Bumble bees are members of the Apidae family which includes bumble bees, honey bees, carpenter bees, and orchid bees. The Eastern Common Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) is a bee species that is endemic to the Eastern United States and a common site in parks, gardens, and meadows.
Bumble bee workers are the most commonly seen members of the colony above ground, but below ground there is a complex world where the majority of the colony’s activity takes place. Underground, the queen builds her colony, nurses tend to the larvae, workers build and maintain structures, and new queens grow to continue the next generation.
A goal of this project is to take a glimpse into the inner workings of the colony and understand behaviors that are occur below ground. This project is a collaboration with the Woodard Lab at the University of California, Riverside as part of their efforts to educate the public about the amazing lives of these complex creatures.
The bumble bee colony consists of clusters of wax cells that serve as storage containers for nectar, brood cells for developing larvae, and brood cells for developing queens and drones.
Unlike honeybees, the bumble bee nest grows in masses where structures are built upon each other and unorganized.
This cut-away of a brood cell shows how a worker bee feeds a developing bee larva. The worker bee creates a small hole at the entrance of the cell, inserts her proboscis, and deposits a sugary substance into the center of the cell.
Spot illustration from the Division of Labor showing the emergence of a new queen. She will fly off to begin a new colony the following spring.
Bumble bee workers fly out to forage for nectar and pollen and bring them back to the nest.
Male bumble bees (drones) fly outside the nest during the mating season in search of new queens to mate with.
They can be distinguished from workers by slightly larger compound eyes and more yellow fur on the head and thorax.
Spot illustration of a mating queen and drone.
Spot Illustration showing a bumble bee larvae feeding on nectar deposited by a worker bee.
White wing doves (Zenaida asiatica) feasting on saguaro cactus fruits (Carnegiea gigantea)
Callipepla gambelii in watercolor
Pyrocephalus obscurus in watercolor
Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus in watercolor
Cyanthus latirostris in watercolor
Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo).
Watercolor, colored pencil, and walnut ink. 7” x 10”
Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata), Watercolor and gouache. 8” x 10”
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) with Holly branch (Ilex aquifolium). Watercolor on Paper.
Although spring is a time of growth, it can also be a time of decline. This Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) egg fell from its nest on the balcony earlier this spring.
Watercolor and gouache.
California Scrub Jay Feathers (Aphelocoma californica). Watercolor.
California Scrub Jay Feathers (Aphelocoma californica). Watercolor.
Ring-Billed Gull (Larus delawarensis). Gouache and watercolor.
Fish are friends. The aquatic world hosts all sorts of amazing life forms and my illustrations are a response to the colors, patterns, and textures of this world.
Watercolor on Paper. 28” x 20”. Commission
Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus)
Cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) and java fern (Microsorum pteropus) in watercolor.
Watercolor and gouache on paper. Haliotis rufescens
Watercolor and gouache on paper. Haliotis rufescens
Gouache on birch panel, 4”x4”.
Puntis titteya. Male and Female
Gouache on birch panel, 4”x4”. (Danio margaritatus)
Gouache on birch panel, 4”x4”. (Pseudomugil furcatus)
The Chesapeake Blue Crab (Callinetes sapidus). Gouache on birch panel.
The Dungeness Crab, (Cancer magister). Gouache on birch panel.
Neritina natalensis in marker and colored pencil.
Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). 2015. Watercolor on paper. 11x14
This illustration was done in conjunction with Baltimore Urban Farming and the Johns Hopkins Center For A Livable Future. These illustrations were used as mock-ups of their redesigned signage throughout the hoop house and on the website.
This illustration was done in conjunction with Baltimore Urban Farming and the Johns Hopkins Center For A Livable Future. These illustrations will be used as part of their redesigned signage throughout the hoop house and on the website.
A collection of freshwater tropical fish of the Americas. Painted in watercolor and arranged digitally.
Features several species of tetras, cichlids, catfish, and live bearers.
Species: Devario aequipinnatus, Danio rerio, Danio tinwini, Sewellia lineolata, Atyopsis moluccensis, Microsorum pteropus, Cryptocoryne lutea and Vesicularia dubyana
Atyopsis moluccensis
Microsorum pteropus
8” x 10” Watercolor on paper. (Spirobranchus giganteus)
8” x 10” Watercolor on paper. (Spirobranchus giganteus)
Watercolor, arranged digitally
The Urban Pioneers project aims to bring attention to the interesting yet unknown environments created by our urban development. Urban environments are a haven for organisms that readily adapt to life close to humans since they are able to take advantage of our shelter, food, and other resources. The project focuses on three groups of environments, the night life, a city water feature, and a downtown park. Each environment has its own unique cast of organisms, many of which can be recognized with a few steps from your front door.
Osprey, Pandion haliaetus
Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale
Red-Dead Nettle, Lamium purpureum
Pavement Ant, Tetramorium caespitum
House Mouse (adult and juveniles), Mus musculus
Green Iguana, Iguana iguana
Yellow Hibiscus, Hibiscus brackenridgei
Monk Parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus
Muscovy Ducks (adults and ducklings), Cairinia moschata
American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis
White Egret, Ardea alba
Green Anoles, Anolis carolinensis
American Cockroach, Periplaneta americana
Norway (Brown) Rat, Rattus norvegicus
House Mouse, Mus musculus
Orange Tabby Cat, Felis catus
House Gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus
Moths (various species), Lepidoptera
Asian Tiger Mosquito (larvae and pupae), Aedes albopictus
European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
Rock Pigeon, Columba livia
Western Scrub Jay, Aphelcoma californica
House Sparrows (female & male), Passer domesticus
California Red-sided Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis internalis
Western Gray Squirrel, Sciurus griseus
Gulf Fritillary Butterfly, Agraulis vanillae
Lantana (flowering plant), Lantana spp.
Yellow Warbler, Setophaga petechia
Garden Snail, Cornu asperum
Common Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale
Pinnacate Beetle (Stink Beetle), Eleodes spp.
Crab Grass, Digitaria sanguinalis
Koi, Cyprinus carpio
Mallard Ducks (male, female, & ducklings), Anas platyrhynchos
Goldfish (fan tail, common, & sarasa comet), Carassius auratus
Hornwort, Ceratophyllum demursum
Water Lily, Nymphaeacea spp.
Red-eared Slider, Chrysemys scripta elegans
Water Hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes
Botanical illustrations in watercolor and gouache.
Watercolor on paper.
Alpinia purpata, Red Ginger or ostrich plume in watercolor on paper.
Heliconia rostrata, False Bird of Paradise in watercolor on paper.
Plumeria alba in watercolor.
Watercolor on hot press watercolor paper.
Watercolor. Tillandsia caput-medusae
Commission. Tillandsia xerographica, watercolor on cold press paper.
Watercolor. Tillandsia xerographica
Watercolor. Tillandsia bulbosa
Watercolor. Tillandsia baileyi
Watercolor & gouache. Tillandsia paucifolia
Watercolor. Tillandsia funkiana
Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes)
Gouache on cold press watercolor paper.
Chrysemys picta in watercolor
Lampropeltis triangulum nelsoni in watercolor
Lampropeltis splendida in graphite.
Tiliqua scincoides in colored pencil.
Pogona vitticeps in colored pencil
Lamprolepis smaragdina in colored pencil.
Ceratophrys sp. in watercolor
Gouache. (Ambystoma mexicanum)
Eastern Spotted Newt (Notopthalmus viridescens) in watercolor.
Chrysemys picta watercolor on hot press watercolor paper.
Eublepharis macularius. Based on my best gecko buddy. Colored pencil on black paper.
Updates: There will be some additions to this project coming up soon! Additional species include the Giant Snakehead, Chinese Mitten Crab, Red Lionfish, and Brown Tree Snake.
The Illustrated Invasives is a series of posters that highlights 6 high-profile invasive species to the United States. An invasive species is an organism that has been introduced to a non-native environment and causes ecological and/or economic harm. The goal of the project was to accurately depict the invasive organisms and communicate their roles in altering the ecology.
Internship at the USDA Systemic Entolmology Lab, Smithsonian Institution. Images taken with Z16 Leica lens with a JVC KY-F75U digital camera, then edited and stitched in Adobe Photoshop.
Published article in the Journal of Hymenoptera Resarch: Revision of Dvivarnus (Elijah Talamas): http://jhr.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=7714
Full resolution images located at the image database of The Ohio State University, purl.oclc.org/NET/hymenoptera/specimage
The daily happenings inside and outside the studio.
