Mai
LightNews LightNews
banner
whyst.bsky.social
Mai
@whyst.bsky.social
100 followers 150 following 67 posts
Stranded alien. Art. Books. Geek. Wanderer. Bad at sleeping

There's always time for roller coasters and ice cream
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
whyst.bsky.social
Mai @whyst.bsky.social · 9d
Fast forward to today. HC, 8.5x8.5in. 144pgs. The 1st time I held it, all I could think was "oh wow, It feels like a real book!"

It hasn't been easy, but I know how thrilled the me of all those years ago would've been to be here. So, in a way, I made this book for me. But I hope you'll like it too😊
A hardcover book standing on a table with the cover depicting a blue, star-filled spacescape with galactic gas and dust clouds swirling around a ring of light, the title on the bottom right visible as "So Far: The Art of Mai Van". A blue, silver-foiled bookmark is leaning against the book, showing a similar spacescape, but this one depicting the edge of a large planet with its moon rising over the horizon behind it. A hardcover book standing on a table with the cover depicting a blue, star-filled spacescape with galactic gas and dust clouds swirling around a ring of light, the title on the bottom right visible as "So Far: The Art of Mai Van". A hardcover book lying on a table, viewed from a top-down position with the back cover visible. The image on the cover shows a blue, star-filled spacescape with galactic gas and dust clouds swirling around a strong light source visible just to the right where the image wraps around the spine and to the front cover of the book.
Reposted by Mai
chapps.bsky.social
The jaw-dropping Minerva Bowl from the Hildesheim Treasure, a hoard of Roman silver unearthed in 1868 in Germany. In high relief, Athena-Minerva sits on a rock, holding a cane or pedum, wearing her magnificent helmet. Note her little owl on the left. 🦉 🏺 1/

1st c. CE, #AntikensammlungBerlin
📸 me
This gilded silver bowl features a detailed sculptural relief of Minerva (the Roman version of the Greek goddess Athena), who sits on a rock throne and holds a cane in her right hand and a shield in her left hand. The goddess is wearing her battle headgear and flowing robe, and to the left of Minerva's right hand is her symbol, the owl (look closely). The bowl has two handles, each measuring 3.4 centimetres (1.3 in) in length. The bowl itself weighs 2.388 kilograms (5.26 lb), having a 25-centimetre (9.8 in) diameter and 7.1 centimetres (2.8 in) in depth. Her foot is completely sculpted in the round and sticks out over the edge of the inner ring of the bowl, over the broad interior margin, which is decorated in a pattern of engraved palmettes.
December 10, 2025 at 4:18 PM
whyst.bsky.social
The EAS Agamemnon. Ink and markers on 11x17 Bristol Board

This may be one of the most detailed single-ship drawings I've ever done! And possibly the neatest. I used a ruler 😅 It almost felt like I was back in drafting class! Which I loved, so wins all around 😁

#SciFiArt #SciFi #TraditionalArt
A detailed drawing, rendered in ink, markers, and colored pencils, of the EAS Agamemnon, an Earth Alliance Omega-class destroyer from the space scifi show, Babylon 5 Fully inked, detailed drawing of the EAS Agamemnon spaceship, ready for the next step using markers and colored pencils to add depth, form, and colors Pencil sketch of the EAS Agamemnon spaceship, with only the front section of the ship inked so far and the rest waiting to be inked
December 11, 2025 at 7:23 PM
whyst.bsky.social
"Do you remember when you wanted what you have?"

Years ago, I made an art book. It had 23 pages and even less actual art pieces. I remember so clearly dreaming of the day when I would have enough work to fill a proper-sized book. A book book (Nothing against thin ones! I just love a good tome, lol)
December 5, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Reposted by Mai
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
The encounter that took what was already a great #BearSeason2025 right over the top. Arctic foxes are not the easiest to find around Churchill so getting to spend time with this cutie who is still changing into their winter coat was amazing. #mammals 🌿
A tiny Arctic fox looks up from where its standing in the ice and snow along the coast. Its fur isn't pure white yet because It hasn't finished the transition to winter fur. A tiny Arctic fox looks curiously from where its standing in the ice and snow along the coast. Its fur isn't pure white yet because It hasn't finished the transition to winter fur. A tiny Arctic fox sniffs the the ice and snow along the coast, looking for food. Its fur isn't pure white yet because It hasn't finished the transition to winter fur.
December 1, 2025 at 6:39 PM
whyst.bsky.social
Happy Feasting Day everyone! 😊

No meat in this house, but I can offer this perfect-looking (and delicious) ice cream cone, nom nom nom
A waffle cone with a double scoop serving of vanilla ice cream and a flake stuck in one side, held aloft against a backdrop of colorful flowers in full bloom
November 27, 2025 at 6:20 PM
whyst.bsky.social
Quoth the Raven Skull 🐦‍⬛
.
.
.
A sketchbook doodle I meant to post on Halloween, but the Universe said no 😅 So, let's call this a Happy Autumn post!

#Sketchbook #TraditionalArt #FolkloreArt #Folklore #Raven
A sketchbook page opened to a drawing of a raven's skull with the words "Quoth the raven" written underneath, the entire thing rendered in pencil. The sketchbook is being held resting on the artist's lap as she sits on a park bench, with a scattering of yellow orange autumn leaves visible on the ground, creating a frame around the sketchbook page.
November 26, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Reposted by Mai
nywolforg.bsky.social
Kicking off October the only way we know how… with a howl! 🐺🍂 #ambassadorwolf #spookyseasonishere
October 1, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Reposted by Mai
mishacollins.bsky.social
youtu.be/7y7Tisrc4tw

It’s Supernatural's 20th anniversary today! (Holy hell!) On this momentous occasion, the cast has a message for you. When you have answered our call, comment below and I’ll reply! It’s important! I want to know you’re in. bit.ly/SPN20th

#SPNFamily #SPN @randomacts.org
We've STILL got work to do!
YouTube video by Misha Collins
youtu.be
September 13, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Mai
annalandin.bsky.social
By which I mean that Knut Eriksson, Erik Knutsson and Erik Eriksson were fighting Sverker the Elder, Karl Sverkersson and Sverker the Younger (aka Sverker Karlsson).

because why come up with new names when the names you've got can take at least another few generations of wear and tear.
September 19, 2025 at 8:49 PM
whyst.bsky.social
See you soon, Burbank! 😁
legacy-expo.bsky.social Legacy Expo @legacy-expo.bsky.social · Sep 2
We are so excited to welcome The Art of Mai Van @whyst.bsky.social to our artist alley at Legacy Expo! Her phenomenal spacecraft art is truly out of this world!

Get your tickets now, and join us for a celebration of all things #StarWarsExpandedUniverse in Burbank, CA on September 13th-14th!
Blue colored artwork of X-wing fighters with the text "Featured Vendor The Art of Mai Van Legacy Expo September 13 & 14 2025 Burbank Marriott Convention Center" and a purple and blue nebula overlayed on it.
September 3, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Mai
marthawells.com
Humblebundle to support World Central Kitchen, and get a bunch of my books from @tordotcom.bsky.social including Murderbot and Witch King! #booksky

www.humblebundle.com/books/martha...
Humble Book Bundle: Martha Wells' Murderbot and More by TOR
Fall in love with Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries series—the engine behind the hit AppleTV adaptation—and help support World Central Kitchen.
www.humblebundle.com
August 24, 2025 at 2:57 AM
whyst.bsky.social
Only the journey is written

***

Completely forgot to post this one! Scratching that history nerd meets movie geek itch 😊 The Mummy Returns, now as an ancient Egyptian wall relief painting 😁

#Art #AncientEgypt #History #AncientHistory #TheMummy
Digital illustration in the style of an ancient Egyptian wall hieroglyphic relief painting telling the story of the movie The Mummy Returns in a series of static sequential scenes laid out from left to right and down in multiple rows, starting with the discovery of the Bracelet of Anubis and ending with our heroes in the dirigible flying into the sunset at the end of the movie. Closeup on the first scene where Rick and Evy first discover the Bracelet of Anubis. The characters are drawn from a side view with their hands up in the ancient Egyptian wall relief hieroglyphic style, with the bracelet and its chest floating between them. Closeup of Imhotep and Anck-su-namun kneeling on the ground. Anck-su-namun is in her modern day clothes, but an overlapping blue-rimmed spirit version of her in her ancient Egyptian clothes is being knocked out of her and falling backwards.
August 20, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Reposted by Mai
nature.com
This surprisingly relaxing footage is from SIX MILES under the ocean – and it’s the deepest ecosystem yet discovered
July 31, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Reposted by Mai
astronerdika.bsky.social
Heard the latest news from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration? We detected the collision of the most massive pair of black holes so far: #GW231123 weighing in at ~137 + ~103 times the mass of the Sun!

So to celebrate, here’s a handy chart ✨

Just how chonky are these black holes? 🤔
An infographic titled "How BIG are the BLACK HOLES we find with GRAVITATIONAL WAVES?" by @astronerdika. The graphic displays a range of black hole masses detected via gravitational waves, categorized by their size in solar masses (mass of the Sun) and represented with playful cat-like black hole illustrations. The categories from left to right are: 1. "<5 times the mass of the Sun" - Labeled "smol" - Very small black hole illustration represented by a curled up black cat - Arrow pointing left: "THIS WAY TO NEUTRON STARS" - Example: "Big component of GW230529 (~3.6 times the mass of the Sun)" 2. "~10 times the mass of the Sun" - Labeled "basic" - Slightly larger black hole cat illustration - Caption: "LOTS OF BLACK HOLES" 3. "~35–45 times the mass of the Sun" - Labeled "hefty" - Bigger black hole cat illustration - Continues the idea of a populated range 4. ">60 times the mass of the Sun" - Labeled "chonky" - Large black hole cat illustration - Caption: "FORBIDDEN TERRITORY? (can these even be made from the collapse of star cores?!)" - Example: "Components of GW190521 (~85 + ~66 times the mass of the Sun)" 5. ">100 times the mass of the Sun" - Labeled "oh lawd" - Very large, curled-up black hole cat illustration - Arrow pointing right: "THIS WAY TO INTERMEDIATE MASS BLACK HOLES" - Example: "Components of GW231123 (~137 + ~103 times the mass of the Sun)" Below the categories is a stylized black curve representing the inferred population of black holes detected by LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA. It rises sharply in the "basic" range and falls off toward the "hefty" and "chonky" ranges, with a note reading: "this curve is an artistic representation of the black hole population inferred by LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA." This infographic draws from the “Chonky Cat” meme.
July 26, 2025 at 10:43 AM
whyst.bsky.social
An X-Wing a day keeps the Empire away

youtu.be/E9CVvI63EtE

#Art #SciFi #SciFiArt #SciArt #Space #Spaceship #TraditionalArt
X-ploration || X-Wing Drawing Timelapse - Ink, Markers, and Colored Pencils
YouTube video by Mai Van
youtu.be
July 2, 2025 at 8:27 PM
whyst.bsky.social
Three away from being at risk of spontaneously turning into an infernal Ring of Fire, Hail the Great Beast, Destroyer of Worlds

....

Last day of MCM London! And then I'll get back to posting art and things, I promise 😅 Stop by and say hi if you're around!
A white sign with the table number M 22 and the table name Art of Mai Van
May 25, 2025 at 9:34 AM
whyst.bsky.social
I apparently read too much Tolkien before bed last night and dreamt I was Sauron (but me-shaped) and have been amusing myself all morning thinking of all the reasons I would make a wildly unsuccessful Dark Lord

Anyway, happy Tolkien Reading Day! Let's see who I end up being in my dreams tonight 😅
Closeup of two adjacent bookshelves with a connecting row of Tolkien books with oh so pretty matching dust jackets. All of the colorful illustrated covers are matte, with the titles standing out in shiny gold foil. On one end of the row, three books are displayed backwards, with the spines towards the wall, to show off the colorful sprayed edges with white text written in the Cirth and Tengwar scripts invented by Tolkien. The book "The Silmarillion" by Tolkien sitting on a stack of other books on a nightstand. The matte cover shows an illustration by Ted Nasmith depicting the ships of the Faithful as they escape from a doomed Númenor
March 25, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Reposted by Mai
rfskia.bsky.social
March 6, 2025 at 9:58 PM
whyst.bsky.social
Eye spy, with my 3D eye...

Wrapping up more projects from last year! This one has been done for awhile, but I just realized I never shared these finished renders 😊

#Art #SciFi #SciFiArt #SciArt #Space #Spaceship #3DArt
Two stacked images. The top image shows a close-up 3D rendered view of the front of a TIE fighter, with its spherical command module, transparisteel viewport, two laser cannons, and the wing spars visible. The bottom image shows the back of the same TIE fighter with its solar ionization reactor, twin ion engines, and the wing spars visible. A 3D rendered front view image of a TIE fighter showing its spherical command module, transparisteel viewport, and the iconic hexagonal solar collector wings housing solar energy accumulator lines that are just about visible. A 3D rendered back view image of a TIE fighter showing its solar ionization reactor and twin ion engines. Also visible are the iconic hexagonal solar collector wings housing solar energy accumulator lines that are just about visible.
February 19, 2025 at 7:08 PM
whyst.bsky.social
So long, 2024! Hello 2025!

I'm only a little late 😅 How is 2025 treating you so far?

Sharing this little doodle from last year that I never got around to posting as part of a wrap up on old projects as I prepare for new adventures this year! 😁

#Art #TraditionalArt #SciArt #PaleoArt #Paleontology
An ink and markers drawing of an Ichthyosaurus fossil with a label identifying it as being from the Lower Jurassic era, about 200 million years old. A second piece of paper sitting in front of the drawing says "So long, and thanks for all the fish!" as well as a disclaimer that the drawing is not of a dolphin. An ink and markers drawing of an Ichthyosaurus fossil with a label identifying it as being from the Lower Jurassic era, about 200 million years old
February 4, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Mai
aussiastronomer.bsky.social
Oh come ON now. This new JWST image is just ASTOUNDING.

I feel like I’m falling looking into it, and that I would fall forever, and that I would enjoy it.

NASA, ESA, CSA, K. McQuinn (STScI), J. DePasquale (STScI)
False colour JWST NIRCam image of a nearby star forming region in front of a deep back ground of colorful galaxies. NASA, ESA, CSA, K. McQuinn (STScI), J. DePasquale (STScI)
January 17, 2025 at 3:36 PM
whyst.bsky.social
Happy 2025 everyone! New year, new adventures 😊
soonercon.com Soonercon @soonercon.com · Jan 13
🚀 Talented illustrator & 3D modeler for films and video games Mai Van @whyst.bsky.social known for stunning Star Wars art, captivating space scenes & much more, is joining us as Artist Guest of Honor!

✨ Meet Mai & check out her art June 20-22 in Norman, OK

🔗 soonercon.com/guests/mai-v...
January 13, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Reposted by Mai
catsofyore.bsky.social
You know I don’t like to be an alarmist or fear-monger but guys I’m seeing some undeniable signs that the floor may be lava. Be safe.
Photo of my two fluffy cats sitting together on a folded up paper bag on fake wood flooring.
December 19, 2024 at 12:35 AM
whyst.bsky.social
Spent the weekend removing old painted over screws and nails and spackling and I have to say, there is something very satisfying about making all the holes disappear
December 17, 2024 at 9:17 PM