mica low // illustration & design

mica (the mineral) | natural science illustrator // blog contains: illustration, sketches, and works in progress // mica-low.com // twitter @micathemineral

[micathemineral]

Sanderlings foraging on the beach at Parker River NWR. Follow me on bluesky @ micathemineral for more bird content.

[micathemineral]

re-christening my old art blog with my bird photography, starting with this song sparrow borb

[micathemineral]

hares: very weird, extremely unsettling

[micathemineral]

a horse, some seals, still inktobering along

[micathemineral]

follow me on twitter or instagram @ micathemineral for more scientific illustration #inktober sketches!

[micathemineral]

Little watercolor sketch of a gorgeous old oak on the grounds of De Cordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, MA. 

Follow me on twitter for art mixed with polar and sci comm nonsense.

[micathemineral]

May I say how much I adore your art? It’s beautiful and invokes such a sense of nostalgia for me

thank you so much! <33 

[micathemineral]

Some bird studies from this week: Hooded crow (Corvus cornix), Greylag goose (Anser anser), Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)

[micathemineral]

Two more sketchbook pages from Big Bend: Carmen Mountains white-tailed deer (the smallest white-tailed subspecies) and a view of Casa Grande from Lost Mine trail

[micathemineral]

Some sketches of plants from my trip to Big Bend National Park: Texas bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis), Cane Cholla (Cylindropuntia spinosior), Bicolor mustard (Nerisyrenia camporum), Emory Oak (Quercus emoryi), and Agave (Agave albomarginata)

[micathemineral]

Some birbs in watercolor, graphite, and gouache. About 50% aspirational and 50% birds I’ve actually seen. 

[micathemineral]

I’ve been thinking about adding some historical illustrations to my portfolio, so I used the unfortunate Bockstenmannen as a test subject. He’s currently residing in the Halland Museum of Cultural History in Varberg, Sweden, where they’ve had a lovely reconstruction done of how he may have looked in life. I based the colors of his clothing off the information on their website, as the preserved garments have been turned yellow-brown by the bog. 

[micathemineral]

I finally got around to visiting Woodland Park Zoo this weekend, so I got to see my weaver bird illustrations in action at last!

[micathemineral]

Some of what I’ve been working on for my Master’s thesis. There’s still a ways to go on this exhibit, so no pictures of it in action (yet!), but here’s some samples from the preliminary design package that’s going to be presented at my thesis defense, and to the client. 

After June, I’ll have more time to work on science art, and I’ve got some exciting stuff in the works, so stay tuned!

[micathemineral]

Selected sketchbook pages summer 2017-spring 2018, part 2- these are all preparatory studies for my master’s thesis, which you’ll see more of soon! 

[micathemineral]

Selected sketchbook pages summer 2017-spring 2018, part 1- these are all preparatory studies for my master’s thesis, which you’ll see more of soon! 

[micathemineral]

Something different this time- a little illustrated diagram about how to use sandbags to mitigate flood damage, for an exhibit I am helping design and install at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park - Seattle Unit. If you’re in the Seattle area after December 5th, stop by and check out our exhibit! (And if you’re curious about how this looks in layout, you can see the full version here, in my portfolio. )