Friday sunset on Mackworth.
#maine #nature

The more she wants a taste of something, the longer she gets.

#sploot #dogsofbluesky

Green Bean aka Beandog

#dog

Was very lucky to run into a few monarchs on Mackworth Island this morning. I haven't seen them since I was a child in California, during their annual migration, had no idea they made it to the East Coast. Was surprised by how large they are up close!

#butterflies #maine #insects

Spicy bee post: Caught two Eastern bumblebees 69ing!

#bees #entomology #insects #pollinators #maine

New back cover out this week in @greenchemistry.rsc.org for Lahiru Jayakody et al. at SIU Carbondale. P. putida was engineered to efficiently convert caffeine to 7-MX, a compound for treating myopia.
#greenchemistry #metabolicengineering #biochemistry #microbiology #scientificillustration

Pollinator party! Came across this incredible patch of goldenrod covered in all sorts of wasps, bees, and flies. Spent about 10 minutes just watching them do their thing and lost track of how many different species I could tell apart.

#insects #entomology #pollinators #bees #nativeplants

Awoke from a nightmare this morning that the forest I live in went silent because the outdoor cats killed every single chipmunk and bird.

A gorgeous giant red oak tucked away in the middle of Mackworth Island. Every time I visit this magnificent tree I take a moment to contemplate how differently it must experience time and everything it's lived through. Anyone know how old it might be?

#trees #quercus #ecology #forests #nature

PSA: Do not save your PSD if you think the power will go out soon...If it goes out *while* saving it irrevocably corrupts the file with no backup 🙃

#adobe #photoshop #woopshahaoopsiesmybad #theregoesaweeksworthofwork #theregoesmyweekendtoo

Zeolites are SO COOL! Loved exploring their beautiful geometry for this. Cover from January illustrating #catalysis of furans to a jet fuel precursor, from Morais group at KU, published in @acs.org Industrial & Engineering Research. #scientificillustration #chemistry #zeolites #journalcover #noAI

Here's some psychedelic Pseudomonas for you on this Psunday. From a journal cover WIP, having fun with material nodes to try and replicate how I'd shade a 2D illustration.

#blender #bacteria #microbiology #sciart

Oh the incredible irony of using an AI generated cover for this featuring a non-existent molecule that does not conform to any laws of #chemistry. Visual #misinformation is still scientific misinformation - hire a human scientific illustrator instead! #noAI

Visited Kansas City, MO over the weekend. Surprisingly lovely weather and city. Saw lots of very interesting bugs and plants but here are two of my faves - Eastern carpenter bee the size of my thumb and a beautiful Chlorion wasp!
#bugs #bees #entomology #insects @inaturalist.bsky.social

A recent cover I did for #ChemCatChem from @chemistryeurope.bsky.social on supercritical fluids as reaction media for #plastic #recycling. Had to familiarize myself with fluid simulations in #Blender, but I think it paid off! Read the paper here: buff.ly/A0Hiu4l #catalysis #scientificillustration

I've found @inaturalist.bsky.social is a wealth of amazing reference images for natural illustration. I get to learn about new taxa and get high quality photos without having to sift through irrelevant garbage like on Google images. Here's a recent painting of mine of a blue Linckia starfish.

Hi, I'm Rita! Designer turned scientist turned science illustrator. I have a background in biochemistry/molecular bio and I specialize in journal covers and technical figures. Here's some of my work from 2024 - see more at www.scivetica.com #science #scientificillustration #research #biotech #art