#InvertArtChallenge
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saimihanma.bsky.social
This month's #InvertArtChallenge is one of our Pacific Northwest fireflies. They're largely overlooked because they don't light up in spectacular displays, although the larvae can glow. But they still deserve attention.
a black beetle with a shield like cover over its head, with two red half moon shapes on the sides. under the light, the black actually glitters subtly.
December 1, 2025 at 4:57 PM
blueappaloosa.bsky.social
November's #InvertArtChallenge, a Tachinid Fly. Such neat little feets! So fuzzy! I should probably get better at sketching fur/fuzz/hair.

#SciArt
Sketch of a tachinid fly on some flowers. It's a very fuzzy, black fly with a lighter colored head. Watermark reads: Blue Appaloosa
November 27, 2025 at 8:59 AM
petrathepostdoc.bsky.social
November #InvertArtChallenge is this goth Scottish lady

#invertebrates #SciArt
semi-realistic drawing of a tachinid fly, with bright yellow face and leg paws, a black hairy body, and white wings, on a black background. semi-realistic drawing of a tachinid fly, with bright yellow face and leg paws, a black hairy body, and white wings, on a white background.
November 15, 2025 at 4:24 PM
saimihanma.bsky.social
Apologies for forgetting this month's #InvertArtChallenge again and thanks once more to @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social for the reminder.

This month we travel to Scotland for this wonderful tachinid fly. I don't know the species, so if anyone does, please lmk.

Feel free to create using this photo!
a curious fly on white composite flower. the fly is fuzzy black with a spikey butt and a bare, cream colored head and orangish tinged clear wings
November 6, 2025 at 4:37 PM
blueappaloosa.bsky.social
Here's this month's (out of season) #InvertArtChallenge, a Christmas Tree Worm! It's an invertebrate creature, not a plant. The "feathers" are modified palps used for capturing and eating tiny prey.

#SciArt #BugSky
Sketch of a Christmas tree worm (it kinda looks like a strange plant, with a thick round "trunk" and many feather-like tentacles branching out from the top like a flower). Watermark reads: Blue Appaloosa
October 24, 2025 at 3:44 AM
petrathepostdoc.bsky.social
October's #InvertArtChallenge slightly "rushed" in the sense I gave up on my usual level of rendering on those "FEATHERS"

tried to only use @saimihanma.bsky.social's ref photo only, which is probably why less rendering

#SciArt #invertebrates
drawing of a sea worm, mirrored, coming out of a rube like greenish structure, and opening up into a series of fan feathery white and red structures, on a black background. drawing of a sea worm, mirrored, coming out of a rube like greenish structure, and opening up into a series of fan feathery white and red structures, on a white background.
October 19, 2025 at 11:15 PM
saimihanma.bsky.social
I forgot to do this month's #InvertArtChallenge! So while it's a little late, here's the invert for October, a Christmas tree worm.

Feel free to use this image to draw, paint or whatever your creative spirit demands.

Thanks for the reminder @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social!
a worm in a hard tube, sprouting from the opening is a complex circular shape, opened like a flower, but looking like feathers, with another spiral of feather like appendages over the first. On one side is a hard component that looks like a trumpet
October 14, 2025 at 7:54 PM
saimihanma.bsky.social
It's a new month, which means it's time for a new #InvertArtChallenge! This time I have an ambush bug for you to draw, paint or otherwise make art out of.
invertebrate art challenge september. a profile photo of an ambush bug sitting on a composite of white yarrow flowers. the bug is pale yellow underneath, including the legs, the front ones which have hooks. the top is mottled brown and looks like a mountain range
September 1, 2025 at 5:54 PM
saimihanma.bsky.social
If you want to draw a bug for #InverteFest, join in this month's #InvertArtChallenge by drawing this fancy damselfly!
saimihanma.bsky.social Saimi Hanma ⚔️ @saimihanma.bsky.social · Aug 4
I'm a bit late, but here's the August #ArtInvertChallenge! It's a Common Spreadwing Damselfly (Lestes sponsa) I saw in Finland. I love the tiny jewels that you have to really look for to see.

You're free to use this image to draw, paint, write a poem or any other creative endeavor.
invertebrate art challenge - august the photo is of a damselfly perched on vegetation. it's very slender and the body is a shiny, iridescent green. the wings are clear and the eyes are brownish. the legs are black
August 26, 2025 at 4:21 PM
saimihanma.bsky.social
Here's my #InvertArtChallenge finished piece, done in watercolor on handmade paper, in my ongoing 'book of bugs'.

Anyone else going to participate in this first challenge? I'll have a new bug photo for you at the beginning of July.

#Invertebrates #TradArt
an open book with brownish handmade paper and a watercolor illustration of a shiny green bee with black and white striped abdomen, covered in specks of pollen.
June 24, 2025 at 10:37 PM
saimihanma.bsky.social
I got the hashtag wrong on my own art challenge AND I've neglected sharing it. Someone fire me.

Anyway, if you want to draw a fancy damselfly before the end of the month, join us for #InvertArtChallenge.
saimihanma.bsky.social Saimi Hanma ⚔️ @saimihanma.bsky.social · Aug 4
I'm a bit late, but here's the August #ArtInvertChallenge! It's a Common Spreadwing Damselfly (Lestes sponsa) I saw in Finland. I love the tiny jewels that you have to really look for to see.

You're free to use this image to draw, paint, write a poem or any other creative endeavor.
invertebrate art challenge - august the photo is of a damselfly perched on vegetation. it's very slender and the body is a shiny, iridescent green. the wings are clear and the eyes are brownish. the legs are black
August 14, 2025 at 8:27 PM
tarad.bsky.social
Earlier posts had better pictures of the drawing and, admittedly, I am more of an artist than poet, but I had fun with this. #InvertArtChallenge
Thank you so much, @saimihanma.bsky.social for hosting this.
Colored pencil drawing of a sweat bee on a bright green blade of grass with purple flower in left corner. Close up of colored pencil drawing of sweat bee on blade of grass.
June 27, 2025 at 6:30 PM
petrathepostdoc.bsky.social
dragging myself out of artblock by the teeth to make a new #SciArt piece both for #InvertArtChallenge and penultimate day of #InsectWeek

I... think I did the correct bee? looking up sweat bees I kept finding some that were green all over and this one clearly has some goth pants instead 🐝
vertically mirrored drawing of a sweat bee, bright emerald metal shiny body (green and yellow), black wings and dark black eyes, two little mandibles, long antennae, the abdomen has light grey to orange stripes on black, hairs all over and yellow pollen particles. the background is white. vertically mirrored drawing of a sweat bee, bright emerald metal shiny body (green and yellow), black wings and dark black eyes, two little mandibles, long antennae, the abdomen has light grey to orange stripes on black, hairs all over and yellow pollen particles. the background is black.
June 28, 2025 at 7:39 PM
natrlover1975.bsky.social
Okay, attempt #1. I it's not the worst, but it's not good either. 🤣 I want to keep a nature journal so bad but the drawing part makes me depressed.

I am going to try it again and fix the abdomen. Practice!! Pencil miles!! Thanks for the challenge. Gives me a push to try!
#InvertArtChallenge
A very beginner drawing of a sweat bee along with a few random facts about a species local to me.
June 25, 2025 at 12:33 AM
saimihanma.bsky.social
It's time for the July #InvertArtChallenge! I can hear you saying, "what, another bee?" But this is no bee. It's a clearwing moth! One that tricked me thoroughly until I looked at it closer.

Feel free to use the photo to draw, paint, write a poem or anything human-made creative!
a bug on a wood table that looks remarkably like a bee, but it's a moth. it's black and yellow striped just like a bee, with brownish, clear, bee-like wings, but the body doesn't have the waist like bees and it's fuzzy. The antennae try to look bee-like, but can't hide the feathery mark of many moths.
July 1, 2025 at 4:19 PM
blueappaloosa.bsky.social
Sketch for #InvertArtChallenge this month. Dunno if I'll be able to do these regularly, but maybe some sketching would be good for me.

#SciArt #InsectWeek #BugSky #Hymenoptera
Pencil sketch of a bee, side-ish view, facing right. It has a striped abdomen and fuzz on it's head.
June 25, 2025 at 9:48 PM
blueappaloosa.bsky.social
Is #InvertArtChallenge the tag? I'll add it to my feed of Art Challenges!
June 18, 2025 at 2:59 PM
saimihanma.bsky.social
I've started thinking of this as my book of bugs so I guess that's what it's called now. My latest entry is a sweat bee for this month's #InvertArtChallenge.

Art challenge info: bsky.app/profile/kell...
A watercolor illustration of a sweat bee, with a shiny green head and thorax and black and white abdomen. It's covered in tiny hairs and pollen. It's in a book of handmade brownish paper
June 19, 2025 at 9:29 PM
parkerbs.bsky.social
#InvertArtChallenge

Added a clearwing moth to the #sketchbook for July’s art prompt. I keep being a bit extra in the sketches to see what does and doesn’t work. I like splashing extra lines of color but I’m figuring out how and when to use it. It’s what sketches are for.
An illustration of a clearwing moth using alcohol markers and gel pens. There is also text that says “clearwing moth.” The moth is black and yellow, and almost looks like a bee but has larger brownish clear wings (mine are not very clear) and furry moth antennae. There are extra lines of color highlighting around the moth in the illustration.
July 24, 2025 at 3:22 PM
saimihanma.bsky.social
I had the idea to start a monthly #InvertArtChallenge, and I should wait until the start of next month, but I'm impatient, so here we go.

Each month I'll share a photo I've taken of one #Invertebrate and you're welcome to draw it, write a poem about it, or use it in some type of human-made art.
a photo of a green sweat bee on a yellow flower, viewed from the side in profile. the bee's head and thorax are metallic shiny green, the abdomen is black and white striped, the wings are transparent, but a gray shade. the text reads "invertebrate art challenge, june"
June 17, 2025 at 8:28 PM
blueappaloosa.bsky.social
Started seeing all the Bird Whisperer posts and realized I hadn't done this month's #InvertArtChallenge. 😱 Eraser on this pencil is getting pretty dirty, but I was too lazy to find another so I just tried to roll with it.

#SciArt
Pencil sketch of an ambush bug, side view, on some flowers. It's a fairly "bug-looking" bug, but kinda spiky. Watermark reads: Blue Appaloosa
September 25, 2025 at 9:59 PM
tamvmat.bsky.social
Alright! I drew the #InvertArtChallenge ; a clearwing moth
Sharpie Roller pen
A clearwing moth drawn with ink pen
July 7, 2025 at 2:04 AM
blueappaloosa.bsky.social
Did I intentionally wait until #InverteFest to do this month's #InvertArtChallenge? Maybe. But you assume I plan ahead.

Common Spreadwing Damselfly.
Pencil sketch of a damselfly on a branch, side-ish view. Watermark Reads: Blue Appaloosa
August 25, 2025 at 11:30 PM
tarad.bsky.social
At last, my final page for June’s #InvertArtChallenge
As mentioned in an earlier post, this was a practice drawing that I ended up loving so I turned the awkward location of the sketch into a journal page along with the poem I wrote.
Photo of a journal page with a drawing of a sweat bee and a purple flower, along with a short poem. Alternate view of journal page with sweat bee drawing and poem.
June 27, 2025 at 6:30 PM
saimihanma.bsky.social
Sharing this month's #InvertArtChallenge again because I realized when I started drawing this moth, that it's missing its front left leg!

So here are a few more angles with the other leg visible. Unfortunately I didn't get shots from the other side. I said it was an art 'challenge', right? 😅
invertebrate art challenge with a a bug on a wood table that looks remarkably like a bee, but it's a moth. it's black and yellow striped just like a bee, with brownish, clear, bee-like wings, but the body doesn't have the waist like bees and it's fuzzy. The antennae try to look bee-like, but can't hide the feathery mark of many moths. the same moth from a slightly different angle with it raised up a little higher in the front, and you can see the front right leg on the other side the view straight down on the moth another view straight down, only with some more of the legs showing
July 2, 2025 at 5:43 PM