watercolourcritters

[watercolourcritters]

fr. “Sorrow is Not My Name” by Ross Gay

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this is how snacks were meant to be eaten :)

ceramic plate by me! more photos sans snacks under the cut!

[ID: A ceramic plate that has a large green ceramic frog in its center. The rest of the plate around the frog is full of raspberries, cheese, and crackers. End ID.]

he's just a lil guy!

[ID: two more photos of the plate. The base of the plate is made to look like a lilypad, with the frog sitting in the centre. He is short and squat and slightly cartoon in style. End ID.]

[watercolourcritters]

I know that some British people take umbridge at Americans calling the Great British Bake Off relaxing, but it's just because GBBO is such a different kind of stressful from American baking shows.

American baking shows will be called something like "Cupcake Knife Fight", there's horror movie lighting everywhere and dramatic stings every 5 seconds. All of the contestants are shit talking each other and fist fighting over the one single deep fryer provided by production. It will show the judges all whispering to each other at their super villain table overlooking the whole kitchen, and one will be like, "Oh my god. Everyone look at Brenda right now. She's straight tanking it." And it will cut to Brenda, who is running around covered in flour and crying and also bleeding for some reason. Then you get a clip from an interview with one of the contestants, and they're like, "I really need to win this. Without this award money, I'm gonna need to close my restaurant, sell my dad, and live out of my car. AGAIN." Then the giant digital doomsday clock overhead lets out a horrid klaxon, the judges tell half of them that their cupcakes taste disgusting, and one of them gets eliminated and sent to walk down the dramatically-lit shame hallway never to be seen again.

Meanwhile GBBO is in a lovely, brightly colored tent, there are delightful and friendly hosts/jesters there to keep everyone entertained, and all of the B Roll is of like... a bumblebee going into a flower, or a lamb running in a field. And yes, there will be moments where someone will mess up their timing or something, and they'll be looking at their bake through the oven door like, "oh gosh I don't think this will rise in time!" Then they stand up to find Paul Hollywood directly behind them ominously. His creepy whitewalker eyes will glow white, and he'll say something like "the 12th of June. 2035. Drowning." And his eyes will go back to normal and he'll walk away. Then the baker gives a playful grimace to the camera and says "that didnt sound great, did it?". Cut to a sweet looking older woman sipping tea on a stool and she says "oo I do hope that Prue enjoys the taste of my sugary, sticky baps!". Then, at the end, someone gets a gold star for doing good, and the loser of the episode gets in the middle of a giant group hug. You see all of them at the end of the series at a giant carnival with their families and the post credits informs you that all of the contestants have become a Partridge Family-style traveling band and stayed friends forever.

[watercolourcritters]

also a poem from the new, unreleased collection. very possibly my own all-time favourite.

[watercolourcritters]

bumblebees for @thereisnocorrectanswer!!

[ID: Simple pixel art of four different bumblebees in front of a green background. The bumblebees in order are an earth bumblebee [bombus terrestris (Erdhummel)], a red-tailed bumblebee [bombus lapidarius (Steinhummel)], a carder bee [bombus pascuorum (Ackerhummel)] and a tree bumblebee [bombus hypnorum (Baumhummel)]. End ID]

[watercolourcritters]

happy pride from the smallest leather daddy around!!

hey stud <3 - acrylic on canvas, 4x4" (sold!)

Instagram | Tip Jar & Sticker Shop

[ID copied from alt text: A small canvas painting of a brown frog wearing a black leather daddy hat with studs and a chain on the cap. Text reads "hey stud (heart shape)." The painting stands on a small easel. End ID.]

[watercolourcritters]

Sonya Sklaroff - Rainbow Flag, 2017 - Oil on panel

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chocolate covered strawberries 🍓

[watercolourcritters]

Also going to note that if you take online comms, this is also why using something like paypal invoice rather than giving out info for them to send $ to is helpful - a common scam is to send you too much $, ask for the balance back, and then reverse their own transfer after you've sent them $. The more you can do to protect yourself, the better.

If something feels fishy, or off, don't accept the comm. If it's a really generic art request from someone you don't know and who has never engaged with you, for something you don't usually do, and they're offering a lot of money out of the blue, don't take it. (For example, I once had a scammer ask me to create two identical large portraits of the exact same photo of a dog, in an art medium I didn't use.) Search what you're experiencing, see if there's a common scam that it matches. (I have googled "instagram art scams" before, and found helpful info.)

Protect yourselves from scammers, babes!

Remember kids, if you get requests for art (or writing etc) commissions in replies (or DMs) from people who 1) have never engaged with your artwork in any way shape or form and don't even follow you, 2) have a generic unedited tumblr page, 3) have only a couple days of reblogs, and 4) use something really generic like "I love your artwork, do you take commissions, please DM me" - it is almost always a scam, or a bot, or both. Block em.

[watercolourcritters]

Remember kids, if you get requests for art (or writing etc) commissions in replies (or DMs) from people who 1) have never engaged with your artwork in any way shape or form and don't even follow you, 2) have a generic unedited tumblr page, 3) have only a couple days of reblogs, and 4) use something really generic like "I love your artwork, do you take commissions, please DM me" - it is almost always a scam, or a bot, or both. Block em.

[watercolourcritters]

happy pride from the smallest leather daddy around!!

hey stud <3 - acrylic on canvas, 4x4" (sold!)

Instagram | Tip Jar & Sticker Shop

[ID copied from alt text: A small canvas painting of a brown frog wearing a black leather daddy hat with studs and a chain on the cap. Text reads "hey stud (heart shape)." The painting stands on a small easel. End ID.]

[watercolourcritters]

a few years ago, i made a flowchart for my partner in order to convince them to leave a pathfinder group that was actively making their life worse. today i revised my original chart to convince a friend to leave her d&d group that is actively making her life worse.

here is the chart. i promise its utility is not only with tabletop RPGs but it does have a high hit rate for those

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[ID: An illustration of a pink flamingo facing to the left, standing in clear blue water with three more flamingos, a white sun, and a green-orange background. End.]

It's a mingo!

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[watercolourcritters]

Are you 🫵 pissed off about the Lilo and Stitch monstrosity remake? Do you want to know how you can actually make a difference in supporting the people and ecosystems of Hawaii?

Tourism is a big issue in Hawaii (which the remake got rid of the original's commentary on because it makes foreigners look bad). I'm not gonna promote it, BUT I know that realistically, thousands of people arrive here every single day by the airplane-ful. And the majority of them aren't educated on the socio-cultural and economic impacts of tourism. SO, I'm making this post in an effort to educate visitors. If you or someone you know is visiting or moving to Hawaii (whether by circumstances in or out of your control), here are some suggestions on how you can give back!

You can donate to the Hawaii Community Foundation, which has been instrumental in giving aid to the displaced community of Lahaina after the Maui wildfires in 2023. They also provide scholarships to students of under-represented communities.

If you're interested in visiting Kualoa Ranch, you can do their Mālama Experience where you get your hands dirty giving back to the ‘āina (land)!

There are other organizations you can join to volunteer with, too, like Kupu and Mālama Maunalua. Check them out; maybe you can help with a beach cleanup or plant native trees! These are both non-profit organizations that accept monetary donations.

Visit the Bishop Museum to learn about Hawaiian history and culture! They also have events focused on sustainability and conservation.

If you're visiting Hilo on the Big Island, go visit the Laulima Nature Center! They're a non-profit aimed at protecting Hawaii's native species, and they even have an online store that ships to the US mainland and internationally! (After I post this, I'm gonna head on over and get myself a manu o Kū pin ♡)

A few other tips I have:

DO: Respect the locals' homes. Several beaches and hiking trails have access points in residential areas. Please be mindful to keep your voices down when passing by, and park ONLY in designated parking areas.

DO: Wear reef-safe sunscreen! Sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate are banned in Hawaii because they are known to damage coral reefs.

DON'T: Approach wildlife, particularly honu (sea turtles) and 'īlio holo i ka uaua (Hawaiian monk seals). Stay at least 10 feet (3 meters) away from turtles and at least 50 feet (15 meters) away from monk seals. If you see someone harassing animals, report them to the statewide NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline: (888) 256-9840. You can also contact the Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources.

DON'T: Collect sand, rocks, or other natural items to bring home with you. This is to protect the ecosystems and also out of respect for Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians), who have cultural beliefs regarding lava rocks in particular. Taking lava rocks is extremely disrespectful.

DON'T: Litter! Please throw away your waste in proper trash cans. If you see a bin that says "ʻōpala," that's a trash can!

Many Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) are moving to the US mainland because the cost of living in Hawaii has been driven up so high (because of people moving here), they can't afford to live in their ancestral home. So, if you are going to visit or move to Hawaii, please:

- Make the effort to support local businesses, especially those owned by Native Hawaiians!

- Educate yourself and your loved ones about actual Hawaiian culture!

- Try Hawaiian food, like poi!

- Learn some Hawaiian words and don't be afraid to ask how to pronounce words correctly!

- Donate to a food bank!

- Watch films and read books written by Native Hawaiians!

My hope is that whoever sees this post will use it to educate themselves, their friends, and their families who are considering visiting.

My background is in sustainability and the environment, so that's what I know to suggest off the top of my head. If any Kānaka Maoli read this post and have suggestions to add, please do!

[watercolourcritters]

fog travelers

[image description: a watercolor painting with pen details, of a foggy forest trail, lined with rocks and moss. white ghostly silhouettes of whales swim through the fog and trees in the background. /end i.d.]

[watercolourcritters]

mwaaaah ! In these trying times.