Sketching Along with "The Living Edens" and the Sci-Art Tweetstorm

Symbiartic's Science Art Tweetstorm is back!  Today is technically the last day of the event, so I'm sharing sketches I drew while I watched "The Living Edens: Manu, Peru".

The above drawings were on the last few pages of my Articka Note Sketchbook.  The next batch are on the first few pages of my current Sketchbook, the Ohuhu Marker Pad.  Both are square, take ink and pencils nicely, both are okay with watercolors, and both call to mind the Illo Sketchbook.  So far, I'd put all these Sketchbooks on basically equal footing.

Also, the best way to combat "first page blues" is to go straight from one Sketchbook to the next and the second best way is to find reference of one of your favorite animals and draw their butt.

(Say why didn't any dinosaur books that mentioned Hoatzens told me they are pretty?  Because darn, that is one beautiful bird.)

A Spec-Evo Spectacular! Let's Watch "Alien Worlds"!

Before I get into the review proper, I want to express my gratitude and joy for TetZooMCon 2020.  The annual TetZoo Convention went virtual this year, and so it was the first time I got to attend.  It was wonderful!  I really hope they keep Zoom/remote attendance an option in the future; if so, I'll know to grab a ticket to the Paleoart workshop early and stick around for the after party.

Speculative Biology!  You love it, I love it, but it so rarely shows up in anything mainstream.  Usually we get a weird one-off Discovery Channel oddity or a handful of cherished books.  So it's wonderful that Netflix has a whole high-profile four-episode SpecBio series.  I can heartily recommend "Alien Worlds" so here's the trailer:

Now, I thought "Alien Worlds" was very nice.  I feel like I like it more than most because I didn't have as much of a problem with the segments where the biological concepts portrayed by the aliens were demonstrated by real-world creatures, and I liked the interviews with the scientists.  After all, these concepts are always new to somebody.  And given that, at time of writing, "Alien Worlds" is in Netflix's top ten, that means a lot of people are learning how awesome extremophiles are.

The creature designs are overall decent.  I feel like we got a nice mix of the familiar and the really alien.  I think the Pentapods and Skygrazers were my favorite, with the Mothbuns as an honorable mention; their base design wasn't that imaginative (they look like... a moth-bunny), but I love that they're a relatively "normal" looking creature with a Bizarre Alien Life-Cycle.  God, I love the "normal-ish creature turns out to have a really weird behavior or life-cycle or something trope.

Mostly, I hope we get more Speculative Biology series like this.  The popularity of the series means there's definitely an audience for it.  I also want to look for the "Alien Planet" series that this has been compared to often, based on Wayne Barlowe's classic Expedition, because I have not seen that since it's initial broadcast.  We'll see if Santa brings me the new edition of Expedition to compare/contrast.  

I also want Sophie Okonedo to narrate everything.  In the meantime...

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Art of the Day!  For a treat, here are some very very early creature designs of my own from (I think) way back in 1991.  Most of them are more fantastical than speculative, strictly speaking, but I like them; especially the dogbird and stegocow!

2018 Animal Kingdom Sketches

I went to Animal Kingdom for the first time since they opened Pandora: The World of Avatar Pandora Landora!  But before we talk about that, we need to dive deep into the early days of this blog and talk Moleskines and Moleskine alternatives.



The unthinkable happened; I was about to go on a trip and did not have a new Sketchbook handy to start once my current one ran out of pages.  (I draw through and entire Sketchbook and start a new one immediately.  I have heard this is unusual of me but my broken OCD brain and I just can't believe it.)  Fortunately, I was able to order the two lovelies pictured above right away from Amazon.

The one on top is the one I am currently using and that went to Florida with me, the ZenArt Supplies B6 Sketchbook.  And it's very nice for sketching, doodling, and writing with a pencil or ballpoint pen.  But the pages are almost ridiculously thin; I have to scan with a sheet of card stock in between the pages or you'd have a nice preview of the art on the next page.  Art markers bleed right through and the pages roll over and give up at the very sight of even a dry-ish watercolor brush.  It fits right in my purse, though, and so this little Sketchbook joined me on every ride, show, exhibit, and other adventure in Disney World.  (For what it's worth, yes the paper is blacklight sensitive.)

And the ZenArt went to Animal Kingdom with me.  I have to say the ZenArt is very nice for drawing quickly on the spot.  I suppose though, so would a Sketchbook with nicer paper of the same size.  Oh well, here are the studies of the animals there:

In Which I Meet (And Draw) Some Friendly Sheep

Went to a local farm not too long ago and met these gentle floofy friends:

Turkey Time!

Sometimes you're just stumped for things to draw.  And then sometimes a flock of wild turkeys walks through your yard.  This handsome boy stuck around for a bit, displaying to his ladies, long enough for me to paint his portrait.

"Next of Kin" and Harvard Museum of Natural History Studies

Speaking as an artist, I'm not sure if drawing stuffed animals can teach me anything meaningful anymore.

Let's back up.  I was back in Boston for a week last month and decided I might as well enjoy the local attractions.  I hadn't been to Harvard to draw in ages and I'd heard they had a new exhibit that was a must-see, so I headed over there.

That new exhibit, man.  It's called Next of Kin.  The HMNH is so *old* that many of its skeletal and taxidermy specimens are from severely endangered or even extinct animals.  Artist Christina Seely, working alongside The Canary Project, an organization of ecologically-minded scientist/artists, created an art installation using many of these specimens.  Combining sculpture, photography, and music (including the calls of extinct animals), it's a stunning and incredibly moving marriage of science and art.  It is indeed, to borrow a phrase, not to be missed.  You've got until June to catch it. 

Oh yeah, and a far, far more accurate title for it would be "You Will Need A Strong Drink And A Good Long Stare At The Wall After This One."

It managed to haunt my entire visit.

I felt *bad* walking among the taxidermy in a way that's hard to put into words.  I drew a lot, as you can see, but I felt bad about it.  Even weirdly complacent - these were, after all, living animals that had been killed and stuffed in "lifelike" poses just so people like me could come and study their propped-up pelts.  So I really don't know if dead animals have anything left to teach me.

Anyway, on that cheerful note, art!







I got home with a desperate need to see *living* animals.  And so a few days later...

WDW Trip Report: Animal Kingdom Sketches

Oh yes, it is time!   Time to share what me and my little Moleskine Watercolor Sketchbook got up to while in Disney's Animal Kingdom:



Wild Anhinga spotted on the river, a duck (Pochard?), and a really cool plant.



More abstract studies of another Anhinga.



On the subject of birds, there is a new presentation at Dinoland USA that features live birds, is essentially a sequel to my beloved Flights of Wonder, and matter-of-factly presents birds as a kind of dinosaur.  This... okay, Dinoland still makes me drink heavily, but this is a very nice change for the better.  More like this, please.





Flights of Wonder is still awesome and I finally got to sit in the "I'm glad I am wearing a hat" seats.  Only thing is, I thought I'd heard that the show had finally received a rewrite, but it seems essentially the same.  I tell you, the Dr. Guano story is getting as taxing as Little Red back in the day.



The Komodo Dragon was surprisingly spry, and the Lion Macaques are a new addition.



A graceful Tree Monitor, a handsome Jungle Fowl, and a Mystery Bovine!  (All Ears identifies it as a Banteng, while the Cast Member I asked called it a Water Buffalo.  Either way, nice model.)



An Argus Pheasant and Crowned Pigeon...



...and some studies from my Safari photos.



Bonus: A Limpkin I met at the Boardwalk docks...



And a surprisingly graceful Manatee at the Living Seas.

Drop Everything and watch "Imagining Zootopia"

So... I'm postponing my long Chronological Disney Canon review of "Zootopia" until it's out on home media.  This is partially because everyone already knows that it is an excellent movie and there isn't much I could add to the current conversation.  It's mostly because I really want to do a Live-Tweet commentary (I need a name for these; Twitmentaries?*) of it because this cute Disney cartoon movie where animals wear clothes and talk and do people things is freakin' packed with interesting stuff to talk about. 

Which brings us, in the meantime, to this very cool and good Fusion channel documentary, "Imagining Zootopia".  It is not only reminiscent of the "Making Of" documentaries the Disney Channel used to air in the immediate wake of their new animated film releases, a tradition I dearly miss, it also demonstrates just how much careful consideration was taken into the film and the issues it tackles.  You'll get to see different, generally darker and weirder early versions of "Zootopia", great demonstrations of the intersection of art and science, moving personal stories from the writers, and it really is just awesome to see the current team of Disney animators at work.  It was posted on YouTube a few days too early, and is officially marked as unlisted, but you can watch it here.  Note that there are spoilers with regards to plot and theme, so watch this after seeing the movie.

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Art of the Day!

By far the most controversial part of "Zootopia" is the traditional Disney end-credit scene, cause it's just John Lasseter pointing at the audience, laughing at us, and saying, "Ha ha, you are all Furries now!"**

My Fursona would totally fall for the Pawpcicles.



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* - Speaking of Twitmentaries (I like that name; I'm keeping it), I really need to do "Frozen" as part of the Princess Project one of these days, huh?  I'd really like to do "Inside-Out" sometime too.  I've also been sitting on this rental DVD of "The Good Dinosaur" for days, and "E.T." was just added to Netflix Instant -- boy-howdy, that'd be an awesome one to analyze.  In the meantime, adults, watch "E.T." with a kid you know cause I feel like there's a generation who missed out on being thoroughly freaked out by it.

** - I'm going to get weird comments from humorless people about this aren't I?

Animal Kingdom Drawings

With any luck, I'll be seeing "Zootopia" soon and will add another glowing (Or not?!?  Nah, I'll probably like it a lot.) review to the giant pile.  Until then, Disney animals of another sort:


I hadn't ever seen the African Wild Dogs/Painted Wolves/Lycaon pictus before on the safari.  I think they were added rather recently.  Beautiful, cool animals.  So of course the driver introduced them as "The nastiest animals on the savanna."  Of course.


I've a hell of a story to go along with the above lioness and zebra.  We'd just made the turn around the lion habitat and there's a zebra standing in the road.  The lioness became very interested in this.  The folks at the back of the jeep started freaking out because they could not see the zebra, so they were sure the lion was very interested in *us*.  I knew we were safe as kittens (1. It's Disney World and 2. moats!), and the situation diffused almost immediately after the zebra moseyed on, but yikes.

Also, while I will spare you the photograph (which as blurry as hell, hence no drawing either), we got to see endangered baboons -er- in the process of making themselves a little less endangered if you catch my drift.  The realest sh*t right there, in Disney's Animal Kingdom.


I don't understand why skipping the fruit bats is even an option.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Drawings!

I've got at least half a dozen posts to sort out and write!  But let's start with this: I LOVE Animal Kingdom Lodge.  I love it I love it I love it!  I want to get into more detail later but look at the drawings I was able to do over breakfast:

"Do something instead of being afraid." - Let's watch 1990's Earth Day Special!

Remember back in 1990, when Gaia appeared in front of a kind-of-evil Robin Williams in the glorious form of Bette Midler and would've died if not for the valiant efforts of Neil Patrick Harris in-character as Doogie Howser M.D.?



All joking aside, yes, it's the cusp of the 80's and the 90's.  Yes, looked at from a certain angle, it's the weirdest "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" Prequel / "Ghostbusters" and "Back to the Future" Sequel ever.  And yes, this is a nearly two-hour movie where Gaia appears in front of a kind-of-evil Robin Williams in the glorious form of Bette Midler and would've died if not for the valiant efforts of Neil Patrick Harris in-character as Doogie Howser M.D. (and as far as I know, Michael Eisner wasn't involved).  And yes, there is a scene where Midler-Gaia, in a last-ditch effort to save herself, litters, and the litter lands near E.T. (who's just kind of there for reasons unknown), who turns it into a book that teaches some children and IDK, WTF.  But dang me if I wasn't genuinely moved by this special.  I mean, that bit with Kermit and Robin...


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Sketch of the Day!

In honor of all the adorable amphibians out there, meet my #Salamandersona!

"I'm Still Comparing My Past to My Future" - Thoughts on "Big Hero 6"

Movie #68: "Big Hero 6"

It's hard not to compare "Big Hero 6" with other recent Disney films and with other animated features that cover similar themes.  And to me, that's being unfair to this very good animated Disney feature, so rather than say that this is the best Cute Kids and Robots animation since "Iron Giant" (and, like "Iron Giant", is that vanishingly rare case of creating an excellent film by completely ignoring the source material), let's talk about how awesome this movie makes science.

Succinct version:😍😍😍

Yup, we got ourselves a Walt Disney Studios animated feature film with a matter-of-fact no-big-deal diverse cast of engineering geniuses who save the day through science.  This is awesome.  I feel like "Big Hero 6" has succeeded where "Meet the Robinsons" tried and failed, maybe due to the former having a much more streamlined plot and smaller cast of characters.  I do agree that the secondary characters should've had as bit more room to breathe (side-note: I totally understand why we're getting "Frozen 2", but I don't *get* why we're getting "Frozen 2").  But the focus of the story is on the relationship between Hiro and Baymax, and for me, they've already joined the ranks of the great Disney BFFs.

For more posts in this ongoing series, go here, or click the Chronological Disney Animated Canon tag below.

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Sketch of the Day!

Appropos of nothing, have some "Ocarina of Time" fanart:

It's a Science-Art Tweetstorm!

Do you like science?  Do you like art?  How about when science and art combine?  Heck yeah, you do!  After all, you're reading this blog aren't you?

This week on Twitter, Glendon Mellow of Symbiartic is inviting artists to share their science and nature-related or influenced art.  If you'd like to participate, here are the instructions from Glendon:

Post your art on Twitter using the #SciArt hashtag.
Aim to post a minimum of 3 of your works per day, so 21 for the week.
Feel free to post more, a lot more than 3.
Post anything sciart-related: sketches, finished pieces, cartoons, fine art, bioart, paleoart, medical illustration, nature painting, you name it.
Works do not have to be new. Get out that back catalogue. If there's one thing I've learned about Twitter, it's that your old artwork is always new to someone.
Post the same piece more than once. If you've got an image or 2 you really want to promote, the audience at 2pm Tuesday is not the same as the audience at 2am Friday.
By all means , promote your blog and online store. A tweet consisting of "(name of art), (link to website) #SciArt" + the image itself looks perfect to me.
Try to retweet at least 5 other #sciart tweets by other people per day.We are not policing this effort, so more or less is fine. Whatever you are comfortable with.

The goal of this is to share the variety and importance of art as it relates to science. By posting a huge flurry of tweets all in one week, we hope to reach an even broader audience. We hope you'll be a part of it!

Sounds like fun!  I'll be posting @Babbletrish and hope to see lots of participants.

Update: Nature took notice!