Sunday, 30 March 2008
Science-Artsy Additions to my Blogroll
(After all, I can't always plug Leslie Hawes, Bond, Jesse Graham, Carl Buell, Jacqueline Rae and Nancy, can I? Oops.)
1. Druantia Art - An interesting discussion thread ensued on the Guild of Natural Scientific Illustrator's listserv a few months back about whether a blog or traditional galleried website is the more effective. And one of the delightful results is that supremely talented scientific illustrator Heather Ward began Druantia Art, a blog of her works in progress and tips for artists. The tips are brilliant, and Heather has even held polls about what animal to illustrate next! Marvel at her snow leopard, and at her musings about why there is a point to doing photographic realism in art.
2. Trilobite Blog - This is a blog I have mentioned before. This talented artist sells a line of Cambrian and prehistoric creature designs on clothing. His paleontology-based blog is an excellent read, and make sure you don't miss his interview with Sam Gon III of the excellent resource, Guide to the Order of Trilobites. You can shop for trilobite hoodies here and start your own finger-snapping gang against the anomalocarids!
3. Rigor Vitae - The artwork of Carel Brest Van Kempen, illustrator of the banner for the popular A Blog Around the Clock. This blog has some excellent insights in what it is like to create realistic art from nature. And frogs. Many awesome frogs.
4. PixelFish - and 5. Bluefooted - I came across these two talented and atheist artists on a thread over at Pharyngula where some people were dissing DeviantArt. PixelFish, who also goes by Lis Mitchell, has a tremendous gallery and well-crafted site. I'm particularly fond of See No Evil. Bluefooted has an amazing and intricate story-book style, reminscent of Dulac. Check out the beautiful and hideous Cat-Skin. Who needs more evidence that imagination is not divinely inspired?
6. Barry Kent MacKay - Lush, gorgeous artwork for your inner ornithologist. Some of my fellow Canuckleheads may remember MacKay from a children's show he hosted back in the day.
7. Gurney Journey - The blog of Dinotopia creator and master artist James Gurney. This blog is filled with tips and insights and shows you a week-to-week peek at what a celebrity-level artist is up to.
8. Basic Instructions - A very trendy sort of style at the moment, tracing photos to make a cartoon. But none of the others are half as funny as these instructions for living your life.
Anything in my blogroll is a place I try check out as often as I can. These are just a few of the other artists I admire. I'm also adding new pieces often, so please don't forget to check out my own gallery on DeviantArt!
All original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow. The contents of this blog are under a Creative Commons Licence. See sidebar for details.

Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Flying Trilobite on Facebook Pages & Poll!

If you are unfamiliar with Facebook pages, it adds a tiny icon in your Facebook profile declaring you are a fan - of celebrities, scientists, organisations, museums, artists obsessed with mythical flying trilobite fossils, television shows, video games, and more. It's another way for me to get some news out to people who frequent my blog, or communicate about issues not directly tied to my posts.
And hey, you get a teeny-tiny flying trilobite fossil sitting on your Facebook page, next to Carl Sagan, Super Mario, and Nelly Furtado.
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Poll!
I've added a poll in my sidebar that will stay open the next two weeks. Some of my favourite blog features are themed-posts on regular days. Of Two Minds has their Sunday Funnies; A Blog Around the Clock features ClockQuotes throughout the week, as well as picks from science news stories; Page 3.14 has photos from ScienceBlogs every week, Life Before Death has photos every Friday; you see where I'm going?
Would it be helpful to my readers of this blog to know that a certain day is a good time to stop in to see the art? I would likely be posting at least one original, fully new piece per month. I am considering putting up details or up-close shots of paintings the rest of the time.
You can click more than one option, if you like. Depending on which ones you pick, you have an opportunity to confuse me.
Please take a moment to do the poll! It closes on April 9th, appallingly early in the morning, eastern standard time.
All original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow. The contents of this blog are under a Creative Commons Licence. See sidebar for details.
Friday, 21 March 2008
D.N.A. Candle - Vanitas II

I have blogged previously about the symbology behind this image. It is a concept I use sometimes mixed with other elements, as in my Symbolist-era-inspired, gigantic, thematic, magnum opus The Forever Painting. I attempt to make each D.N.A. Candle Vanitas a little different from the others, and some colours seem to suit certain couples, or perhaps my mood while painting.
They are a joy to do, and I hope the happy couple enjoys this one.
All original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow. The contents of this blog are under a Creative Commons Licence. See sidebar for details.
Myers, Dawkins and Popcorn...& LOLTrilobites!
If you need a good laugh though, you have to check these out.
The brief background: Noted biologists and atheists PZ Myers and Richard Dawkins were both interviewed for a movie featuring Ben Stein, under false pretenses. The movie is called Expelled, and both professors were told it would be about the false claims of creationists. In fact it seems to be shaping up to be a propaganda film trying to persuade the public that pseudo-scientists who support the theological idea of intelligent design (ick) are being 'expelled' from scientific academia by mean old biologists who understand Darwin's theory of natural selection. Got all that? Good. Ready for an I-can't-breathe laugh? Good.
Read PZ Myers' post from inside the mall where he went to finally see the movie.
You're back? Excellent. Want more?
Brian Switek over at Laelaps (one of my new favourite places) has commentary on the Expelled story and....LOLTrilobites! I'll be chuckling myself to sleep tonight.
All original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow. The contents of this blog are under a Creative Commons Licence. See sidebar for details.
Monday, 17 March 2008
Albino Squirrel of Trinity-Bellwoods


I love this park. Lots of "refuge-points" in the landscape, trees dotted here and there, trees that rustle in the breeze. Walking through there is one of the best parts of my day.
(For more great posts on albinism in animals, check out Zooillogix.)
All original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow. The contents of this blog are under a Creative Commons Licence. See sidebar for details.

Sunday, 9 March 2008
1st Blogiversary of The Flying Trilobite

The Flying Trilobite began as a way to promote my artwork and find new commissions and collaborations. It has also turned out to be a terrific outlet for my intellectual growth and artistic development; I am constantly engaged by new ideas I read from the scientific, Bright and arts communities. As I mentioned in my year-end round up, I also discovered a welcoming community of creative and shiny people online.
So, let's celebrate with cake, shall we?!

Uh-oh. The Mythical Flying Trilobite Fossil found it first. Yummy!
Thanks again to everyone who has made it such a great 1st year. If you keep viewing and commenting, (and commissioning!), I'll keep painting. Deal?
Let's eat cake.
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(No monarch butterflies were harmed in the making of this blog post. At least - not harmed by me. What you are seeing are wings found lying in a park last summer with some ants on the sticky bits. Perhaps a bird or dragonfly was responsible, but it was mainly only the wings left. Scouts' honour.)
All original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow. The contents of this blog are under a Creative Commons Licence.
See sidebar for details. Please contact me before reproducing elsewhere.
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
Darwin meets Blue Guy

You can see the Tangled Up in Blue Guy post about Darwin Took Steps here.
And hey- he's also pointed at the banner that I produced for Of Two Minds! Any chance you're moonlighting as a scientific illustration talent scout, Mike? Perhaps if I need an agent one day...
With both of these pieces being worked on throughout February, it's been a busy month. Thanks Mike, for the comments. Feedback on my artwork is always welcome. (Thrown vegetables or muttering "derivative" are less welcome, but interesting.) In addition to the link in my gallery, you can also see my popular pencil drawing, or read the 'making of' post.
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By the way, this Friday will mark one year since The Flying Trilobite began. Look for a misty-eyed reminisce-a-thon on Friday. And cake! Maybe pie!
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(Edit: March 8 2008: Darwin Took Steps also featured on The Dispersal of Darwin ! )
Monday, 3 March 2008
Blog Banner Art for Of Two Minds
These two have some crazy fun reporting about science, neuroscience, parrots, things being poked in the brain, and superheroes. Ya gotta check it out.
Shelley and Steve have also made a neat little banner tab on their top bar, so you can see the previous banners they had on Retrospectacle and OmniBrain, including my 'valkyrie' banner. (Shelley is actually using my original thumbnail sketch for that banner as a tiny avatar when she posts. It was so rough and hasty, I am alternately cringing and proud by turns.) You can also see why Shelley suggested this particular font; once the final stages of the banner came together (and I sent some continuous tweaks and fiddles to it late into the night) Shelley suggested we use Blackadder ITC.

Above is a shot of the banner, and you can see it in my gallery; but it really looks much better over at Of Two Minds, so please head on over and read about x-ray vision, a pain index, and magnetic people.
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I am available for commissions to do blog elements as well as portraiture, concept design, surreal paintings and scientific illustrations. After perusing The Flying Trilobite Gallery, please contact me, Glendon Mellow, by email if you are interested.
Saturday, 1 March 2008
Horribly, terribly vain review of myself by me!
It could be argued that blogs themselves are a form of vanity. Some may say that artists are also a vain lot, wanting to leave a (misunderstood, unfathomable, derivative) mark on the world as they pass through it. These things are probably true, and in no excuse me writing a review of myself.
Let's take this vanity farther. Here is the review in it's entirety. (For some strange reason, you cannot read the whole thing at blogged.com...it just kind of cuts off at the end even though it let me keep typing. Perhaps this is punishment for vainglorious fools. Hmm.)
And so here we go:
Review of myself March 1st 2008 for
blogged.com
by Glendon Mellow, authour of The Flying
Trilobite
I have impeccable spelling, I look great in pinstripe
suits, and I make paintings that often feature trilobites with wings.
Well, if i humbly say so myself, I like to make sure I don't blog
for the sake of blogging, but wait until I have something interesting to
contribute.
I am giving myself very high marks. I believe in
representational painting, the beauty of expanding our symbolic language in art
by incorporating the wealth of knowledge that science provides. I believe in
giving science the exaltation as a way of knowing that it deserves above the
outmoded supernatural that has dominated much of art history.
And
I am leaving myself room to improve, because as an artist I am never satisfied
with my skills as a whole, only elated at my moments of brilliance and triumphs
of rigour.
Thank you for viewing my artwork at The Flying
Trilobite. I look forward to more illustration contracts, visits, comments and
reviews.
-Glendon Mellow
8.5/10 because my best work is ahead
of me.
I'll put up a picture of myself! Yeah, handsome devil, check it!

What the - Who....? That's not the pinstripe-suited pic of me with Manhattan in my grasp!
(edit: what was I thinking when I posted this? Too little coffee...)