michaelaillustration

[michaelaillustration]

Extinct Camel Toes . . . . . #extinctcamel #camel #cameltoe #labreatarpits #tarpits #naturalhistorymuseum #losangeles #nhm #nhmla #fossil #fossilfuels #asphalt #extinct #extinctanimals #extinction #iceage #drawing #sketch #sciart #bones #illustration #illustrator #illustratorsofinstagram #summerbody (at La Brea Tar Pits and Museum)

[michaelaillustration]

Ground Sloth • Front Claws (extinct) . . . . . #sloth #claws #groundsloth #harlansgroundsloth #labreatarpits #tarpits #naturalhistorymuseum #losangeles #nhm #nhmla #fossil #fossilfuels #asphalt #extinct #extinctanimals #extinction #iceage #drawing #sketch #sciart #bones #illustration #illustrator #illustratorsofinstagram #summerbody (at La Brea Tar Pits)

[michaelaillustration]

G O OSE G E ESE . “They make good guard pets because they like to eat insects, slugs and weeds.” . . . #goose #geese #guardpets #sketch #drawing #illustration (at William S Hart Park)

[michaelaillustration]

These are the flowers I gave my mom for Mother’s Day.. (PS: Drawings = grown-up Coupon Books) . . . . . #mothersday #couponbook #drawing #illustration #papermatesharpwriter #flowergram #naturalist #camomile #sciart #scienceillustration #botanicalillustration (at Los Angeles, California)

[michaelaillustration]

Happy 121st Birthday, Ed. ❤️🍻 . (3/3) . . . #ricketts #edricketts #steinbeck #johnsteinbeck #steinbeckfestival #seaofcortez #poverty #party #beermilkshake #monterey #salinas #canneryrow #pacificbiologicallaboratories #literature #bibliophile #ocean #sea #naturalist #handlettering #handlettered #quote #illustration #drawing #literaryart #drawnandquoted (at Pacific Biological Laboratories)

[michaelaillustration]

"Men really do need sea monsters in their personal oceans... An ocean without its unnamed monsters would be like a completely dreamless sleep." . (2/3) . . . . . #ricketts #edricketts #steinbeck #johnsteinbeck #steinbeckfestival #westernflyer #seaofcortez #seamonster #tenticles #monterey #salinas #canneryrow #pacificbiologicallaboratories #literature #bibliophile #ocean #sea #naturalist #handlettering #handlettered #quote #illustration #drawing #literaryart #drawnandquoted (at Pacific Biological Laboratories)

[michaelaillustration]

Last weekend, I got to go to the Steinbeck Festival in Monterey, so I illustrated some quotes from one of my favorite books, “The Log from the Sea of Cortez” for the occasion... . (1/3) . . . . . #ricketts #edricketts #steinbeck #johnsteinbeck #steinbeckfestival #westernflyer #seaofcortez #monterey #salinas #canneryrow #pacificbiologicallaboratories #literature #bibliophile #ocean #sea #naturalist #handlettering #handlettered #quote #illustration #drawing #literaryart #drawnandquoted (at Pacific Biological Laboratories)

[michaelaillustration]

A little Vermillion Rockfish kept hovering in front of me, just asking to be drawn... I threw in the White Spotted Rose Anemone and a dash of Strawberry Anemones, for good measure. I love anemones.. they always sit still for portraits. . >15 minutes for these because they were closing and kicking me out. Also, drawing in the dark is hard... I really must strengthen my mole-eyes for aquarium sketching. . . . #vermillionrockfish #rockfish #roseanemone #strawberryanemone #urticinaeques #corynactiscalifornica #sebastesminiatus (at Monterey Bay Aquarium)

[michaelaillustration]

A little Vermillion Rockfish kept hovering in front of me, just asking to be drawn... I threw in the White Spotted Rose Anemone and a dash of Strawberry Anemones, for good measure. I love anemones.. they always sit still for portraits. . >15 minutes for these because they were closing and kicking me out. . . . #vermillionrockfish #rockfish #roseanemone #strawberryanemone #urticinaeques #corynactiscalifornica #sebastesminiatus (at Monterey Bay Aquarium)

[michaelaillustration]

This year, the official #EarthDay focus is to #EndPlasticPollution . Every piece of plastic that has ever been manufactured is still on this planet, in some form—it doesn’t go away, it just gets smaller and smaller! . Single-use plastic waste is ridiculous and completely unnecessary; most disposable plastics are only in use for an average of 20 minutes and then discarded—but they will be here long after your great-great-great-great-great-great grandchildren... . Please take responsibility for your own personal impact, and consider your footprint every time you purchase something! Earth Day is every day! . 🌎 . 🌍 . 🌏 . #earthdayeveryday #plasticfree #reduce #reuse #saveourseas #protectwhatyoulove . . #calnat #calnatshare (I drew this as part of my capstone!) . . #illustration #artistsoninstagram #earthday2018 #artivism #conservation #plasticfree #stopsucking #nostraw #saynotoplastic #octopus #cephalopod #plasticocean #garbage #greatpacificgarbagepatch #microplastic #refusesingleuse #plasticpollution #burbank #losangelesart (at Los Angeles, California)

[michaelaillustration]

Back to the grind... . Here’s me, reading to Mrs. W’s 3rd Grade class. . Jess Keating’s “Shark Lady,” is a book about Eugenie Clark, American Ichthyologist known for her research on shark behavior and her study of fish in the order Tetraodontiformes, AND a pioneer scuba diver! After the book, we had a killer conversation about shark advocacy and conservation... Hopefully this generation will save them! . 🦈 . 📚 . 🦈 . 📚 . 🦈 . #selfie #shelfie #librarian #schoolselfie #readaloud #sharklady #librarylife #schoollibrarian #librarianlife #kidlit #picturebook #literacy #elementaryschool #shark #sharkeducation #fish #oceanadvocate #education #conservation #outreach #Tetraodontiformes #apexpredator #nextgeneration #savethesharks #saveourseas #protectwhatyoulove (at Ralph Emerson Elementary)

[michaelaillustration]

Another Sea Nettle Sketch... I just can’t help it... I’ve got jelly brains. . . . . . #loveaop #aquariumofthepacific #seanettle #pacificseanettle #jellyfish #pulse #tentacles #sting #watercolor #watercolorsketch #sketch #sketchbook #ink #drawing #illustration #seacreatures #natureillustration #oceananimals #protectwhatyoulove (at Aquarium of the Pacific)

[michaelaillustration]

Wanna know how to make your school librarian cry (in a good way) when they first walk in the door on Monday? Make them a huge banner and leave them a gift card to their favorite happy hour spot..! Thank you so much, my Emerson family!!! I love you, too!!!! ❤️😂 ❤️#NationalSchoolLibrarianDay #NationalLibraryWeek . PS: Some of these really crack me up— “You are the librarian,” and “Good luck to you,” especially. Also those who used it as a forum to request more comic books... . . . #schoollibrarian #elementarylibrarian #schoollibrary #schoollife #librarylife #librariansofinstagram #librariansfollowlibrarians #librarianday #librarianlife #libraryweek #schoollibrarianday #youlikeme #youlikemeyoureallylikeme (at Ralph Emerson Elementary)

[michaelaillustration]

Mola Mola Monday... Molas are massive and adorable. In German, they are called Schwimmender Kopf (“Swimming Head”). In English, they are also called Sunfish, because they bask at the surface and let bird buddies eat all the yummy parasites off their skin—which is six inches thick, and helps protect them from deadly boat strikes! . They are the heaviest known bony fish in the world; they grow to be about 6ft x 8ft, and the females can produce more eggs than any other Vertebrate—300 million! . I saw this eraser at the @marinemammalcare giftshop and of course I had to have it. . . #mola #molamola #molamonday #molamadness #Tetraodontiforme #swimminghead #bigfish #doodle #sketch #drawing #postit #illustration (at Ralph Emerson Elementary)

[michaelaillustration]

I like to stay until the light is almost totally gone, when the wind whips my hair into an intolerable, stinging, fury. I’ll leave when I have to blindly feel around for the path back up, over dark rocks, in a dangerous way. Then I will worry about breaking an ankle about cracking a jaw getting dragged out to sea, but not any earlier. Certainly not when I’m scurrying down over slippery stones to watch seagulls argue. Then, I’m only worried about missing that last sliver of sunset. . . . #westerngulls #seagulls #birds #seabirds #gulls #dusk #sunset #poem #poetry #drawing #sketch #illustration #nature #naturalist #loverspoint #pacificgrove (at Lovers Point Beach)

[michaelaillustration]

Sea Nettle Sketch . . . . . #sketch #doodle #seanettle #pacificseanettle #jellyfish #illustration #drawing #loveaop #aquariumofthepacific (at Aquarium of the Pacific)

[michaelaillustration]

I’m gonna go greet some Grunion tonight—I’m so pumped! Hopefully they’re feelin’ frisky... If anybody would like to come along for a cocktail and some ichthyological voyeurism, lemme know.. . Here’s a page from my notes. . . *Notes = 20% info, 80% doodle . . 🌖 . 💙 . 🐟🐟🐟 🐟🐟🐟 🐟🐟🐟 . #grunion #grunionrun #sexonthebeach #fish #mating #nature #californialove #uccalnat #doodle #sketch #notestagram #notetaking #science #illustration (at University of Southern California)