These photos are from Jan. 18. 2025. This is still from my pre-proper equipment (aka actual microscope slides and covers) phase.
I’m wondering if these 2 photos are of a Stenostomum? When I was watching it, it looked like it was trying to tear itself into two pieces.
I think these next four might be of Vorticella.
Any help or suggestions identifying things is much appreciated!
I have had a 1 gallon, a 3 gallon, and finally a 10 gallon aquarium. It’s fascinating how microorganisms seem to spawn from thin air. I’m slowly looking at water samples and trying to identify and document all the types I find. I don’t have the best setup for microscopic photography; I’m just holding my phone up best I can. Some of these are also screenshots from slow-motion videos, because some of these critters move fast!
These photos are from November-December of 2024, when I didn’t have proper microscope slides or covers yet. I just put water samples on any clear plastic thing that would fit under the lens.
11. My favorite lamp; I tried to make it look like the light is on. I mostly used broken nubs from my pencils like regular watercolours for this one.
12. My medusa air plant.
13. A daffodil, I used an old sketch from my pen sketchbook. I tried a wet-on-wet background.
14. My twisted lipstick plant. This one is my favorite! I love how the colours and slight shading turned out. I think I liked this one without the pen too.
15. Pteris cretica fern.
Overall, I think these paintings turn out a bit better when I put down more paint right from the start. My first batch I let each layer dry and then put more on, but I like this effect better.
6. Based on a little goose stuffy. I think I liked it a bit better before adding the pen.
7. A crochet granny square, I really like this one!
8. A leaf from my Philodendron Birkin.
9. A mug
10. A stem of my Begonia maculata, with the sun shining through the blinds behind it.
I switched to using a kneaded eraser for the last one, it worked much better for lightening my pencil lines before painting.
I’m trying to make 100 tiny painting this year. Mine are 2×3 inches on watercolour paper. I’m using Staedtler watercolour pencils, and a fine tip sharpie pen. I tend to make art sporadically and can be a perfectionist, especially when it comes to drawing lines. Which is why I like making digital line art; I can zoom in and literally make sure each pixel is where I want it.
With these paintings, I’m trying to go with the flow and not get too stuck up on the drawing aspect (I’ve frequently ruined paper by drawing and erasing too much).
1. This first one below is a leaf from my Pteris cretica fern. The leaves are a little crispy from the low winter humidity. I drew a pencil outline, painted it, then inked the lines once dry.
2. A leaf from my rabbit’s foot fern.
3. Some leaves and flowers from a vine of my Tradescantia sanna plant.
4. Philodendron brasil plant.
5. A field of clover and alfalfa. This is the only one I didn’t draw in pencil first, I just started with the watercolour pencils then tried to define with the pen.
Number 1 is definitely my favorite. I think I should have worked more on the colours for number 4; the variegation on the leaves isn’t quite showing and I don’t like what I did the pen. Overall I think I need to put down a bit more of the pencils before wetting it.
My Neurospicy Soup 