From Pooka's Crayon

Veni, Vidi, Ventus: The randomly chaotic and crafty scribblings of a deranged, wannabe artist allowed too many colours in her Crayon box.

[pookascrayon]

Crochet blankets made for my grandkids and daughter (her is the queen size blue dinosaurs). Patterns all by Owl B Hooked.

[pookascrayon]

My beloved friend lost her husband, so I created a Memento Mori shawl for her that actually ended up as more of a cloak. That's a queen size bed in the first 2 pics for perspective.

[pookascrayon]

Nothing quite says Derpetology like a blue-tongue skill wearing a charming dirt chapeau.

[pookascrayon]

Tarantulas are surprisingly delicate creatures. Terrestrial tarantulas more so. Even a fall from less than 3 feet can be fatal to a terrestrial tarantula, particularly one eith as much junk in the trunk that 10 y.o. Lilith (grammastola porteri) has. So what does she decide to do? Thaaaat's right, dangle from the roof of her enclosure.

You are not aboreal! Stop it!

[pookascrayon]

My husband with Fibonacci.

[browsethestacks]

Art and Words by Kate Leth

[amessyfan]

Inportant, this is so important!

[pookascrayon]

Altered book pages, from “In Search of the Lost Chord”

[pookascrayon]

Lizard on a limb -- Barsky,  one of my three BTS,

[pookascrayon]

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens, Green-bottle blue

[pookascrayon]

Barsky -- Tiliqua gigas evancescens -- Merauke Blue tongue skink.

[archiemcphee]

The Department of Astonishing Optical illusions can’t take their eyes off this latest creation by Italian fine-art-bodypainter Johannes Stötter (previously featured here). After a 4-hour-long design process, Stötter spent 6 hours painting two models to make them look like one vibrant and incredibly lifelike chameleon.

According to WB Productions: The models’ hair were covered in natural clay to make their heads appear bald. “The models were two sisters, friends of mine,” he said. “They were very happy to model for this motive. I am also very happy, it is kind of magic, especially the colors. Most people who already saw it say that the chameleon is even better than the frog and the parrot.”

(You can see the frog here and the parrot here.)

Our favorite part of this illusion is how the models worked together to bring the chameleon to life, making it appear as though the colorful reptile is carefully crawling along a slender green branch. They even parted their fingers in such a way to make their hands appear just like the lizard’s distinctive zygodactylous feet.

To get an even better look, click here to watch a video of the sisters walking their chameleon and then breaking the illusion by getting up from the platform upon which they’d been resting.

Visit Johannes Stötter’s website to check out more of his sensational creations.

[via Bored Panda and My Modern Metropolis]

[pookascrayon]

Fibonacci, with his tail spiraled (veiled chameleon)

[pookascrayon]

Avicularia avicularia, Common pink toe.

[pookascrayon]

Grammastola porteri, Chilean rose.

[pookascrayon]

From Pooka's Crayon turned 1 today!

[tiffcheongsy]

In this May 17, 1980 photo, 30-year old vulcanologist David Johnston is shown in the evening at his camp near what is now known as Johnston Ridge near Mount St. Helens. At 8:32 a.m. the next morning, Johnston radioed a message to the USGS headquarters: “Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!”, shortly before he was killed by the massive eruption of the volcano that also killed 56 others. (AP Photo/USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, Harry Glicken)

Click to see more INCREDIBLE pictures. It is so sad. I think studying the impacts in school has desensitized many. We need to really understand why the memories this eruption still haunt people 30 years after.

[edwardianera]

“The Burning of the Call.” The San Francisco Call newspaper building in flames after the April 18, 1906 earthquake.