Domenic Pennetta
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domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Domenic Pennetta
@domenicpennetta.bsky.social
370 followers 230 following 230 posts
🇨🇦 Scientific Illustrator | Speculative Evolution Artist | (He/Him)

Inspired by invertebrates, prehistoric fauna, and life on Earth. Creator of Project Perditus and Astrovitae Magazine.

Portfolio: www.domenicpennetta.com

🌿 Commissions are always open! 🌿
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domenicpennetta.bsky.social
I almost stepped on a little roly-poly out on a walk today 😭 Remember folks, look before you step!

#krita #digitalart #sciart #scientificillustration #nature #invertebrates #invert #isopods #bugsky
domenicpennetta.bsky.social Domenic Pennetta @domenicpennetta.bsky.social · Mar 12
Seen these guys before? The common pill bug, Armadillidium vulgare, plays a crucial role in maintaining plant life by ensuring dead plant matter is broken down and returned to the soil. 🌿

#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #nature #bugsky #inverts #isopod
Digital illustration of two common pill bugs, Armadillidium vulgare. Art by Domenic Pennetta.
May 20, 2025 at 4:35 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Do you have a favorite #moth? 🦋 Mine is the hummingbird clearwing! These moths are active during the day and are excellent #pollinators of native plants like wild bergamot, buttonbush, milkweed, and thistle. 🌼

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#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #nature #invert #bugsky
Digital illustration of the clearwing moth, Hemaris thysbe. Art by Domenic Pennetta.
May 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
When we think of insect #pollinators, bees or butterflies come to mind. 🐝🌺 But on the island of Réunion, raspy #crickets are known to pollinate #orchid flowers at night. 🦗 Check out my illustration that depicts this interaction!

#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #nature #invert #bugsky
Digital illustration depicting two raspy crickets, Glomeremus orchidophilus, pollinating a species of orchid flower, Angraecum cadetii. These crickets pollinate at night—feeding on the plant's nectar before their nectar-spurs become lodged on the cricket's head. The crickets then bring the spurs to neighboring orchids for pollination.
May 6, 2025 at 3:41 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Happy #fossilfriday! ❤️ Here's my reconstruction of the Cambrian #sponge, Falospongia ramosa. 🪸 This genus is known from the Burgess Shale—where they once used their 'radiating fronds' to capture food.

#digitalart #sciart #scientificillustration #paleoart #paleontology #invertebratebiology #invert
Digital illustration of the early Cambrian sponge, Falospongia ramosa. Art by Domenic Pennetta.
May 2, 2025 at 4:02 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Would you flip a #pillbug isopod over if you found one stuck on its back? 💖 Check out these illustrations depicting four common isopod species of North America. Which one do you like the most?!

#sciart #scientificillustration #digitalillustration #wildlifeart #nature #bugsky #isopods #invertebrates
Digital illustration of two common pill bugs, Armadillidium vulgare. Art by Domenic Pennetta. A digital illustration of an adult brickwork woodlouse, Porcellio spinicornis, by artist Domenic Pennetta. Digital illustration of the skirted woodlouse, Oniscus asellus, traversing bark. Art by Domenic Pennetta. Digital illustration of the ant woodlouse, Platyarthrus hoffmannseggi, created by Domenic Pennetta.
April 22, 2025 at 1:06 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
I'm infatuated with Meghan's wonderful paintings of #deepsea life! ✨ She's a lifelong artist who is currently working on a book brimming with echinoderms, arthropods, fish, and more! Show her some love and give her account a look: @studio-mbj.bsky.social.

#artboost #sciart #nature #acrylicpainting
studio-mbj.bsky.social Meghan Jones @studio-mbj.bsky.social · Mar 2
Now that all the paintings are done for my book I can return to the series I started with this painting. “Yearning” 30x40 acrylic on canvas, I find the deep sea imagery so attractive, I want to explore its connections to the depth of human emotions and psyche - stay tuned for more! #SciArt #deepsea
Orange and green, deep sea anemones, arranged on a checkerboard background of navy and beige. Created while thinking about what it is to be stuck in one place while yearning for movement. 30x40” acrylic on canvas, photo ref credit to Prof. A. Jamieson #SciArt #acrylic #addOcean #deepocean #deepseacreatures #art #painting
April 21, 2025 at 5:06 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
What do you think of my first-ever art booth!? 🎨 Last Saturday, a local #coffee shop asked me to show off my art. I didn't think I'd sell anything, but to my surprise, I sold lots! 🥹

I still have some stickers left if you want some!
www.etsy.com/shop/BugOnHead

#sciart #bugsky #nature #artvendor
My new stickers displayed near drawings of an elbow crab. You can purchase stickers for yourself or a loved one online at www.etsy.com/shop/BugOnHead Photo of my booth at the Brew Coffee bar. I even brought some specimens to display along with my art! Drawings of an elbow crab on display. I was delighted that the baristas gave me a free coffee! ☕
April 21, 2025 at 4:23 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
My last #ink drawing did so well I had to post another one! Here’s a tumbling flower #beetle 🪲 they’re named after the crazy movements they make to avoid predation—first they jump, then they spin as they fall down!

#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #inkart #nature #invert #insect #bugsky
Pen and ink illustration of a tumbling flower beetle, Variimorda villosa. Art by Domenic Pennetta.
April 15, 2025 at 2:28 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
The skirted #woodlouse has a shiny, almost metallic look. 💖 Adults are mottled gray, though their colors can vary. The name "woodlouse" likely comes from how it clings to surfaces—just like a true louse!

#sciart #scientificillustration #digitalillustration #wildlifeart #nature #bugsky #isopod
Digital illustration of the skirted woodlouse, Oniscus asellus, traversing bark. Art by Domenic Pennetta.
April 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Hey everyone! I’m selling handmade insect stickers based on my pen and ink illustrations over on #etsy. ✨ Every purchase directly supports me and helps fund my art!

www.etsy.com/shop/BugOnHead

#inkart #inkdrawings #stickers #entomology #insect #beetles #invert #bugsky
Amazing insect stickers by Domenic. 🪲 Species as shown: diabolical ironclad beetle (bottom left), tumbling flower beetle (top), African dung beetle (bottom right).
April 9, 2025 at 3:25 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
In addition to having the coolest name in existence, diabolical ironclad beetles are notable for their immense durability. 🪲💪 They can withstand forces 39,000 times their body weight... Not even a car can crush them!

#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #nature #invert #insect #bugsky
Pen and ink drawing of an adult diabolical ironclad beetle, Phloeodes diabolicus. Art by Domenic Pennetta.
April 8, 2025 at 3:40 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Hey! If anyone enjoys creature design or #paleoart, give @vincent-girgenti.bsky.social a follow! 💖 He has impressive digital illustration skills and I’m surprised he doesn’t have a larger following here.

#artboost #digitalillustration #digitalart #sciart #creaturedesign #specevo
vincent-girgenti.bsky.social Vincent Girgenti @vincent-girgenti.bsky.social · Feb 4
Hi! I'm Vincent and I'm a creature designer/paleoartist/illustrator.

🕸️https://vingirgentistudios.com
📷Insta: @ vincent_girgenti_art
📫vingirgenti@gmail.com

#creaturedesign #conceptart #paleoart #Age_of_Monotremes #scifiart #speculativeevolution #digitalart #traditionalart #illustrator
This is a piece done for my thesis project "Age of Monotremes"; a tv show pitch about a world where monotremes (egg-laying mammals like the platypus or echidna) evolved to take over the world. In this mood painting, a herd of huge billed herbivores called Yoa passes by a family of tiny burrowers called Ikuas. "In the 5 minutes or so we watched it, it simply picked a fruit off a low branch and left some slime behind as it rejoined the herd. Testing the slime sample showed a close genetic link to the amphibian species Amphiuma pholeter; needless to say, this is highly bizarre.” Anatol Kowalski, NATURALIST, year 2445. This drawing was done as part of the #dinovember art challenge to do a piece of paleoart every day. Here, the recently discovered Chinese ankylosaur Huaxiazhoulong prepares a nest of dead branches and flowers to attract a potential mate (a behavior inspired by male bowerbirds) This is a redo of a piece done for my thesis project "Age of Monotremes"; a TV show pitch about a world where monotremes (egg-laying mammals like the platypus or echidna) evolved to take over the world. Here, a Shajo, an elephant-sized apex predator, emerges from the jungle to survey its territory. The flesh flaps around its head, evolved from star-nose mole-like nasal tentacles, help focus sound into its ears like the facial disk of an owl.
April 3, 2025 at 7:15 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Just wanted to share this detail from my illustration! This guy is Echinocaris punctate, an #arthropod from the late #Devonian period. 🦐 It had a hard protective shell and a hinged carapace—and it likely lived like a shrimp too!

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#digitalart #sciart #scientificillustration #paleoart #paleontology
Close up of a reconstruction of Echinocaris punctate, a shrimp-like animal from the Devonian period. Art by Domenic Pennetta.
April 3, 2025 at 3:45 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
It's #wormwednesday! Last year, I reconstructed the oldest known bilaterian worm, Uncus dzaugisi, for Wikipedia. This soft-bodied worm was motile and likely fed on early #Ediacaran organisms.

#digitalart #sciart #scientificillustration #paleoart #paleontology #invertebratebiology #invert #worm
This is a reconstruction of the early bilaterian worm, Uncus dzaugisi, discovered in Nilpena Ediacara National Park in Australia. The illustration depicts the worm moving through a mat of algae, as this species was likely fully motile. Digital art by Domenic Pennetta. Learn more about the animal's discovery here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncus_dzaugisi
April 2, 2025 at 5:30 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Do you have a favorite #bug? 🪲 Let me know in the comments! In the meantime, enjoy four digital illustrations of insects I shared last month! ✨

#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #nature #invert #arthropods #bugsky #insects
Digital illustration of an adult common cotton stainer bug, Dysdercus suturellus. Art by Domenic Pennetta. Digital illustration of a male scorpionfly, Panorpa communis. Art by Domenic Pennetta. Digital illustration of the checkered beetle, Trichodes alvearius. Art by Domenic Pennetta. Digital illustration of a black and yellow Mud Dauber, Sceliphron caementarium. Art by Domenic Pennetta.
April 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Here’s an early sneak-peak at some #invertebrate ink illustrations I’m currently working on! ✨ I plan on turning these illustrations into stickers which I’ve never done before. So if any artists have any advice on making stickers, please let me know!

#inkillustration #drawing #bugsky #insect
Progress photo of two ink illustrations done in my sketchbook. Enjoy the mess I made in my art studio!
March 31, 2025 at 6:10 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Happy #fishfriday, everyone! 🐟 Viperfishes are characterized by their long, needle-like teeth and hinged lower jaws. I had lots of fun drawing this fearsome fish!

#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #nature #marinebiology #deepsea #fish #drawing
Graphite illustration of a viperfish on tone paper. Art by Domenic Pennetta.
March 28, 2025 at 4:05 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
A superb illustration of cardinalfish and their symbiotes by @lifesciencestudios.bsky.social. ✨ I love how crisp these watercolor illustrations look paired with vector art. Bravo!

#artboost #sciart #scientificillustration #watercolor #fish
lifesciencestudios.bsky.social Life Science Studios - Scientific Illustration @lifesciencestudios.bsky.social · Mar 27
I made a figure for @algould.bsky.social and @oslando33.bsky.social's latest paper! Check it out here: tinyurl.com/4f9jjaxw

I always love combining watercolor with vector illustrations. This is the first time anyone has asked me to paint glow-in-the-dark poop... so that was fun.

#sciart
Scientific figure depicting fish with bioluminescent bacteria colonizing light organs at the larval and adult stages. Watercolor paintings of Siphamia fish: adult, larva, and three small swimming fish.
March 28, 2025 at 2:32 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
‪Porcellio spinicornis is a species of #woodlouse in the family Porcellionidae. 💚 This particular species is found in various habitats, including forests, grasslands, and rocky areas.

#sciart #scientificillustration #digitalillustration #wildlifeart #nature #bugsky #inverts #isopod
A digital illustration of an adult brickwork woodlouse, Porcellio spinicornis, by artist Domenic Pennetta.
March 25, 2025 at 5:20 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
I guess it's #fish #friday? 🐟 Here's a graphite drawing of a mooneye fish on toned gray paper. I love their reflective silver scales!

#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #nature #illustration #drawing
Graphite drawing of a juvenile mooneye fish, Hiodon tergisus. Art by Domenic Pennetta.
March 21, 2025 at 4:20 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Just wanted to share some details in my #chocolate midge illustration, especially since it's difficult to see the cacao flowers (which are quite tiny)! 🌺

#sciart #scientificillustration #digitalart #wildlifeart #nature #pollinator #insect #bugsky
March 20, 2025 at 6:05 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Hope you have a happy #wasp Wednesday! 🐝 Mud dauber wasps may look dangerous with their black and yellow markings, but they are neither aggressive nor prone to sting. Instead, they construct small nests of mud under buildings.

#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #nature #bugsky #insect
Digital illustration of a black and yellow Mud Dauber, Sceliphron caementarium. Art by Domenic Pennetta.
March 19, 2025 at 1:40 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Did you know that #chocolate wouldn't be possible without the help of tiny, hard-working flies? 🍫🌸 Chocolate midges are vital #pollinators of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), which is the source of our beloved chocolate!

#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #nature #invert #bug #bugsky
A digital illustration depicting a close-up of a chocolate midge, Euprojoannisia spp., pollinating the flowers of a cacao tree. Art by Domenic Pennetta.
March 18, 2025 at 6:47 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Boosting my friend @wwawwroww.bsky.social and this awesome 3D render of Liwia (an arthropod from the Early #Cambrian). I love the details here, especially the setae on Liwia and what looks like a great appendage from a radiodont in the background. Great stuff!

#artboost #sciart #paleoart #3dart
wwawwroww.bsky.social wwawwroww.bsky.social @wwawwroww.bsky.social · Mar 15
Liwia, a Lower Cambrian nektaspid belonging to the family Liwiidae, was found in the Zawiszyn Formation, known only from borehole samples, which revealed these inaccessible beauties hidden kilometers underground.
#Artiopoda #Nektaspida #Paleoart #Cambrian
March 17, 2025 at 6:40 PM
domenicpennetta.bsky.social
Finished a #drawing of an argonaut (a.k.a. the paper nautilus). 🦑 These cephalopods have intricate shells that serve as nurseries for their eggs while also providing the animal with a means of floatation.

#sciart #scientificillustration #wildlifeart #nature #marinebiology #deepsea #cephalopod
Graphite drawing of an argonaut (paper nautilus). Art by Domenic Pennetta.
March 17, 2025 at 6:21 PM