moonvoice (ravenari)

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





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Jaguarundi // Herpailurus yagouaroundi // Etsy




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Arctic Fox // Vulpes lagopus // Etsy





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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





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




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Claudina Agrias // Agrias claudina claudina // Etsy





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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





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Persian Onager // Equus hermionus onager




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Asian Golden Cat // Catopuma temminckii





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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





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Oriental Dollarbird // Eurostomus orientalis




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Rainbow Bee Eater // Merops ornatus





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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





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Mongolian Toad // Strauchbufo raddei




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Siberian Flying Squirrel // Pteromys volans





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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.

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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.

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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. :)

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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.

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For the Unusuals deck.

I really like when I start to memorise the taxonomic names for all of these animals. Some fall away like fog, but others stay. Mellisuga helenae is a pretty name, and so is Zunzuncito.

With the completion of this piece, I now actually only have two animals left before completing all 40 cards of this deck. So the next batch of three will see both decks completed re: the art, and then everything after that is formatting. There is...actually a chance that this could be published by the end of the year. But with health stuff, I am doubt.

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Bee Hummingbird || Mellisuga helenae || Etsy || Wildspeak Animal Dictionary




Keywords:

Small but fierce. Gusto. Full steam ahead. Your power is underestimated, but you know your inner fire. Flashes of insight. Reach. Unique relationships. A fierce inner flame. Living life at a different speed to others. Rushing around. Close friends are better than many acquaintances. Flower essences and magic. Moving at speed. Fashion is a language.

Description:

The bee hummingbird (zunzuncito) – Mellisuga helenae – is the world’s smallest bird, and is endemic to Cuba. The iridescence on their feathers is not always noticeable, and depends greatly on the angle at which they’re viewed. Their long bills are perfectly adapted for reaching deeply into flowers for nectar, and they can only feed from approximately ten plants, being remarkably co-evolved. The pollen that deposits on its bill and head helps with pollination. They can consume half of their body weight in food per day.

Bee hummingbirds are strong, fast flyers despite their size, and in one day can visit 1,500 flowers, with wings that beat around 80 times per second. They will also eat spiders and insects. They are notably plump in appearance, unlike other small hummingbirds. Their eggs are the size of coffee beans or peas. It is speculated that they may have the second fastest animal heartbeat in the world, at 1,260 beats per minute.

Males court females with display dives, and making sounds with their tail feathers. During courting displays, males can beat their wings up to 200 times a second. Females make tiny cup-shaped nests, using cobwebs, lichen, and bark. They will line the inside of their nests with soft plant fibres. Offspring are cared for by their mother for nearly three weeks. Because of their small size they have a wide range of predators, like birds, mongoose, bees, wasps, frogs, spiders, and fish. However, the biggest impact to their survival is human activity.

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For the Unusuals deck.

Australian marsupial moles have always been fascinating to me. They're, for a start, a great example of convergent evolution. They're not related to any of the moles in the northern hemisphere, yet evolved to fit the niche of moles, and look like moles, with several exceptions - their golden, iridescent fur, and the fact that they don't make tunnels, but swim in sand, every place they go collapsing behind them as they swim in sand the way a turtle swims in the sea.

Most Australians will never see one. They're too rare, too unusual, too desert-bound. Rare and unusual even for the locals in this country.

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Marsupial Mole || Notoryctidae || Etsy || Wildspeak Animal Dictionary




Keywords:

Diving below the surface. Sand wisdom. Using your senses wisely. Believing what you feel and not what you see. The heart of the desert. Wait for the rains to clear. Unusual situations. Confirmation of your beliefs. Let go of doubt, it is doing nothing for you. Faith.

Description:

The marsupial mole of Australia consists of two similar species of burrowing marsupial found in the deserts of Australia. They are a great example of convergent evolution, where despite not being related to the moles of the northern hemisphere, they evolved remarkably similar characteristics and lifestyles to fill that niche in Australia.

They are a beautiful cream-golden colour with an iridescent sheen, have vestigial eyes and no external ears. The marsupial mole’s nostrils are protected by a horny plate and its front paws have evolved two shovelling claws. Marsupial moles live underground and occasionally surface after rain. They consume insects such as ants and termites as well as seeds.

Due to often living in sandy environments their tunnels often collapse behind them, it often looks as though they locomote by swimming through the sand. They have evolved a backwards facing pouch so that it does not fill with sand. They are unique among marsupials, and not thought to be closely related to any other marsupials, they have been around for at least 50 million years. Marsupial moles are solitary and make squealing noises if disturbed.

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For the Unusuals Deck.

I knew I wanted an Anglerfish in this deck, and like with the Giant Pangolin, I struggled to get one in here. Less because of them being Critically Endangered, and more because, quite honestly, it's really hard to find good reference images and to associate those images accurately with certain species. I've seen the same photos used for almost every single species of Himantolophidae. That's not great! So I went with a more general Genus name.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons players may recognise this fish already!

I am incredibly happy with how this art came out. The shadows are much darker and denser in person, and the light is almost luminous.

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Anglerfish / Footballfish || Himantolophidae || Etsy || Wildspeak Animal Dictionary




Keywords:

Search the murk. Do not trust the brightest lure. Wariness. Know your surroundings. Use other senses. Intuition. Unconscious workings. Otherworlds. The underworlds. You have power to attract what you need at this time. Symbiosis. Be grateful to what keeps you alive. The creatures within you, sustain and support you. The life you cradle closest have your best interests at heart. Look at imbalance in close relationships. Your problems look scarier than they are. Twilight wisdom. Shadow work.

Description:

Himantolophidae is a family of deep-sea anglerfish. They are also known as footballfish or football-fish. They are found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. They are usually found in the deep-sea, often in the mesopelagic region, or twilight zone. Their sizes can vary, but the largest can be over 60 centimetres. Despite looking naturally fearsome and even horrifying to many humans, they pose no threat, are rarely sighted by humans, and cannot be eaten.

They are extremely sexually dimorphic, with males being tiny compared to the females. Females have huge mouths with rows of sharp teeth, as well as the lures and multiple sensory organs, as well as some bony plates. Males are parasitic in nature, having no lure or true teeth. It is not known if they are even capable of feeding at maturity. They attach themselves to females and their flesh melts into the female’s, at which point they become inseparable, as the male now uses the female’s blood in his system. Males are utilised in this way for their sperm.

They are notably round, with a bioluminescent lure (esca) that is used to attract prey. The bioluminescence in the lure and throughout their bodies is created by a symbiotic relationship with bacteria. They are mostly sedentary carnivores, waiting for their prey in deep open water. Their main diet consists of pelagic fish, cephalopods, and shrimp, who are all generally attracted to the light-emitting lure. One of their natural predators are sperm whales and other anglerfish.


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