moonvoice | Recent Entries

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If your journal is empty or you haven't updated (publically) in years, please introduce yourself! Otherwise it feels a bit like being subscribed to by a ghost, lol, and I won't feel comfortable granting access.

2. I feel strongly about trigger warnings and cutting things for sensitive content. I will try and catch a lot of things here under cuts (or filters). I have endeavoured to make this a safe space. However this is first and foremost a safe space for *me*, which means sometimes I am posting when I'm not in the right frame of mind to trigger warn or place things under cuts.

( Things you should know about me if you are considering reading/adding this journal. )

I am still working on animal teachers! I have all the art together (I think) for the Unusuals deck, and I'm actually working on a Canines and Felines deck (20 of each) to follow up, which is why things are about to get heavy with well, canines and felines! Lol.

As always, all of these are traditional art: Ink, coloured pencil, watercolour pencil, some sparkly shiny paint.

Crab-Eating Fox // Cerdocyon thous // Etsy

( Larger images under the cut )

Jaguarundi // Herpailurus yagouaroundi // Etsy

( Larger images under the cut )

Arctic Fox // Vulpes lagopus // Etsy

( Larger images under the cut )

Not me immediately planning the next 3-4 oracle decks. I already have all the art for the Unusuals deck, but I'm also compiling a British Isles deck and a Cats & Dogs (probably Felines & Canines) deck as well.

You know, to keep myself busy with the art for the next 3-4 years, lol.

I'm still amazed that I've never illustrated an Arctic Fox before, and that one has never been commissioned in all my years of illustrating animal teachers. I've drawn like 15 Red Foxes, the Arctic Fox has somehow missed me until now.

Arctic Fox // Vulpes lagopus

( Larger image under the cut )

Crab-Eating Fox // Cerdocyon thous

( Larger image under the cut )

Jaguarundi // Herpailurus yagouaroundi

( Larger image under the cut )

So after talking about it for a million years, it's finally launched!

40 cards on UV coated cardstock, the box, and the booklet, all available on The Gamecrafter for $28.99 USD.

Featuring iconic animals from all around the world, and you can go to my Wildspeak website to see the complete list here if you like. They can be collected for divination, or used as small art prints,

If you have any questions or anything, please feel free to ask!

( More photos of the deck under the cut! )

Even more animal teacher illustrations.

These ones have lagged mostly because my get up and go, got up and went when it came to actually processing the photos and the scans. Though at least I finally have the Etsy up and running again!

Life has been full and busy. There has been a death. There have been some health things. But there have also been good things too. I'm getting hopefully the final version of the Oracle Deck which means I should be able to release it really soon, an Oracle Deck! A real live Oracle Deck!

I ended up doing two Agrias butterflies unexpectedly, one so uncommon that it has no common name (i.e. it only has a scientific identifier, though I'm sure it would be called 'Hewitson's Agrias' if it had a common name anyway).

As always, all of these are traditional art: Ink, coloured pencil, watercolour pencil, some sparkly shiny paint.

Agrias hewitsonius // Etsy

( Larger images under the cut )

Asian Small-Clawed Otter // Aonyx cinereus // Etsy

( Larger images under the cut )

Claudina Agrias // Agrias claudina claudina // Etsy

( Larger images under the cut )

I've been drawing / sketching people and figures a lot more this year. I'm not very good at it. In the end though I drew one of my own characters from one of my own series, Gwyn ap Nudd, from the Fae Tales universe (I think like four of you know who he is re: my writing vs. Welsh God.)

I'd really like to do more of these. I might make the original for sale one day, or alternatively do some kind of giveaway. I'll definitely make prints and stuff available on DeviantArt and they're already available on Redbubble.

As always, water/colour pencil and ink on illustration board, with a tiny bit of metallic watercolour for accents (which you can't see on the flat scan anyway).

Gwyn ap Nudd

( Larger image under the cut )

I've been having a down day today, and the last two or three days, so I haven't been writing my 'five things' posts because they'd all be quite depressing.

I found it interesting that I was pinged so hard by the Agrias species, including one that doesn't even have a common name (Agrias hewitsonius). I really hope I can do justice to Claudina's Agrias, because I've chosen a subspecies colouring which only has about 4 reference photos on the whole internet. I get the sense there's a ton of pattern variability. I will do my best.

The Asian Small-Clawed Otter was actually one of the earliest animal teacher files on Wildspeak, and has never had matching art!

Claudina's Agrias // Agrias claudina claudina

( Larger image under the cut )

N/A // Agrias hewitsonius

( Larger image under the cut )

Asian Small-Clawed Otter // Aonyx cinereus

( Larger image under the cut )

More animal teacher illustrations.

I don't know why I've been doing so many this year. I guess it's just a combination of where I'm at, and where my urges are taking me. It's been a lot of fun though, especially since I'm not filling in a 'deck' so much as just doing whatever animals are calling to me loudest at any one time.

The Ruby-Eyed Green Pit Viper is one of the most elaborate pieces I've done in a while, but I love the dynamism. The Persian Onager feels so gentle. And the Asian Golden Cat was very challenging, capturing its peculiar coat colourations, it's truly a stunning cat.

Ruby-Eyed Green Pit Viper // Craspedocephalus rubeus

( Larger images under the cut )

Persian Onager // Equus hermionus onager

( Larger images under the cut )

Asian Golden Cat // Catopuma temminckii

( Larger images under the cut )

I've written 2000 words today on Falling Falling Stars, and managed to make a decent breakfast (smoked salmon on wholemeal crackers, with capers, which I made up a song about that goes: 'Looks like peas but taste like the salty briny berries of sataaaannnnnn').

Listening to Manchester Orchestra and about to go lie down. Sleep has been strange and fickle lately. Today though, I feel a bit more alive than usual.

Persian Onager // Equus hermionus onager

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Asian Golden Cat // Catopuma temminckii

( Larger image under the cut )

Ruby-Eyed Green Pit Viper // Craspedocephalus rubeus

( Larger image under the cut )

The animal teacher illustrations continue apace.

I don't know if I'm burnt out, I'm certainly depressed, and my mental health hasn't been that great. But I don't think it's terribly surprising given things in Western Australia right now (experiencing our first ever Covid peak).

I'm hoping to be able to open the Etsy store some time by the end of the month.

Mrs Gould's Sunbird // Aethopyga gouldiae

( Larger images under the cut )

Oriental Dollarbird // Eurostomus orientalis

( Larger images under the cut )

Rainbow Bee Eater // Merops ornatus

( Larger images under the cut )

A weirdly fast turnover with these ones. Two are Australian birds, and one, the Rainbow Bee Eater is local to me. I remember the first time I saw them, I also saw their nesting burrows, which can be over a metre deep. Stunning little creatures.

I've been tired and depressed lately. I think a combination of the Patreon income steadily declining, and mostly just feeling like I don't really want to be doing anything, while being agitated and restless at the same time. Is it burnout? Or something else?

Mrs Gould's Sunbird // Aethopyga gouldiae

( Larger image under the cut )

Oriental Dollarbird // Eurostomus orientalis

( Larger image under the cut )

Rainbow Bee Eater // Merops ornatus

( Larger image under the cut )

These were the first animal teachers I actually illustrated this year, it's just due to fatigue I've been so lax about getting everything online in a timely manner. The art is the easy part! The social media part is challenging.

But it also feels good to be sharing these again. :)

I hope you enjoy them. As always, traditional art, mostly colour and watercolour pencil, ink, and some minor metallic watercolour and iridescent acrylic for accents to make it SHINY.

Earless Monitor Lizard // Lanthanotus borneensis

( Larger images under the cut )

Mongolian Toad // Strauchbufo raddei

( Larger images under the cut )

Siberian Flying Squirrel // Pteromys volans

( Larger images under the cut )

Might go into a deck one day. Honestly the deck/s have been on hold due to global shipping issues (especially USPS blocking all shipping to Australia for 6 months, though it's much better now, it's still not really 'fixed' like it was before, and many small businesses are still not shipping to us).

I've realised I'm very much just...wanting to illustrate a lot of rare animals these days. Chances are you may not have heard of all, or even any of these birds (since the last time I posted the inked versions anyway).

All of these coloured with coloured pencil, watercolour pencil, ink, and then a little bit of metallic watercolour and iridescent acrylic for accents.

Green-Billed Malkoha // Phaenicophaeus tristis

( Larger images under the cut )

Spangled Cotinga // Cotinga cayana

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Tacazze Sunbird // Nectarinia tacazze

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The last for the Iconics deck!

Tigers always get snapped up super fast and this one is already technically spoken for, though the person who tentatively put it on hold may not want it anymore, at which point I'll relist it on Etsy.

I can't believe now I've got my 80 pieces of art for these decks? It's been a long haul. And I'm very intimidated by starting the formatting and so on. But I'm also definitely a lot closer.

*

Bengal Tiger || Panthera tigris tigris || Etsy || Wildspeak Animal Dictionary

Keywords:

Power. Charisma. Attraction. Confidence. Ruling over one’s domain. Maintain your boundaries. Willpower. Courage. Taking time to learn. Monitor your anger and aggression. Forest wisdom. How do you feel about your biggest emotions? What are you hiding from? Unpredictability. Majesty. Self-pride and self-worth. Confrontation.

Description:

The Bengal tiger (also known as the Royal Bengal tiger) – Panthera tigris tigris – is an Endangered subspecies of tiger native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. They are one of the biggest large cats in the world, and widely recognised for the charismatic, powerful apex predators that they are. They are obligate carnivores. They inhabit many types of forest (moist evergreen, tropical, tropical dry forest, subtropical, temperate upland, moist deciduous forest etc.) as well as mangroves and grasslands. They are attracted to habitats where their preferred prey – ungulates (such as many species of deer, as well as buffalo, boar, porcupines, hares and peafowl) – are found in high number. There are fewer than 2600-3,300 wild Bengal tigers in the world as of 2018.

Males are larger than females, and tigers have the largest and longest teeth of any cat in the world. Adults rarely come together and fighting between the species can be particularly vicious. When food it plentiful, however, sometimes Bengal tigers will congregate. Otherwise the known social unit is a mother with her offspring. Males are usually solitary. All Bengal tigers maintain home ranges that ideally includes water, prey and shelter. While maintaining range boundary, they encounter other adults, which assists with locating mates. Some adults may even tolerate transient tigers in their territory, though this is usually temporary. Infanticide of tiger litters is quite common. Bengal tigers do not tend to leave their mothers until they are around 2-3 years old, at which point they become transient, while looking for their own territory.

Bengal tigers are known to kill predators on occasion, such as leopards, wolves, jackals, foxes, crocodiles, and bears. On extremely rare occasions, they may kill elephants, but this is unusual. They have a ‘feast or famine’ style of feeding due to their hunting methods, eating huge amounts of meat, followed by many days of fasting.

Bengal tigers are increasingly poaching human livestock, due to constant human encroachment on their territories. At times like this they will sometimes attack, kill and eat humans. Their greatest threats include habitat destruction, poaching (for fur, meat, and use as ‘alternative medicine’), and human-tiger conflict. Despite this, they are a beloved and charismatic animal, and there are many conservation efforts underway throughout the world. It is the national animal of India.

( More images under the cut. )

The last illustration for the Unusuals Deck (I think).

I've always been fascinated by fireflies. We don't have them here in Western Australia, but they're so significant in so many cultures. I've always loved lights in nature, and bioluminescence, and phosphorescence.

Firefly was elusive to me at first. And I realised that he was trying to convey a sense of atmosphere rather than centralising himself as many of the animal teachers do. So we ended up with a strange composition, him signalling in the corner (even though he would normally be flying, let's forgive him for taking a rest), and many fireflies in the distance. A sense of community, and collective.

*

Common Eastern Firefly || Photinus pyralis || Etsy || Wildspeak Animal Dictionary

Keywords:

Flashes of insight. The light within. There’s always more than one answer, more than one idea. Forest inspiration. Night forests. Communication with the light and colour spectrum. Healing light. Nostalgia. The passage of time. Bittersweet. Speaking in code. Having your own special language with loved ones. Beware of burnout. Beware of people stealing your energy. Attracted to danger.

Description:

The common eastern firefly (big dipper firefly) – Photinus pyralis – is found in North America. It is a flying beetle that produces light from an organ in its abdomen. Males have larger light organs than the females. They are most noticeable around twilight, and hover close to the ground. Adult fireflies have short lifespans, spending most of their life in larval form.

As larvae, common eastern fireflies are carnivores, and prefer to eat soft-bodied insects like slugs, snails, worms or other larvae. However, they have been known to eat jumping spiders to take in their venom. They do not feed as adults. Other fireflies (from the Photuris family) will sometimes lure male common eastern fireflies by mimicking the light flashes of females, in order eat them and obtain chemicals that repel spiders. In order to deter predators, they’ll use unpleasant odours or sticky substances (reflex bleeding) to protect themselves.

Males in particular use patrolling flash patterns while luring a mate. Light conditions of the evening around them determine the patterns they use. Females will respond with a delayed coded flash, twisting their abdomen towards the male. Males will fly in a noticeable J-shape, but females are sedentary. If two males approach a sedentary female at the same time, they often become aggressive to each other. Males will offer food gifts of spermatophores, which females will then use to give nutrients to their eggs.

( More images under the cut. )

For the Unusuals deck.

The first illustration I did of Snail as an animal teacher I hated. It's one of the only animal teacher illustrations I've thrown out. The second, I loved so much I kept it and refuse to list it for sale. It goes on my altar a couple of times a year. This one - well, I don't feel as much of a connection to the Giant African Land Snail, even though they're popular on Tumblr as 'slime puppies' - but I still really enjoy just how much detail I was able to get.

But Snail really helps with that kind of focus. I'm particularly pleased with the shell. :)

*

Giant African Land Snail || Lissachatina fulica || Etsy || Wildspeak Animal Dictionary

Keywords:

Invasion. Slow is fast. Initially underestimated. Religious offerings. Loved and hated. What are you giving back. Sensuality. Healing touch. Massage. Connection to sacred sexualities. Endurance. Relentlessness. Different connections to different people. You contain multitudes. Many-truths. Sticky situations. Check in on your health.

Description:

The Giant African land snail (sometimes confused with other giant African snails) – Lissachatina fulica (also Achatina fulica) – is a large species of nocturnal snail which, outside of its native range of eastern Africa, is a significant feral pest throughout the world. It is the most invasive species of snail. The Giant African land snail has a shell that varies between 50-10 centimetres, with a width of 10 centimetres at maturity. The body of the snail can sometimes extend up to 30 centimetres in length. Colour variations vary widely depending on what the snail consumes, though there are usually alternating bands of brown and tan.

In the Galapagos and eastern Africa, they prefer to live in high humidity warm tropical climates that are mild all year around. They are found in habitats such as wetlands, coastal regions, agricultural areas, natural and plantation forests, and many other places. During dry or cool weather, they will aestivate in loose soil or under rocks. Giant African land snails primarily herbivorous and eat decaying organic matter, such as fallen fruit, manure, paper, cardboard, even garbage. It has been known to take sand, small rocks, concrete and bones for calcium. Younger snails eat flowers and vegetables and will eat over 500 different species of plant. They will occasionally eat other snails.

As with many other land snails, the Giant African land snail has male and female sex organs, but cannot self-fertilise, so must mate with others. During mating they will pet each other, and press their bodies against each other, with courtship lasting around 30 minutes. They are sexually mature at six months. They can travel well over 100 metres a month, when conditions are favourable. They will also be moved by humans to new locations either by accident, or purposefully, due to the pet trade. Some new populations crop up due to the dumping of pets or their eggs. The Giant African land snail can live for 5-9 years, and may lay a total of 1000 eggs.

They are a disease vector for many different diseases, including those that can cause meningoencephalitis in humans. As a feral pest, it thrives in many different habitats and is a voracious feeder, while often distributing plant diseases, causing severe and catastrophic damage to both farms and native plants. It carries diseases that can harm pets, like rat lungworm, which has been reported to kill dogs who have consumed it. It also competes with native snail species. It is one of the top 100 invasive species in the world. In its native habitat, however, the shells are offered up to the gods in religious rites and festivals.

( More images under the cut. )

I need to write my to do list for tomorrow. I wish I could just write 'lie facedown until everything goes away' but I cannot.

Maybe I shouldn't have written 2,200 words and two chapter commentaries (another 4,600 words) today. I did not think that through! But I also was so excited to get the commentaries done today.

I'm hoping to finish an Ice Plague chapter tomorrow. Chapter 26. We march on steadily to the end of the entire series.

Here are my feline friends.

A completely normal pose.

( MOAR )

An unexpected cold snap.

It's 11pm and apparently I have been struck by the Melancholies. But before going to bed, I'm going to put up some cat photos, and read a bit more on this current book on PTSD.

We had bingsu today. It was delicious.

Moet is sleeping next to me right now.

She thinks she's cute but she's not cute. Maybe, I'm trying to get work done!

( More cats and one joey (baby kangaroo) )

Gosh it's been a while since I've posted photos here of the cats!

I do share them on Instagram a fair bit, but often into my story these days, so they vanish in 24 hours. And I've been remiss in actually just...engaging in the pleasure of looking over my photos of them because it fills me with love all over again and then I go harass them.

(Maybe is currently sleeping right next to me).

They're older now. Maybe's heading towards 11 (or is...?) and Moet is marching towards 17.

Alert

( And of course, many more. )

I had a really good start of the year for cross-stitch, and then massively slowed down around late July-August actually weirdly partly because the shows I was marathoning (SVU and X-Files respectively) both got pulled from streaming sites, and I just haven't been able to get my brain back 'online' to manage to do cross-stitch again?

It's been really weird. And the stupid thing is, I own all of the X-Files, but apparently that extra step/few steps of changing the DVDs etc. is enough for my brain to go 'no, too hard, do work instead.' Not very useful!

As always, all of these are kits, I don't use hoops (or do anything 'properly') and I mostly just do it to zone out for a bit.

Owl Forest's Frog Princess x-stitch kit - This was the first kit that introduced me to 'single square' stitching, which was *intense.* You can see it on the face and the hands of the princess.

( More beneath the cut. )

RTO's - Hare in the Night x-stitch kit - This has been one of my favourite projects in a while, the colours were so interesting.

( More beneath the cut. )

Merejka's Bullfinches x-stitch kit (incomplete)

Normally I don't back-stitch until the very end of a project, but for once I'm back-stitching as I go. This is about half-way complete. (Actually now it's much further along, but I don't have a photo of that).

( More beneath the cut. )

Decorative embroidery (ongoing) - I took on this project because the hems were falling apart, and I didn't want to re-hem the jacket. It's a Studio Ghibli jacket that can't be purchased anymore, and I think I've had it for around 8 years now. It needs some more work to actually make it like, less 'falling-apart-y.' I have a habit of literally wearing my clothing until it falls apart, and now I have I guess, some very not good skills at doing something about it.

Obviously this is all hand-sewn and awful. But I'd rather walk out of the house with awful embroidery rather than like, the 50 holes in my hems, lol.

( More beneath the cut. )

These aren't filling any gaps for any decks! Though they might go into a deck one day.

I actually did these to kind of play hooky on my 'official animal teacher artwork.' I needed a break, and it has been many months since I've done any inking!

As a result I picked some of my favourite animals to draw: Extremely. Pretty. Birds. Especially ones that most people haven't heard of!

I'm really happy with the inking of these. Sometimes I think 'oh no it's been a while I think I've lost my touch.' Yeah, no, I haven't. I've gotten slowly better over time. Emphasis on the slowly.

Spangled Cotinga // Cotinga cayana