S E V E N

This marks seventh blogiversary of The Flying Trilobite

Thank you to everyone for their support, commissions and camaraderie over the past 7 years of my evopunk sciart blog!
You're all a bunch of peaches, all a'ya.

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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite © to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.
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Find me on Symbiartic, the art+science blog on the Scientific American Blog Network!

Distressed and Fit for a Saloon

Playing with ArtRage 4. Then run through the Halftone app for a filter I like.

A Flying Trilobite for 2013. 

S I X

One. 

Two. 

Three. 

Four. 

Five. 

And now, 

Six. 

The Flying Trilobite blog is six years old today. 

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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite © to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.
Portfolio
Blog
Print Shop

Find me on Symbiartic, the art+science blog on the Scientific American Blog Network!

A Big Bee

When my son was just over a year old, we'd argue about the flying trilobite tattoo on my arm.

"Can you say, 'tri-lo-bite'?"

"Bee," pointing at my arm.

"It looks like a bee, yes. But it's a trilobite."

"Try clapping out the syllables for him," Michelle, the educator, suggested.

"Okay, Calvin,"(clapping each syllable)"Tri-lo-bite," I enunciated.

Random clapping. "Bee."

Again, clapping each syllable. "Tri-lo-bite". 

An exasperated look for his father, the toddler touched my winged trilobite tattoo, looked me in the eye and said:

"A big bee."

Now he's two, and can say it just fine. After saying it clearly for the first time, holding the fossil above (minus the wings: I found the wings in the years once years ago and snapped the pic - birds had eaten the rest of the poor monarch).

After saying "Trilobite", he laughed, refused to give back the fossil, and a chase scene ensued. 

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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite © to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.
Portfolio
Blog
Print Shop

Find me on Symbiartic, the art+science blog on the Scientific American Blog Network!

High Five

High Five - Flying Trilobite and Tiktaalik © Glendon Mellow

This high five goes out to my bloggy buddy-cop policing science-art, Kalliopi Monoyios. Kalliopi and I co-blog on Symbiartic, the art + science blog on the Scientific American blog network.

For the month of September 2012, we set out to post 30 pieces of science-art, in a SciArt of the Day feature - and we made it. At times it was a bit of a marathon, but the wealth of art out there and the graciousness of the many fine artists, illustrators and creators we tapped on the shoulder was amazing. Thanks everyone!

We showed art by a viking blacksmith, horror illustrator, abstract expressionist, trompe l'oiel, superhero comic artist, cartoonists, fermented bacteria clothing, steampunk Renaissance rhinos, polarized micro-thin rocks, concept art and much more. The attempt was in part to challenge perceptions on what effective science communication can look like.

What does the future hold? We have more plans, lots of long and short posts on the go, and we'll continue to showcase creators and their images relating to science communication, education and entertainment.

You can see them all at the SciArt of the Day label on Symbiartic. We also have the whole first year's worth of science+art posts indexed here.

And Kalliopi: props. 

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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite © to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.
Portfolio
Blog
Print Shop

Find me on Symbiartic, the art+science blog on the Scientific American Blog Network!

TEST PATTERN

**TEST PATTERN**

• If there had actually been a plague of flying trilobites in your area, you would be alerted to report to your nearest government relocation camp for decontamination and flamethrower duty. 

• Please report possible sightings to black-uniformed visor-wearing authorities in your area. Follow instructions. Then head to nearest government camp for re-education. 

• Do not attempt to capture specimens from what may be a flying trilobite swarm.
 

• The government will requisition you a flamethrower and futuristic silver thermal protection jumpsuit with nifty yellow stripes. It will cost the taxpayers 
₤ 150 000. 

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**Thanks to Lucy Jain for the writing prompts on Facebook!

Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite © to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.
Portfolio
Blog
Print Shop
Find me on Symbiartic, the art+science blog on the Scientific American Blog Network!

Hybrid Flying Trilobite

Recent sketch in my Moleskine.

Royal Canadian Flying Trilobite

Royal Canadian Flying Trilobite.

Circa WWI. There have been tremendous advancements since then of course.


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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.
Portfolio
Blog
Print Shop


New!  Find me on Symbiartic, the new art+science blog on Scientific American!

Flying Trilobite Etsy

There's a lot of new original art and signed prints in my Etsy store. 

Encrinurus trilobite

Eremotherium (extinct sloth) and Glyptodon skulls

Mythical Flying Trilobite Fossil IV

Young Darwin Discovers Glyptodon sketch

 Admittedly, freelancing has been pretty rough and I'm in some immediate need, so I've put a few originals in here I haven't attempted to sell before. Consider buying one of these on Etsy and help me keep the lights on. Or you can contact me at theflyingtrilobite@gmail.com about them.

I also continue to sell prints, calendars, stickers, posters, postcards and greeting cards through my RedBubble Print Shop. As usual, my work appears online under Creative Commons and can be enjoyed digitally for free minus the cost of the weirdness inflicted.

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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow

under Creative Commons Licence.

Portfolio

Blog

Print Shop

Highest form of flattery

One of The Flying Trilobite fans on Facebook recently purchased some stickers from my print shop and let me know he had placed them on his bumper. 

photo © Thomas Trae 2011

I asked Thomas Trae if he could put the picture up and he did. 

Then he showed me the highest form of flattery toward my art:

photo and arm © Thomas Trae 2011 and forever. 

He got inked!

"Did I forget to mention the Flying Trilobite is hovering over the Megasquid?" said Thomas.  Our ensuing conversation:

• Flying Trilobite Is that painted?

  Thursday at 15:05 · 
• 

  Thomas Trae ‎'Tis inked, good sir.

  Thursday at 16:16 · 
• 

  Thomas Trae And boy did that area hurt. Not so much the trilo, but the green. Aaaaand he had to re-do it several times on different occasions.

  Thursday at 16:20 · 
• 

  Flying Trilobite Holy monkey - permanent? A tattoo? People will know you and I belong to some sort of ancient arthropod-worshipping cult --- er!! I mean people will *think* you and belong to some sort of cult. But that's just silly, heh heh....

  Yesterday at 03:55 ·  ·  1 person
• 

  Thomas Trae The trilobite just seemed to compliment the Forest Cthulhu. Yeah, we share 'the Mark' now. One day, when the stars are aligned, the Great Winged Trilo will rise from the depths of an alternate history...

  20 hours ago ·  ·  1 person

My Brother!

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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow

under Creative Commons Licence.

Portfolio

Blog

Print Shop

Making new business cards

I need to order new business cards.

Here's what I'm thinking for the front (minus the white border my blog puts around 'em):

And here's what I'm thinking for the back:

The qr code goes to my portfolio at glendonmellow.com.

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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.
Portfolio
Blog
Print Shop

Art Monday: Trilobitlepidoptology

click to enlarge. ©  Glendon Mellow

A sketch done a couple of years back for Trilobitlepidoptology.  A lot of art sits in sketchbooks for years before I can get around to it.  Having ideas is easy, time for finishing final pieces is precious. I *have* to get around to adding shadows.  And colour.


Original post here.



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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.

Portfolio
Blog
Print Shop

Art Monday: Bumper Sticker Style

Made from my playing around with my tattoo design. I might work up a variant of these to put in the print shop. Something about colour gradients on black reminds me of summer:  waveboarding, cycling the boardwalk, tattoos and teen posturing.

Maybe the green needs to be more of a bright lime to go with the others.

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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence. Portfolio
Blog
Print Shop

Art Monday: invert. No, the other kind of invert.

Sometimes I like to invert pencil drawings. It allows the artist to view the pencil strokes with new eyes, revealing the contrast and altering the mood. It makes the familiar unfamiliar.  

More after the jump. 

You may have seen last week I altered my blog, shop and portfolio to be black, and changed the header image to match.  Although I love the artwork on a black background, it just felt to harsh in contrast, and I switched back to the art-gallery-wall-white. 

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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.

Portfolio
Blog
Print Shop

Art Monday: The Forever Painting variations

Original version of The Forever Painting

manipulated sketch

detail of top portion

detail of lower portion

Drawing for The Forever Painting II

Oil painting originally seen here and more here.
Pencil drawing seen here.

This thing is physically huge. Hard to take decent pictures of. For the original painted version, my wife stood in front of the canvas, and I traced her shadow in chalk.

Sometimes as an artist, you return to the same theme multiple times and keep exploring and refining it.  I'd love to make a new painting based on the trees, but haven't had a long enough gap in my schedule, so one day worked up the little drawing to make the mental note about it.

You may also notice that in addition to flying trilobites, it has a DNA-Candle, much like the ones I showed last week.

- - - - - - - - Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.
Flying Trilobite Gallery *** Flying Trilobite Reproduction Shop ***

Art Monday: Flying Trilobite Tattoo

The design: The tattoo:

Originally posted here, and submitted to Carl Zimmer's Science Tattoo Emporium, where all the kewlest tattoos go. I got it for my birthday in 2008.

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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.
Flying Trilobite Gallery *** Flying Trilobite Reproduction Shop ***

Hint: there's another tattoo design being posted later today!
But who was the design for?

Art Monday: Subway Trilobite

Subway Trilobite
Digital, 2009.
Originally appeared here.

Done using the Brushes app on my iPod Touch while commuting by subway.

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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.
Flying Trilobite Gallery *** Flying Trilobite Reproduction Shop ***

Medium overriding the message?

When presenting the final project of my undergrad here on The Flying Trilobite, (see the process here: one, two, three, four and five) some excellent points have been raised in the comments of the last post.

My Art Evolved peeps Craig and Peter have been discussing whether or not unconventional mediums (like a wooden cube with busted slate tiles painted and hanging from wire) end up muddying the message more than conventional, easier to read forms.

Here are a couple of more photos, different from the the last post in that they show off the individual paintings more:

Click to enlarge.

This picture was taken on a weird angle. Sorry.

It was an interesting experience for me to have some of my artwork turn off someone for being post-modern and medium-focused. Typically, I am a painter in love with creating representational, realistic paintings.

As Craig pointed out, the medium is the message. We see here not only a 3D series of paintings hanging in a cube, we see them through the lens of a camera and displayed on a computer screen. It's very removed from say, Darwin Took Steps, a much more 2D picture which translates better through scanning and being online.

How much can the presentation enhance or interfere? Would video of a 3D object present better online, panning, zooming and with soft techno music in the background? Would it be clearer to scan individual pieces and present them as head-on photos?

Is this presentation in the immortal words of Mo the bartender, "po-mo; postmodern; weird for the sake of weird" or is something more getting across?

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Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow
under Creative Commons Licence.

Flying Trilobite Gallery *** Flying Trilobite Reproduction Shop ***

Next time on The Flying Trilobite: my interpretive dance fossil project!