I spent the day cuddling adorable animals at a petting zoo, but I could always pet a few more... Bucolic scene back in IL.

I'll soon be designing a mural for a client who's partner is almost totally colorblind, but has strong opinions on the colors that they perceive. So I'm planning on giving them a bunch of different palettes to choose from and picking out a bunch they like best. We're makin it work!

I love that everyone I spoke to on my roadtrip wasn't white. Except for the white palm reader in NOLA who told me my future children are going to be little shits but I need to stay on good terms with them bc I'm going to get "nursing home old" and they'd care for me maybe.

Did you know there's a kind of butterfly that lives 25x longer than other butterflies? That's like if a human had a lifespan of 2000 years. Or something, idk, I'm not good at math. Anyway here's a bright butterfly who has seen generations, painted on a cigar box lid.

I may have achieved The Colors. You know, that combination. That one that stops you. Bright beetlebug on a cigar box lid.

More tiny paintings!!! These are inspired by another artist (of whom I can't find again) who made these kinds of bugs with moveable wings. Two of these are on cigar box lids.

This photo inspired me! Fergus was too determined, too prepped for adventure, to just not be made into a tiny painting.

Douglas Cheape@douglascheape.bsky.social · 3mo ago

As a young dog, Fergus always dreamt of travelling.

I'll be visiting New Orleans again for the first time since I was 16! I ADORE NOLA, but I've seen very little. Outside of the Garden District and French Quarter, what do I go see? I love history, art, the outdoors. Gardens, architecture, animals. Gimme recs for free or cheap things to do!

Yikes, just... yikes.

The rough texture of the plywood I painted these Peach Faced Lovebirds on was perfect for allowing that bright pink underpainting to show through. Here it is finished, and as a work in progress.

May gentle pats find their way to you today. May you find someone soft to gently pat.

Note to self, that I'm sticking to every surface in my house and also my forehead: "When you take time to nature journal, you ENJOY IT. DO IT MORE."

Hey #portfolioday, I am a freelance illustrator who loves painting light. I have worked in editorial, publishing, advertising, visual development, and games. My solo show with Gallery Nucleus begins in August! 🌐: katherinelam.com 📧: itskatherinelam@gmail.com 🖼️: www.gallerynucleus.com/events/1123

mandatory reading

Who awaits you in the misty wood?

Ready for adventure.

Not my usual style but I'm loving using paint markers on wood! And who doesn't love a squirrel?

Isopods are friendly merchants and farmers, calling to buyers by name and asking about their broods, all while keeping their own grubs close in the shade of their cauliflower stands.

More evidence that I don't have one style. These were 5" wooden things I found, sanded, and covered with acrylic paints. The images are done with acrylic markers.

If you are not in these photos, you are not allowed to say the words, "A REAL man should..." This is now the only masculinity allowed. Just mallets and car crashes and zero safety gear.

The Public Domain Review@publicdomainrev.bsky.social · 4w ago

Dramatic scenes from the auto polo fad of the 1910s and 20s. Reaching top speeds of 40mph, a driver would be accompanied by a malletman who would hold on to the side and attempt to hit a basketball toward the goal of the opposing team. More here: publicdomainreview.org/collection/a...

While I was trying to work through Edie's design (like making her a bit older, a bit less rectangular), I drew a few common expressions she'd have and tried some different outfits.

A few years ago I was asked to illustrate a graphic novel about a girl at summer camp, and her imaginary talking chameleon. I created the character designs and a few initial pages to be pitched to editors.

Do some parents really not look up what their babies' names mean before they name them? Or the origins or anything? Or do they just not care when their kid's name means something like "those who lick grass off the undersides of sheep"? And changing that "i" into a "y" doesn't fix it.

Mary Shelley: sup fuckers King: we're talking about maine politics Shelley: [stabs King] no you ain't King: oooow! Mary!! Shelley: sorry steve, i know it hurts but you have to understand Shelley: i really wanted to do it Shelley: fuckin maine!

It's true, babies love being held during quad and glute workouts. It both calms and bewilders them. And it gives their parents time to relax at the cookout.

Desert tortoise! As pets, they'll cause major property damage by digging under foundations, they'll escape, and then they'll outlive their owners. ...I still kinda want one. As babies they look like very determined gravel.

Anyone who attends big family gatherings might relate. If I'm handed a baby, lunge walks will happen. Struts, gallops, squats. I get a workout, and the baby is pretty calm. Or at least too bewildered to react much.

"I made a new friend!" Firing up the iPad to make @procreate.com doodles for the first time in a long time.