Jen C Mars

Illustrator: Fantasy & Wildlife - Nature Photography Enthusiast - TTRPG Player - I like birds and bugs.

Portfolio: https://www.jencmars.com
Links: https://bio.site/jencmars
SHOP: https://jencmars.bigcartel.com/

Public Key

npub13vgj8xuux8659n0rmj0jnu0v2xck6mhty2q9pu8sur93jhwg4r5swqzwky

NIP-05 Address

jencmars_at_mastodon.art@momostr.pink

Profile Code

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relay.damus.io

nos.lol

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Last Notes

2024-06-18 17:51:16

Small, round, and flappy.
#drawing #octopus #art
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/638/884/888/519/380/original/82c28fec2af51fc8.jpg

2024-06-17 15:56:37

Just a round fluffy guy.
#insects #art #drawing
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/632/776/623/692/331/original/9eb42828700210cc.jpg

2024-06-16 11:53:56

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That AI ant image hurts my soul. ☹️

2024-06-16 02:07:10

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Nothing to see here, just TOTALLY NORMAL ANTENNAE ON A TOTALLY NORMAL BEE.

2024-06-15 17:54:46

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Aw, thanks! They are top tier amphibian design. :)

2024-06-15 15:03:02

These Laphria bee-mimic robber flies are absolute beasts.
#insects #InsectSaturday #InsektenSamstag #MacroPhotography
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/621/234/025/240/871/original/dac25c717a6e8d8e.jpg

2024-06-15 12:09:25

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Helicoprion maybe, just need to understand those teeth.

2024-06-14 14:03:39

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Thank you! They look so beautific.

2024-06-14 13:24:44

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those awkward teen days of summer

2024-06-14 12:19:37

Tiger salamander (a NEW painting!), a local amphibian and a favorite to paint.
Watercolor, colored pencil, gouache and gold ink for the eye on 5x7" hotpress paper.
Prints available, stickers on the way.
#art #painting #SciArt #salamander
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/614/929/696/206/828/original/4fb345c56da1a634.jpg

2024-06-13 20:40:02

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Hahaha yeah I know that feeling!

2024-06-13 20:38:50

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I refreshed and tried again and works now!

2024-06-13 20:36:04

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Same, on appearance and on being unable to actually add something to the cart.

2024-06-13 18:00:37

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Thank you!!

2024-06-13 16:04:06

A little throwback to last spring, a tiger salamander.
Gouache on hotpress paper.
#art #SciArt
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/610/145/449/847/130/original/01d85bd3e19b3aef.jpg

2024-06-11 15:16:17

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Thank you!!

2024-06-11 15:13:32

Dimorphic jumping spider, the gray male morph, looking dapper with his fluffy yellow pedipalps.
#spider #spiders #MacroPhotography
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/598/629/575/151/423/original/f23f4ba370def483.jpg

2024-06-11 13:18:12

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Helpful! I don’t mind draw overs, either. I like the commissioner to be happy with what they get.

2024-06-10 15:20:03

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Right! The original post I'm subtooting was specifically about swifts, which can't perch because of their small legs, but... they CAN fly from the ground if they're not exhausted or injured. And giving blanket advice to people on the internet that they should pick up a wild animal and toss it in the air is very likely to lead to animals being injured or killed.

2024-06-10 14:30:32

Magicicada Tarot
Mixed media piece celebrating periodical cicadas, Brood XIII, and cycles of transformation.
Death (XIII) can be interpreted as representing change and transformation, much as these cicadas emerge, transform, and fuel the cycle of life.
Limited edition prints available on my shop, hand embellished with gold paint.
https://jencmars.bigcartel.com/
#art #insects #FediGiftShop #cicadas
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/592/683/092/672/611/original/90be3385d8898788.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/592/683/103/964/134/original/6e27241d36737d5b.jpg

2024-06-10 12:10:46

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Yes! I was trying to keep it short but nestlings are the exception about picking up. Calling a wildlife rehab is always best for the public because they can help determine the nature of the situation and the right action to help.

2024-06-10 12:06:55

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Always happy to do my part for science!

2024-06-10 12:06:24

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OMG you’d really think an ornithologist wouldn’t give that sort of advice.

2024-06-10 03:43:54

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Haha sure! The pigeon was flying away, but it started off standing just in front of the window on the porch roof, then as it took off it wheeled around and it was windy and somehow magic happened and my window had a gigantic bird poop on it.

2024-06-10 02:05:42

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I should add, one time I did see a pigeon make an impressive angled poop. But 99% of the time it's birds hitting windows.

2024-06-10 02:03:41

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Related: I saw a post today of a guy trying to work out how a bird projectile-pooped onto a glass door.
The bird did not projectile-poop, most likely a bird was trying to fly to whatever was reflected in the glass and hit the glass and pooped. This is common. In Chicago, you can walk around downtown and see poop on glass all over. It's all birds hitting windows. You don't see the birds bc some recover and fly, but A LOT are eaten (gulls/crows/rats) or swept away by maintenance workers.

2024-06-10 01:56:03

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Yeah, it's great to want to help birds, but if a bird is on the ground it's in distress and letting it go in the air could cause injury.
Contacting a local wildlife rehab is the best thing to do, they can help you help the bird. I've been doing bird and wildlife rescue for almost a decade, I'm not worried about bird flu (I wash my hands and don't kiss the birds 🙂) but i am worried about people hurting already injured animals.

2024-06-10 01:52:16

Please DO NOT go around throwing birds (including swifts) you find on the ground up into the air!
A bird on the ground that can't get away from you is in distress. Put it in a quiet, safe place (a closed paper bag or cardboard box w/ a paper towel is ideal) and contact a wildlife rehabilitator for advice.
SOURCE: I've been doing bird and wildlife rescue for nearly a decade.
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/589/807/876/934/492/original/60891a1bb54d8cdd.jpg

2024-06-09 23:19:33

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and short-shorts.

2024-06-09 22:56:00

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Now I have the Magnum PI theme in my head.

2024-06-09 21:54:07

I guess it's time to do some of that Solas fan art.
Is he wearing the Inquisitor's hand as a necklace? Or maybe he carries it on the end of his staff? Does he snuggle with it at night? Does he wash it? What about lotion, so it doesn't get dry skin?

2024-06-07 17:10:33

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She really is. 🥰

2024-06-07 15:13:06

Me, rolling up to the arboretum: “Got any hot tips for where the most cicadas are?”
My kid, in the backseat: “BUZZZZERZZZZZZERZZZZZER”

2024-06-07 13:10:42

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She is the best.

2024-06-07 13:03:01

Wishing you all a Hot Cicada Summer!
I'm opening my shop up this week, and these stickers are now available for preorder (expected shipping early JULY).
#insects #art #MastoArt #FediGiftShop
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/575/448/890/871/697/original/0c6470edada471c7.jpg

2024-06-06 23:46:22

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Truly her alignment

2024-06-06 20:43:04

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She is a good friend to small friends. :)

2024-06-06 18:24:00

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"before he died... after contracting COVID..."
I just...

2024-06-06 16:42:00

I saw an exhibit of Vivian Maier's work back in 2011, not long after her death and when her work was first discovered here in Chicago. It was an incredible show, deep and wide.
She spent decades taking pictures because it was a thing she loved to do, with no knowledge that she would have a legacy or how widely her work would be shared and appreciated.
https://mastodon.art/@colossal/112570607483088523

2024-06-06 16:09:03

My five y/o noticed a line of ants marching across the sidewalk leading up to her preschool. Seeing other kids and adults approaching, she laid down on the sidewalk parallel to the ants and stretched her arms over hear head to protect them from careless feet.

2024-06-06 14:25:07

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Aw... ❤️

2024-06-04 20:27:38

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*wordless screaming*
That's cicada for "hello!"

2024-06-04 20:07:25

It's cicada time.
#insects #cicada #MacroPhotography
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/560/146/654/184/041/original/fd8237335a564301.jpg

2024-06-01 15:32:40

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Hahaha yes!!! Great throwback! 🥰
I love the weird tentacles, seems like something you'd see in a tropical rainforest, not in the Midwest.

2024-06-01 14:37:59

It's Caturday, here's a cat.
This is the caterpillar of the horned spanworm moth (Nematocampa resistaria) dangling from a thread of silk to evade a perceived threat (me).
Great caterpillar, and a pretty moth.
#insects #InsektenSamstag #caterpillars #MacroPhotography
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/541/846/161/475/978/original/e5e9caa2a87d763b.jpg

2024-06-01 12:54:24

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Tiger salamander, our local common salamander.

2024-06-01 01:21:56

Rough end to the week so I’m going to paint a little salamander, as a treat.
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/538/737/679/928/250/original/8faafba1f0f2ed19.jpeg

2024-05-31 21:00:31

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I've actually seen it once before here in a fly. I think this is Taeniaptera trivittata, which is more ant-like than wasp-like, but uses it's front legs in the same way to mimic antennae. You can't see in this photo, but its wings have a pattern that make its body look ant-like from above as well, and it has the ant-walk down perfectly.
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/537/694/953/020/422/original/6c6b97bd066746ef.jpg

2024-05-31 18:56:52

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The eyes are so good! It also waves its front legs around its head to mimic the antennae, very convincing at a distance.
I knew it was behaving not QUITE wasp-like, but it wasn't until I took a good look at the face that I caught on.

2024-05-31 17:48:37

One of the most convincing mimics I've seen, the Broad-banded Hornet Fly.
The colors and shape are extremely hornet like, but it's also enormous. Hoping I can find more, this one didn't stick around along.
#insects #FlyDay #FlyFriday #MacroPhotography
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/536/939/346/309/728/original/26d9051e4b1c2c46.jpg

2024-05-31 11:39:11

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Always excellent design!

2024-05-30 11:26:53

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Antennae for days

2024-05-29 22:26:41

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Accurate!

2024-05-29 16:12:29

Screech owl
Pencils, watercolor and gouache on hotpress paper.
I recently got a new, large format scanner/printer, which means I'm rescanning a lot of my work and testing out prints. This is a rescan of a painting from a few months ago. Prints look fantastic.
#painting #art #MastoArt #birds #owl
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/525/155/825/389/822/original/0a943245aa9744cd.jpg

2024-05-29 14:05:46

An Occult Stem Weevil (Lechriops oculatus), I think missing its left antennae. What a muppet.
#insects #WeevilWednesday #MacroPhotography
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/524/750/993/802/250/original/ec9f5eaca216de50.jpg

2024-05-25 16:46:29

It's Caturday, here's a cat!
#insects #InsektenSamstag #insectsaturday #MacroPhotography
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/502/722/961/301/022/original/cc9583b35058a1e6.jpg

2024-05-24 13:54:51

Cicada.
#insects #cicadas #cicada #MacroPhotography
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/496/401/489/212/304/original/f7b97dbec48bcc1c.jpg

2024-05-20 18:23:16

I hear it's #WorldBeeDay which seems like a good time to re-share this commission art of a lovely black tail bumble bee in her reading room.
#insects #bees #art #MastoArt #CommissionsOpen
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/474/807/061/994/354/original/598358c02154df7e.jpg

2024-05-16 13:34:11

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and congrats on 21 years!

2024-05-16 13:33:56

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Great reminder, and I really love how this final portrait turned out. Beautiful work.

2024-05-15 13:13:27

We prepare for the GREAT EMERGENCE.
Watercolor, colored pencil and gouache on hotpress paper.
#art #insects #cicada
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/445/262/954/004/613/original/57fe5c6d90dfe115.jpg

2024-05-07 18:50:40

Another small mystery wasp, standing on my thumbnail after I coaxed it off my camera.
#insects #wasps #MacroPhotography
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/401/304/707/485/113/original/157758c7cc3de42c.jpg

2024-05-04 13:40:32

An early painting with traditional gouache. I'd like to do another painting of a saw-whet sometime soon, they are the perfect small owl.
#art #birds #owl
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/383/095/775/527/266/original/1cace8236a18709d.jpg

2024-04-27 16:53:20

I'm calling this finished.
Acrylic ink, watercolor, gouache and pencil on 12x18” hotpress paper. Border and hairs in gold ink.
I'll get it scanned, but I'll wait to go to the photolab to do it properly.
#insects #InsektenSamstag #InverteFest #cicada
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/344/220/671/717/667/original/3ff8cc46448f7f8d.jpg

2024-04-20 16:39:50

Ambush bug, lying in wait on a cluster of goldenrod flowers.
From early last fall.
#insects #InsektenSamstag #MacroPhotography
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodonart/media_attachments/files/112/304/522/332/813/674/original/fe5bb1577d5b24ec.jpg

2024-04-02 15:29:40

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I can’t think about pet cloning without thinking about the first commercially cloned dog, Booger. Booger’s original was stolen from an animal shelter by a former beauty queen, Joyce McKinney, who had been convicted of kidnapping a Mormon man she was in love with, then escaped authorities in disguise as a mime, and later persuaded a teenager to steal a prosthetic leg for her 3-legged horse. She abandoned the Booger puppies in South Korea.
A longer synopsis: https://www.geneticsandsociety.org/biopolitical-times/strange-saga-bernann-mckinney#:~:text=Years%20later%2C%20the%20missionary%20saw,he%20had%20attacked%20some%20joggers.