Free Swag! For You!

Well, in theory, anyway. It could be for you!

I'm in another feature/giveaway, this time over at the lovely Recupe's womenpreneur-galore site:

http://women-prenuergalore.blogspot.com/2009/04/interview-with-carapace-from-carapace.html

You all know how this works, right? Go and comment? It looks like Recupe might actually get people who don't already know my shop commenting--which is sort of the point-- but I'd love it if one of my blog-faithful won. So go! Comment! Comment for your very lives, mortals! Or at least, comment for a piece of free art.

And because I hate promo-only posts, and am otherwise very boring today, a picture of a regimental beetle:



I have stacks of old National Geographic magazines around, because the photos are wonderful creativity prompts, and the articles are reassuring proof that Science Marches On, even in a five to ten year span. The cover to one is this very colorful shiny beetle with some impressive mandibles. And I wanted to draw the beetle, but then I realized that in that undershot, it had kind of a mustache, and well...now it's turning into a Modern Major Beetle Bug. So, this undersketch.

Round Up

It's a hard life, on the slime trail. A shellrider has to keep the ornery snails a'movin', or they'll dry out and just stick where they sit. The longhorn beetles ain't ever much inclined to cooperate, either, and if they figure out the ride's only half armored there's no stopping the havoc. But there's no life like it, travelling free under the grass-colored sky, getting the clattering herds to safe ground before the cold weather hits...it's the best feeling in the world.

Now crossing the salt flats, that's a whole new story...




Further attempts in getting a painterly effect with Photoshop. I love the way this came out, really, but I could just be fooling myself with all the green. You know what would be be cool? A book of really good bug illustrations. Like Audobon for bugs. Any suggestions?