp. A patient viewer can observe a Robber Fly as he scope-out and hunts down his prey. One may even get to view as he uses his small proboscis (straw-like mouth part) to liquefy and devour his prey. This painting was done with watercolor and Prismacolor colored pencils on illustration board 11″ x 14″
If you’re interested in more info on robber Flies : http://www.everythingabout.net/articles/biology/animals/arthropods/insects/flies/robber_fly/
Blue-Eyed Darner – Aeshna multicolor
I was asked recently if I illustrate dragonflies. I do but have not posted one. The reason being that most of the insects I illustrate are created with field guide quality in mind. In other words, one should be able to use my illustrations for identification purposes. When identifying a dragonfly the markings often used are the cells and veins on the wings right down to the smallest detail. Those details may only be noticeable to the trained, keen-eyed entomologist. Though keen-eyed, I am not a trained entomologist. That said, this illustration is very accurate however, I cannot guarantee that I did not leave out a vein line or add extra cells.
Insect Girl
So Vani suggested that I paint something uhh a little less technical. He told me to begin with only paintbrush and paints. NO pre-drawing, NO planning and NO thinking. Grrrrrr! I worked at it for days and I’m still not sure if I like it or if it’s finished. She went through several incarnations before settling on this one. She is similar to the Lilliputians that I draw in my sketchbooks, but they rarely meet canvas and paints. Any suggestions-positive or negative- are welcome. The painting can use a name too….
Killing Jar Studio 