Moths in a human suit (they/them)
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lycomorpha.bsky.social
Moths in a human suit (they/them)
@lycomorpha.bsky.social
7.5K followers 750 following 5.3K posts
A collection of moths trying to cosplay a human interdisciplinary artist. MedSci escapee, always drawing, in my chaos-bisexual-enby-hag era. Paintmaker. Moth, disability, & art-related sh*t-posting. https://linktr.ee/lycomorpha & lycomorpha.etsy.com
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lycomorpha.bsky.social
Hahahaaaa OMFGs. 😂

Welp. This was my attempt to draw a pattern based on the same rules, but with evenly sized & spaced blocks & boxes.

So if you ever wonder why I use cross-hairs/grids when I draw fancy shit?

It's cos when left to my own devices, I can't do straight. (Story of my life TBH 🤣 💖💜💙)
Another doodle in ink pens on an out of date diary page, made using the same rules described upthread. Once again the page is filled with blocky shapes with pattern of boxes, lines, and crosses inside. This doodle is many things. None of those things, however, are neat, even, or straight. Much like me, so fair enough I guess.
January 14, 2026 at 11:26 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Oh, I think we all know what I'm best at...

(& a reminder - the swear for today is: crinkle-cut cuntpuffin.)
The words 'Lichens don't give a fuck' in illuminated letters depicting colourful lichens. They're drawn in ink and watercolour, and each letter represents a different lichen species. The colours and growth forms are varied, covering crustose, foliose, and fruiticose species. Not that lichens give a fuck, you understand.
January 14, 2026 at 7:59 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Breakfast dice doodle:

1. Fill a page with rectangular-ish hollow blocks. Connect each one to it's neighbours with 3 short lines.

2. Roll a D6 & fill each block with the resulting number of internal boxes.

3. For each block:
- if the # of boxes is odd, fill each box with stripes.
- if even...
A doodle in ink pens on an out of date diary page, made using the rules described in the post. The page is filled with blocky shapes with pattern of boxes, lines, and crosses inside. It's very informal and doodley.
January 14, 2026 at 8:38 AM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
These pans also look oddly satisfying. They're a mixture of homemade chalks (row 1) & ochres (last couple of rows), & mixed pigment colours drying for sets.

Also did 4 mini-mulls of vivianite on 1 plate, to test different binders. Got a couple of folks lined up to test them for me vs. a prev batch!
More rows of watercolour paint pans in half, quarter, and eighth pan sizes, in the process of being filled. They're mostly in red and orange colours with some chalks and yellow ochres. Most are full and almost ready, except for the yellow ochres which are on their first fill layer. A paintmaking plate with 3 little piles of blue-grey pigment powder in 3 of it's corners, and in the last corner paint made with the pigment is being mulled with a glass mulling tool. It's a very slatey hue, and if you could hear the mulling, it would sound crunchy but not in a sharp way. Feels kinda like grinding herbs with sugar in a pestle and mortar. Except it's happening on a flat surface.
January 13, 2026 at 4:55 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Good morning and welcome to 'how many pans can I fit on one tray.'

Today featuring the colours darkwoods, pale bark, forest floor, Italian light gold ochre (PY43), & hedgerow jam.

Most of these are for new sets. Not quite ready for their final layer except for the ochre. Gotta be patient.
Watercolour paint pans being made.Rows and rows of watercolour paints are being filled into half, quarter, and eighth pans. They're all in autumnal colours. They're held to a metal tray by small magnets on the bottom of the pans, and there are syringes of paint lying next to the tray.
January 13, 2026 at 10:27 AM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Thank u for joining me, this has been 'dicking around with leftover paint because fuck it, it's Friday.'

Everything I do to enjoy being alive while also being disabled has the potential to piss off a fascist. So y'know, this mess? It's all good, even/especially when it's just playing. 😘
A whole pile of watercolour sketchbook pages covered in swatches of various shades of pink, orange, yellow, and green paints from this thread. There's also some of the mostly empty mixing pots from making the colours around the place.
January 9, 2026 at 10:11 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
PY154 is benzymidazole yellow. That, PY150 nickel azo and PY74 Hansa medium are my fav mixing yellows. ✨💛

This is PY154, & the same mixed with some ultramarines - less larey pigments than PR254!

1:20 PV15 ultramarine violet (medium blue shade) & PB29 ultramarine blue (green shade):PY154
Three swatches of paint on a watercolour sketchbook page, one bright yellow, one yellow with a hint of green, one a more greenish yellow-green. They're labelled with the pigments and dilutions given in the post.
January 9, 2026 at 9:46 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
I'm just dicking around now for shits n giggles, but this is 1:1:40 PR254:PR259:PY154.

A red like PR254 pyrrole red always wins this kinda fight, but I think we can see why it's so vexing if you get a even a microlitre of blue or red in a pan of yellow paint. 😂
A small plastic tub containing bright orange paint is resting on a watercolour sketchbook. The open page shows a swatch of the very vivid paint.
January 9, 2026 at 9:05 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Gah. 2 pages of tryna get the colour I want, & I think this is a sign my brain is done for the week. 🙃

Still, søke of those pinks and oranges are pretty nice tho. 🤔
Nine swatches of watercolour paint mixes across two sketchbook pages. They're all in shades of pinks, oranges, and yellowsd. One page is labelled PY154 + PR259K, the other is labelled as PY154 + PR259K + PR254.
January 9, 2026 at 4:46 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
My moth paint set has so far raised >£250 for MAP & still going!

Over the holidays I also had this set on sale for akt www.akt.org.uk a charity supporting LGBTQ+ youth facing homelessness. That's sold out, so today I was able to donate £187.94.

Thanks so much to everyone who shared or bought! 💖
A six colour half pan handmade watercolour set. There's a swatch card showing a strip of each colour, and an open pan of each resting on the swatch. The colours are granulating and semi opaque mixed pigment colours that form a gradient from a custardy peach though oranges to dark reds. A thank you email message from the charity AKT. it has a banner with hands waving rainbow flags agains a sunny sky, and the words Thank you for supporting LGBTQ+ youth. Beneath it text reads: akt <fundraising@akt.org.uk> 18:33 (6 hours ago) to me Dear Lycomorpha Moths. Thank you so much for your donation of £187.94 to akt! In a time when more and more young LGBTQ+ people are feeling unwelcome and unsafe. Your support provides hope. Together our community shows that love is stronger than hate. This winter, you are helping find safe homes for LGBTQ+ young people who would otherwise be left to sleep rough – facing rejection, danger, and the harsh reality of life on the streets. Your support helps continue this lifesaving work, helping young people not just today, but as they rebuild their lives in the months and years ahead. Thank you for standing with us in the belief that no one should have to choose between a safe home and being who they are. To keep up to date with how your donation is making a difference and other news, please follow us on social media here. Once again, thank you for making a difference through your donation! We are truly grateful for your solidarity and support. All the very best, The akt team
January 9, 2026 at 1:07 AM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
(Frankly, I'm also a bit frayed after last year so fair enough, y'know.)

There's also gonna be discount paint sets. Now I'm making vegan binder for my watercolour, so I've been weeding out remaining honey-containing paints that are lurking in the back of the shelf, & making sale starter sets!
A six by six array of watercolour paints, in wrapped half, quarter, and eighth pans. Each column has one or two of each of yellow, red, and blue paints, and at least one green. The gaps are filled with purples and other arbitrary colour choices to complete the grid.
January 8, 2026 at 12:16 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
It's that time of year, zine-loving friends!

The time when I pack all of last year's art fair samples, misprinted/folded/cut, or other minor flaw-having zines into discount packs. All perfectly readable, just a bit frayed.

Want to know when my shop update is live? Join mailchi.mp/20162032d876...
A pile of different sized colourful art zines spread out on a plain background. There's a doodle zone called cloudbook, a journal of video game botany, a mini stack called bonfire season, two A6 one-page books called Earth Pigments and Life and lichen, a double layer folded zine called keep going, keep growing, and a tiny little concertina zine about biscuits.
January 8, 2026 at 12:07 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Breakfast dice doodle. Simple 1, because my brain hurts this morning.

- Roll a D6, draw that many loops filling the page

- Roll again, draw that many smaller loops inside those loops

- Roll again, draw that many loops in side each loop inside the loops inside the loops

Repeat till out of space.
A simple ink doodle filling an out of date diary page. It's made as described in the post, using a six sided die to choose the numbers of loops drawn. The patterns seem a bit cellular, maybe like single celled algae floating somewhere. The die rolls are noted at the top of the page - 6, 3, 2, 2, 5.
January 8, 2026 at 9:10 AM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
& as a bonus... Here's the XL versions of my pestle and mortar, used to make yellow, red, purple, and brown ochres in the workshop at Clearwell Caves.

Right time to get on with my shop updates, kick my butt if I'm back here before teatime, bee-skees!
A workshop where ochre pigments are made. On a workbench sit four very large vitrified porcelain pestle and mortars. Each is filled with one colour of ochre pigment - brown, purple, red, and yellow. Nearby are metal buckets and a rock milling machine. Everything in the workshop is covered in a layer of ochre dust.
January 7, 2026 at 10:18 AM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
I wasn't even supposed to be making pigment this morning, I'm just clumsy on my feet. But since I'm here…

This is the lightest fraction of the yellow mud from this: bsky.app/profile/lyco...
A small, flaky pile of bits of levigated yellow ochre pigment, sitting in a mortar bowl waiting to be ground. The ground yellow ochre pigment in the mortar bowl. It's now a fine yellow powder, quite flocculant and clumpy like chalk powder. It's not from chalk, it's from clay mud, but that's what the texture reminds me of.
January 7, 2026 at 10:02 AM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Hello friends

If you ever start making pigment & if you can afford it, get a decent porcelain pestle & mortar. & Not just cos it'll be more efficient than a cheap shitty 1…

Thissun is a Milton Brook, £30 www.milton-brook.com/mortar-and-p...

…Just dropped it on a concrete floor. Not a crack. 😬. 😌.
A pestle and mortar, and a jar of levigated and dried chalk pigment pieces to grind, sitting on a worktop next to a steel utility sink. The mortar bowl is turned over so you can see the makers stamp on the bottom, which reads: Milton Brook Wade est. 1810, size 2.
January 7, 2026 at 9:29 AM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Future forbidden candy in progress...
January 5, 2026 at 10:18 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Forbidden candy update
These are dry pans of watercolour paint in half, quarter, or eighth pans, lined up in rows. The include some of the green paints from the quoted post. There's also dotcard samples dotted around about the pans.
January 5, 2026 at 3:43 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
First studio inspection of the year! Flatline is back on duty.
A very fluffy longhaired black cat with yellow eyes and grey paws, clawing my knees while preparing to board my lap. Behind it are studio drawers labelled with tape detailing the contents - gouache, gilding stuff, swatch cards, sandpaper, headsets, etc.
January 5, 2026 at 10:24 AM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
OK I will stop being a salty crabby bug. 🦀

Have a nice beetle.🐞
A colour pencil drawing of a very round tortoise beetle. It's very shiny and smooth and blue-black, except for a yellow patch on each of its elytra. It has delightful bumpy antennas and you can make out a couple of it's teeny paws peeking out from under it's carapace.
January 3, 2026 at 11:00 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
3. Fuckbeans.

As in "Aarrgh, fuckbeans!" 🤦

(At least I can zoom into this & see where I need to stabby-stab some paint bubbles with a cocktail stick. Which is always oddly satisfying.)
Top down view of watercolour half pans filled with various green paints. Several have overflowed because I put too much paint in. Gahdammit.
January 3, 2026 at 8:31 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Mmmm next forbidden candy drop is almost upon us! (Next Wednesday.)

...

(It's not candy, it's watercolour paint. Hi new followers, please do not eat paint. Thank you.)
A close up on rows and rows of freshly topped up watercolour paints in half, quarter, and eighth pan sizes. You can tell from the texture that some are less viscous than others. The thick, viscous colours after swirly on top, where the paint is too thick to be self levelling. The thinner, runnyer colours are smooth and have levelled out. Most of the colours in shot are greens, with an orange and a blue just about there on the left.
January 2, 2026 at 10:02 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Happy new year.

You can't defeat every enemy outright, & you can't win at everything.

But you can swear at everything...

Here's a thread of no context profanity & cusses (& occasional bugs/lichen/etc) in case you need help with that in 2026.

1. Rancid wankspangled dicklimpet
A colour pencil drawing of 4 beetles with letters on their backs that spell the word fuck. There's one letter per beetle as follows: F = a rounded shiny blue-black forest dor beetle with spikey little legs. U = a lozenge shaped stripey orange and brown umbrella tortoise beetle. C = a common tuft-bearing longhorn beetle with very long tufty antennas, and a long body brightly coloured in orange and black. K = a kidney spot Lady Bird, perfectly rotund and shiny, black with a red spot on each of its elytra.
January 1, 2026 at 1:55 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Unchristmas day checklist:

- eat too much sriracha cauliflower cheese?
Check.

- me & Maria arguing cos I picked up hot things without oven gloves cos I can't feel all my fingers?
Check.

- ridiculous t-shirts as gifts?
Fucken check, mate.

Seasonal rituals are complete. Merry Unchristmas, pals 🥳
My torso dressed in a dark grey tee shirt with a cartoon on it of a smol white cat, holding a stabby little knife, & looking like a very stabby kitty. There's writing around it that reads: "I am small and sensitive but also fight me."
December 29, 2025 at 5:43 PM
lycomorpha.bsky.social
Unchristmas day bonus:
Wolf's milk slime mold

Xmas is a bit meh to me. The real holiday is Unchristmas: when me & kitty get together with found family, exchange gifts, eat, etc

Happy Unchristmas! May we always take care of ourselves & each other as much as we're able to

#SciArt
#ArtAdventCalendar
A colour pencil and watercolour drawing of a dead tree branch on a forest floor, covered in shaggy green moss and clumps of round pinkish blorbs of slime mold. There are colourful autumn fallen leaves scattered around. The background is shaded in a darker fuzzy grey over trans pride colours. You'd have to be aware of the trans pride flag to notice.
December 29, 2025 at 8:16 AM