Rachael Mayo
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rachaelmayo.bsky.social
Rachael Mayo
@rachaelmayo.bsky.social
73 followers 56 following 48 posts
I work as a mainframe computer tech to keep my cupboard full, but when I'm not wrestling z/OS I am a colored pencil fiend. My favorite subjects are dragons, space monsters, giant insects, and birdy-things.
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rachaelmayo.bsky.social
Three versions of Path Between Stars 5. All are still works in progress.
September 20, 2025 at 8:53 AM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
This is "Champion Floribunda". It is 5x7 inches.

Here's the final version of the fourth project in the Champions series.

The dragon is made with Prismacolor pencils and gel pens over a watercolor underpainting. There are many semiprecious stones and other 3D embellishments.
August 9, 2025 at 11:34 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
Here is a set of details from Yantra of Dubious Provenance 2 so that you can see all the lovely eyes.

Prismacolor pencil over an ink drawing.
August 9, 2025 at 11:01 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
This is "Yantra of Dubious Provenance 2". It is not a meditation aid, as the geometry is deliberately skewed. And it's made of bones, eyes, teeth, and wings.

I used Prismacolor pencils over ink to make this monstrosity. There are black agates, lapis lazuli, and manmade turquoise stones.
August 7, 2025 at 11:46 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
This is "AvP: Dragonslayer". Finally finished after about 75 hours effort (drawing, inking, coloring). Prismacolor pencils over watercolor wash over ink drawing. Love me some monstrous details!
May 24, 2025 at 7:18 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
Years ago, a friend wrote an Aliens-themed "Three Little Pigs" fable in which neither piggies nor Big Bad Wolf came off well at the end...
May 3, 2025 at 7:58 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
Spot illustrations for Tremorworks Demongate bestiary. Today: Bakeneko, Baku (art director's notes, not historically sourced...), Cerberus, and Chalkydri. Made with Zig and Micron pens on paper.
May 3, 2025 at 7:57 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
Lineart done in 2013 for a DeviantArt contest. Mashup of TRON and the Firebird ballet's pas de deux. I colored it later with Prismacolors, then added circuit boards on a lower layer. The glow is a simple Photoshop effect.
April 16, 2025 at 10:13 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
Spot illustrations for Tremorworks: Demongate High bestiary, which included angels, demons, and other entities. These are four of the demons. I used Microns to ink them.

#ink #drawing #art #traditional #demon #angel
April 16, 2025 at 10:11 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
This is the dragon design for the fourth in my Champions series. I haven't settled on a title just yet.

Prismacolor pencils and gel pen over watercolor.

Inspired by Mom's orchids and also nudibranchs.

#dragons #traditionalart #drawing
A very colorful, highly detailed, and rather psychedelic dragon floats through a misty, vague background. The picture is still a work in progress, in that the dragon will be cut out of the background and placed into a new environment where there will be 3D elements and a layering effect to make the dragon pop out.
April 6, 2025 at 9:37 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
This is "Dragons of Every Dawn: Rat". Yes, I've been busy this week!

#traditionalart #dragon #rat #mixedmedia #coloredpencil
A busy composition has a central figure of a red dragon that has ratlike features. Surrounding it are a variety of 3D embellishments that consist of semiprecious stones, metal beads, and acrylic tiles and rhinestones.
March 13, 2025 at 10:55 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
Finished version of "Champion Terrani et Vermiculi". Not my usual color palette, and therefore a good challenge.

#traditionalart #traditionalmedia #mixedmedia #dragon #coloredpencil #stones
This is a small-format project at 5x7 inches. A brown dragon is packed into the composition. It has finny wings in shades of gold, brown and orange toward the top of the picture. Its body is covered in plate scales like a desert lizard. Along the borders of the piece are a variety of color-coordinated stones such as aragonite, tiger eye, and jasper. Near the dragon's head is spiral ammonite fossil.
March 13, 2025 at 9:22 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
This is "Dragons of Every Dawn: Serpent". It will be one of twelve, all of them dragons based on the Chinese Zodiac.

Colored pencils on paper, plus gel pen and semiprecious stones.

#traditionalart #mixedmedia #coloredpencils #dragon #stones
This is an image of a yellow-green, scaly dragon with serpent overtones. It has frills on its dorsal ridge, hips, ankles, arms, and tail that resemble leaves. It sits in a composition that contains patterned scrapbook papers and numerous semiprecious stones. The stones are green, black, and yellow, and come in several shapes and sizes.
March 11, 2025 at 4:29 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
This is the third in my "Champions" series, and is still a work in progress. I'll be assembling a background with 3D embellishments soon.

Colored pencils on paper - among other things.

#art #traditionalart #coloredpencils #mixedmedia #dragon #earthtones
A dragon is packed into a 5x7 inch format. The dragon has scale/plates that resemble those of certain desert-dwelling lizards. But it also has a lot of fin-like design elements. The wings are rather finny. The tail is definitely finny. The artist was probably thinking of two things at the same time, so it came out as a mashup of desert and ocean. The dragon was colored with Prismacolor pencils over watercolor, and it has detailing in gel pens.
March 3, 2025 at 1:04 AM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
This is "Tapestry of the Vigilant", an image that comes from my "Dragon Adventure 4" coloring book. I've enlarged it to 14x17 so I could really play with the detail.

#coloredpencil #art #traditionalart #traditionalmedia #fantasy #dragon #featheredserpent #quetzalcoatl #colorful
A colorful winged and feathered serpent-dragon is the central image. Its tongue is sticking out, because the artist likes drawing tongues. Its feathers contain all the colors of the rainbow, but don't follow anything like standard avian morphology. Its tail has feathers of different sizes, and the longest of them curl across the bottom third of the picture. In the background are highly stylized leaf and flower shapes. The dragon was colored with Prismacolor pencils, and there are glittery gel pen accents and details. The background is a watercolor wash with salt mottling, and Prismacolor pencil to bring out the detail of the leaves and flowers.
February 24, 2025 at 10:12 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
These are "Path Between Stars 3" and "Path Between Stars 4". Stipple shading takes some effort, but I love the end result.

#ink #dragons #space #stars #flght #art #traditionalart #penandink #indiaink #stipple #drawing
A stipple-shaded dragon floats through space with its wings spread wide. Behind it is a top-view of a spiral galaxy painted with pearly white acrylic. A stipple-shaded dragon flies through an abstract space. It is surrounded by a black border, which anchors the body parts, which are cut out. Behind the dragon and border layer is an abstracted star field that consists of silver acrylic painted onto black glitter paper. The dragon holds a small opal.
February 21, 2025 at 11:00 AM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
This is "Expressions of Light 19", which lineart was completed in 2022. I've added watercolor since then, but haven't gotten around to full color yet. I used Micron pens, then cleanup in Photoshop. ~15x15 inches.

#lineart #angel #wings #ink #fantasyart #art #costume
A humanoid figure dressed in semi-abstract folds of cloth moves through an abstract mosaic space. The figure is an interpretation of an angel. The figure has three pairs of complicated wings, or winglike forms, and very long, curly hair. The figure holds a sphere that appears translucent. Behind the figure and above it is a conglomeration of wings, petals, leaves, teeth, eyes, and spines - an abstract angel.
February 17, 2025 at 4:18 AM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
This is Dragon Dance 3. The lineart appears in Dragon Adventure 2, and the colored one was just me having fun.

#art #dragons #fantasy #lineart #coloringbook #traditionalmedia
A complicated knot of a dragon defies the laws of physics as it manages to fly. It has a somewhat oriental face and scales, but has wings that consist of both feathers and membranes. It has a great many more than two wings. Its body weaves in and around itself, with wings popping out at exactly the right place to be useful. The dragon drawing was made with pen and ink then cleaned up with Photoshop. The background is an abstract design gleaned from a mashup of stencils and clipart, and is unique to this piece. A complex knot of a dragon defies the laws of physics as it flies. The dragon was drawn with pencil, then inked with Micron pens. The whole sheet was given a watercolor underpainting, then colored with Prismacolor pencils and detailed with gel pens. The paper was partly cut away at the edges so that pieces of the dragon's body and wings stick out beyond the edges. The dragon was placed onto a sheet of red glitter paper with foam tape. The dragon holds a fiber optic stone.
February 17, 2025 at 4:14 AM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
Bugs bugs bugs bugs. These are 2005 spot illustrations for the miniatures game "Hive, Queen, and Country".

#ink #drawing #traditionalart #shading #crosshatch #Micron #RPG #creaturedesign
This is a pen and ink drawing of a fantasy arthropod that is designed for swimming. It has features that bring to mind a lobster, a praying mantis, a mantis shrimp, a water beetle, and an ant. It is one of four designs, and it is the smallest of those four. It is about the size of a large dog. This is a pen and ink drawing of a fantasy arthropod that is designed for swimming. It has features that bring to mind a lobster, a praying mantis, a mantis shrimp, a water beetle, and an ant. It is one of four designs, and it is the smallest of those four. It is about the size of a large dog, but is bigger than the "minor swimmer". This is a pen and ink drawing of a fantasy arthropod that is designed for swimming. It has features that bring to mind a lobster, a praying mantis, a mantis shrimp, a water beetle, and an ant. It is one of four designs, and it is the smallest of those four. It is about the size of a pony, and would gladly eat one. This is a pen and ink drawing of a fantasy arthropod that is designed for swimming. It has features that bring to mind a lobster, a praying mantis, a mantis shrimp, a water beetle, and an ant. It is one of four designs, and it is the smallest of those four. It is more massive than a draft horse, and would easily tear holes in any submersible craft.
February 17, 2025 at 4:08 AM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
Hot off the drawing table, this is a Strange Angel - a semi-abstract collection of wings and fire. I will be coloring the drawing later; I'll add a bunch of eyes at that point.

I made this with Micron pens on drawing paper. It is 9x12 inches.

#ink #drawing #traditionalart #angel
This is a line drawing of a semi-abstract creature that plays with the "biblically accurate angel" concept. It is an assemblage of fantasy wing-shapes with different kinds of feathers and decorations. There are flame shapes in the background. In the middle of the wings is a set of circular teeth or mandibles. The line drawing is complete, but it wants color. The artist will be adding lots of color later. The drawing was made with Micron pens on paper.
February 11, 2025 at 12:15 AM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
Here's another bird! This is "Song in the Sky 6". I've reused this phoenix design several times, because it is relatively simple and lots of fun to color. I used Prismacolor pencils and gel pens. There are acrylic "rain dots", too.

#art #traditionalart #coloredpencils #drawing #phoenix
A green, black, and white phoenix flies through an abstract space. Its feathers are decorated with lines and dots to make it look complex. Acrylic dots surround its head, as if it is exploding with color. Except it's mostly green on blue, because the artist was just in one of those moods that day. The drawing was made with Prismacolor pencils and white and silver gel pens.
February 8, 2025 at 10:07 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
How about an oldy-moldy? This is an Aliens vs Predator piece called "In Her Majesty's Service", from 2004. I had a lot looser inking style back in the day.
The Predator crouches in a heroic pose with his double-ended spear. At his feet is an Aliens Facehugger that is clearly deceased. Behind the Predator are numerous adult Aliens which behave as if the Predator is one of them. The implication is that the Facehugger has successfully infected the Predator with an Alien embryo, and the adult Aliens are protective of the host of their new little sister. The drawing was made with Zig Millenium pens and is in a loose, scratchy and scumbly inking style.
February 8, 2025 at 10:03 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
I made this for my dad years ago. He's a fan of Salvador Dali, and "Persistence of Memory" is one of his favorite pieces. He described this spoof idea to me, and once my skills caught up, I drew this for him. "Persistence of Star Trek".

#Spoof #StarTrek #Surrealism #Dali #soft
A spoof of Salvador Dali's "Persistence of Memory". A golden block on the left holds a broken olive tree, and draped over its branch is a soft, squishy Starship Enterprise NC117-A from Star Trek. Draped off of the table is another soft Enterprise. Next to it is a golden pocket watch being investigated by ants. In the middle of the brown plain of the image is a warped object that resembles a sleeping face, with a single visible eye that has long eyelashes. Draped over it, almost like a blanket, is a third soft Enterprise. In the background is a low mountain, and before the mountain is a tiny rendering of the Guardian of Forever. The sea comes up to meet the mountain, and the se reflects a sky that has the look of early dawn. The piece was made with Prismacolor pencils over a watercolor underpainting.
February 1, 2025 at 9:53 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
This is "Night Forest Dragon". I don't often make portraits, so this was a fun exercise. I could let my detailing fancy loose on individual scales.

#dragon #portrait #fantasy #traditionalart
A dragon's portrait faces left. The dragon's green scales and ruff resemble the leaves of a plant, perhaps some type of succulent. The scales are decorated with spots of lavender/carmine and also tiny dots. The background is a sort of leafy mandala, darkest green against black. The dragon is an ink drawing colored with Prismacolor pencils and gel pens.
February 1, 2025 at 9:41 PM
rachaelmayo.bsky.social
This is "Fields of Gold 2", a piece I used to experiment with layering. While I typically use two or three layers, this is a rare case where I have layered the subject itself. Takes more work, but love the effect and so plan to do more.
A long, elaborate, somewhat oriental dragon stalks toward the right. The dorsal fluff is made of large individual curls which resemble leaves, or feathers, and are stylized. The dail curls around itself on the left and has elaborate scale-plates, curling leaf-feathers, and red spines. The dragon's closest front leg and back leg and head are on an upper cut-out layer. The torso is on a second cut-out layer. The tail and the farther front and back legs are on a third cut-out layer. The bottom layer is a background board that has been painted with acrylics, using stencils. The dragon was colored with watercolor, Prismacolor pencils, and gel pens.
February 1, 2025 at 9:37 PM