Lex / Cranes
LightNews LightNews
banner
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Lex / Cranes
@illgottencranes.bsky.social
330 followers 510 following 280 posts
Artsy biologist guy, almost a PhD, queer immigrant 🇺🇸->🇳🇴 Limited bandwidth.

e/em, xe/xyr (any spelling!), or he/him 🏳️‍⚧️
Posts Replies Media Videos
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Learning is a process 😩 I got a few hours into version 1 (bottom) of this painting of a branch and also a bird, before realizing I REALLY didn't like my choices there. So I re-started (top) and like it a lot more with more white showing through.

...also I'm not skimping on paper again after this 😅
Photo comparing two partially-painted watercolors next to each other (newer on top, older on bottom), showing the same subject but with slightly different color choices
November 23, 2025 at 11:33 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Some quick acrylic pen drawings on wooden ornaments that I did to procrastinate on a watercolor that's giving me trouble. 😛

Two-sided. Festive and winter pigeons for me, christmas and plausibly all-year rhinoceroses for my mother-in-law. First time drawing a rhino, iirc
A wooden ornament with a portrait of a grey domestic pigeon wearing a Santa hat against a starry blue background A wooden ornament with a painting of a light brown domestic pigeon standing fluffed on one foot amid piles of snow, wearing a red scarf A wooden ornament with a portrait of a rhinoceros inside of a festive green, white, red, silver, and gold patterned border. The rhinoceros has a Santa hat on one horn and the longest horn is decorated as a christmas tree, and it's wearing a white and red scarf. A wooden ornament with a painting of a blue rhinoceros running on a field of yellow, with a green sky - I have a lot more shades of blue than gray, so I just shifted all the colors to be weird. :P
November 23, 2025 at 12:10 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
It took three more tries to paint an aurora I was happy with! 😂 The other two are in the scrap pile, but I learned a LOT from these studies.

Watercolor with white acrylic pen, 17x11.5cm

#TraditionalArt #NightSky #NorthernLights
A small watercolour painting of the northern lights, showing curtains of pink shading into green light against a sky of deep purple and blue. Tiny stars are added in white dots of acrylic. Referenced from a photo taken by CCP Lumi in Iceland.
November 7, 2025 at 11:05 AM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Carl is a very smoov criminal

#birb #ParrotSky
Photo of a pied cockatiel standing on a desk, looking very smooth and smug with his crest laid down. Another cockatiel (grey) is out of focus in the background. The back of the desk is covered by a blanket in an attempt to thwart their mischief.
November 4, 2025 at 10:09 AM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Gift for a visiting friend! Prompt was roughly gothic/mystical/witchy.

Watercolor, ~18x24cm. Learned some things for next time! Would like to try painting an aurora again. 😄

#TraditionalArt #Landscape
A watercolour painting of a luminous nighttime scene. A dead oak tree stands alone in a meadow full of fireflies glowing as yellow dots, surrounded by a ring of dark trees that fade back into a low-lying mist. The horizon line is curved in toward the twisted dark branches of the oak in the center, which contrasts against a night sky illuminated by a curtain of pink and green aurora. The painting is in tones of green, purple, and indigo, with subtle textures from tiny brush strokes.
November 4, 2025 at 9:44 AM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Munch museum in Oslo at golden hour ✨

#Munchmuseet #Oslo #Norway
Photo looking down a canal toward the evening (aka 15:30) sky. The cloud layer thins toward the right side, letting through a diffuse golden glow and illuminating the controversial architecture of the Munch museum on the left side, a slanted building of metal and glass siding.
November 2, 2025 at 2:50 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Somehow this pigeon mask turned out the best of all the parts of my Halloween costume, even though it only took a day to make! Maybe because I had so much practice by the time I got to it. 😛

(And yes, I can see out from it!)

#pigeonsky #HalloweenCostume
Photo of a half-face mask made to look like a pigeon's head. It's made out of gray hobby felt affixed to a black craft foam backing, with a black foam beak over the wearer's nose. The pigeon's cere is white hobby felt stitched over wool stuffing to make it round. The eyes are large and rounded, with costume mesh to make them black and eye details (the orange iris and white eye reflection) drawn on with paint pen. The style of the mask emphasizes its hand-made nature, with decorative hand stitching around the edges.
November 2, 2025 at 11:21 AM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Here are also some in-progress photos!

The last things I did were to mask off the ship and explosion lines, do a priming white layer of acrylic on the letters so they didn't get lost, and then add the darker background wash. I used paper towel to add a more cloud-like texture to the final wash.
WIP photo of the underlying sketch, including blocking out the lettering. WIP photo after adding the first background wash (to set the palette), and the warmest ship colors. WIP photo with the medium purple added, and some guidelines for the reflective lighting in blue. At this stage I decided I liked the faded look of the foremost wing and kept it that way. WIP photo with the next-darkest purple-indigo added (there's another step after this with another layer of dark), red wash on the red parts. After this there were some more corrections.
October 21, 2025 at 10:51 AM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
A poster for EVE Online I painted, inspired by vintage theatre posters. Watercolor with paint pen for the text, 38x27cm.

The Alliance Tournament XXI is this weekend on the @eveonline.com Twitch stream; hopefully I'll be flying (and winning) in it! 🤞

@justabout.com #JustCreators #ScifiArt
Photo of a hand-painted promotional poster, watercolor with acrylic paint pen. The text (in all capital letters) reads "See the Ceno rush in ATXXI Oct 24-26th", split in two clusters. The background is nebulous and colorful, with explosions behind each cluster of text. The central subject is a spaceship, the Cenotaph, which is highly detailed and a bit cobbled together. The overall color palette is a contrast between yellow-orange and purple-indigo, with some wash of red in places. It is illuminated above and below by the two background explosions.
October 20, 2025 at 10:31 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
A tiny single-sitting watercolor study of a misty forest, working on layering technique. Loosely from a photo, probably altered as it was already in these colors.

#TraditionalArt #Landscape
Photo of a small watercolor painting lying between a tray of half-pans and the round brush used in painting it. The painting is of a forest, entirely in shades of blue-green, with tree trunks disappearing into a light green mist and a lush shadowy understory. A bloom in a more yellow hue hints at warmer sunlight somewhere above the canopy.
October 11, 2025 at 12:01 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Also some bonus in-progress photos, under various lighting conditions. I tried to use as little black as possible, shading the colors mainly with purple to keep the saturation high.
Painting step with only shades of yellow over the pencil sketch, and masking gum over some details. Painting step with some purple-yellow mix added to shade the yellow, and some cadmium red details. Painting step with most of the blue added, more purple bridging the transition to yellow with triangle shapes becoming clearer, and some payne's grey added to the undercarriage. Painting step with most of the ship's details colored and shaded, immediately after the masking gum was removed from the central star and the white lines of the arms - background still blank.
October 11, 2025 at 11:05 AM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
I don’t even remember the last time I illustrated something mechanical, so naturally I chose a highly complicated ship and skin to squeeze in for this @eveonline.com art contest deadline! 😛 (I won)

Draugur in Casino Clash; watercolor, 17x26cm, 5 days.

#EveOnline #TraditionalArt #ScifiArt
A watercolour painting of a sporty-looking space ship from the MMO game EVE Online. The ship is a Draugur in the flashy yellow and blue "All-Star Casino Clash" skin, objectively the best skin (which sadly I don't own; it's rare and hideously expensive). The ship is zooming against a soft background wash of purple and indigo, with white pinprick stars.
October 11, 2025 at 10:37 AM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
My partner and I both immediately thought of the white wagtail as the "baby"-est local bird to feature in this gift for a family baby event. 😄

I wanted to contrast a subject with no color vs. a background with no black. Watercolor, ~18x28cm.

#BirdArt #TraditionalArt #SciArt
Watercolor painting of a white wagtail, a small black and white bird with a long tail and long legs. The bird is standing poised on a slight incline of bare earth with tufts of grass to either side, against a backdrop of pastel color.
September 25, 2025 at 9:37 AM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Value study watercolor of a white wagtail I painted prepare for a larger piece and to get used to the new brushes, paints, *and* paper. Learned some things about painting grass. 😅

#BirdArt #TraditionalArt
Watercolor painting using only black paint on white paper, with a bird as the central subject. The bird has a dark black bib, a long tail, and is striding on long legs through a suggested puddle. The background is indistinct but suggests a miniature forest of plant life.
September 24, 2025 at 12:21 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Watercolor of a tufted titmouse from today! Still learning the medium but I really like how this turned out (the difference is how long & how many mistakes it takes).

Whole painting is about the length of my hand. Ref from photo, ~3.5 hours. Gift for a friend. 🩵

#SciArt #TraditionalArt #BirdArt
Watercolour painting of a tufted titmouse perched alertly on a bit of mossy wood. The main part of the bird's mostly grey body is facing away and its head is turned to look back over its wing, crest raised inquisitively. Most of the detail is concentrated around the bird's black eye, with tiny feather marks picked out around its head and wings. The whole painting gives an impression of being infused with a golden green light, with diffuse background colors.
August 11, 2025 at 9:50 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Field marks to tell apart the CCP Swift from the other, non-CCP swifts. 😛

I expect that the Venn diagram of people who like bird jokes and fans of #EVEonline has a very narrow overlap, but I really like how this drawing turned out!

#Sketchbook #BirdArt
Photo of a sheet of paper with an ink and marker drawing of a swift (the bird) lying on a page from a guide to European birds showing several species of swift in similar poses, with the common swift most visible. A Micron pen lies on top of both at an angle. While the text of the book is in Norwegian, the drawing is labeled in handwritten English with field marks indicating "Long, thin, scythe-shaped wings", a "Black vest above, with white letters" (pointing to a black section on the swift's back with the minuscule words "EVE DEV TEAM"), and pointing out "A little smile" (in contrast to the real bird's frown-shaped mouth). The larger text reads "CCP Swift" - "A year-round resident, easily identifiable by voice and friendly disposition." NB: "CCP" in this case refers to "CCP Games", the studio that makes EVE Online. CCP Swift is the "dev name" of one of the developers.
August 5, 2025 at 11:53 AM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Today's pre-thesis warmup library sketch: a male fairy wren. I need more practice with tiny birds; I keep making them look too chunky! 😅

In pen, and today I packed a very limited palette of copic markers.

#BirdArt #Sketchbook #TraditionalArt
A drawing of a long tailed and fluffy round bird perched on a branch, black ink on paper with some details colored lightly in blue, grey, and muted pink and green shades. The bird is a male fairy wren. Referenced from photo in print.
August 1, 2025 at 12:25 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
De-stressification sketch of a common cuckoo, referenced from a book at the library. Pen with some slightly misbehaving marker added later.

#BirdArt #Sketchbook #TraditionalArt #SciArt
Black and white ink drawing of a bird poised on a lichen-covered branch, its long black tail held up in the air and its head turned to the side. The feet, eye ring, and mouth edges have been lightly colored in the common cuckoo's characteristic yellow.
July 31, 2025 at 10:19 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Thanks! 😊 Dominix was an obvious choice because people could identify it even without color 😂
An EVE Online meme with two rows. First row text: "Optimized for quality:" next to a photo of a fully finished and detailed Dominix sculpture. Second row text: "Potato mode:" next to an early photo of the sculpture before any colors were added. Since the core wool is brown in its natural color, the term is particularly apt.
July 30, 2025 at 11:41 AM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Finished my #NeedleFelt Dominix, a space ship from @eveonline.com! Merino wool, about 13cm, started in May at Fanfest but with a lot of pauses in between. I normally prefer brighter colors, but I had fun replicating the shiny surfaces. :)

#EVEonline #FiberArt
Side-view photo of a rounded space ship sculpted out of felted wool in tones of grey, black, white, and teal, with characteristic lumpy protuberances along the hull. The sculpture is sitting on top of a pile of un-felted wool in various shades of teal. Top-view photo of the felted Dominix sculpture. Photo of the felted Dominix sculpture from the rear of the craft looking forward, so that the lighter spots of the engines are visible. Photo of the felted Dominix sculpture from a forward angle, showing that much (though not all) of the apparent shape is from the 3D structure as well as color gradient.
July 29, 2025 at 8:44 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Happy pride from Oslo! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇳🇴

Except for all the haters and gatekeepers; they can fuck right off! 😉

#OsloPride #TransPride
Photo of a bearded white guy standing in front of a building and wearing black, with an unbuttoned shirt hanging open to show a hairy chest and stomach. Xe is holding both a nonbinary flag and a sign painted in the colors of the trans flag. The sign says "Vi er redd(e) for helsevesenet vårt", Norwegian for the dual meaning added by the "(e)" of "we are afraid of/(afraid for) our healthcare system". Xyr face and chest are sprinkled with shiny flakes of glitter and xe looks very handsome. 😉 Selfie photo of a bearded white guy standing in front of a brick building and wearing an unbuttoned black shirt lying open to show a good deal of hairy chest and stomach. Xyr face, beard, and chest are sprinkled with shiny flakes of glitter. Photo from on the PKI parade truck toward the front of the parade, with the royal palace in the distance. People are waving flags in the foreground, including trans, nonbinary, one I'm mot sure of (maybe a version of poly?), and the exceptionally beautiful queer Sámi flag. A colorful and excited crowd watches from the sidewalk under an array of rainbow flags hanging from the buildings.
June 28, 2025 at 3:01 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
This lil dragon has been sitting in my wool dungeon for about five years, but I finally packed em up as a gift to my friend who just finished her PhD this April! ✨

Merino wool, eyes are some kind of clay that I painted. #needlefelt #fiberart #dragons
Photo of a needle-felted (wingless) dragon from the side. It has four legs with defined toes, a tail, and a stout, lizard-like neck and head. The body is bright magenta fading down to a deeper purple, with a white belly and a yellow stripe down the side, and green eyes. It has a fluffy blue mane along the neck and back and a blue tuft on the tip of the tail. Photo of the needle-felted dragon from the front and side, showing the face and toes in more detail. Photo of the needle-felted dragon peeking out from behind a desk-mounted pencil sharpener, giving a sense of scale and a slightly different impression of the color balance.
June 16, 2025 at 11:46 AM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Unfortunately no! They are basically flat little suction cups and VERY good at staying attached. There are non-chemical methods for control, but they have ethical drawbacks: cleaner fish have poor welfare in salmon cages, and heat treatment is often (illegally) used at temps that hurt the salmon. 😬
Photo of female salmon lice from our lab sitting on a damp piece of paper, all with two pairs of egg strings trailing from them. A few have a small metal square glued to their rear segment, a 0.5 x 0.5 mm laser-powered microchip for identification.
June 15, 2025 at 6:35 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
Fun fact! You can glue tiny microchips to #parasites like salmon lice and identify them as individual animals over their lifetimes. @amennerat.bsky.social pioneered the idea based on banding birds.

We have an #openaccess paper on the methodology here: peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10....
June 15, 2025 at 5:39 PM
illgottencranes.bsky.social
My popular science article is online! 😀 It's about the evolution of birds like cuckoos & cowbirds that reproduce parasitically, laying their eggs in the nests of other bird species.

paranthrope.w.uib.no/files/2025/0...

#ornithology
Digital drawing of four young nestling birds begging for food, one of them clearly much larger than the other four and with a different color of down feathers.
June 15, 2025 at 4:52 PM