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Ant Art, Mine and Yours

Started By GhostMouse , Apr 6 2021 5:20 AM
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#1 Offline GhostMouse - Posted April 6 2021 - 5:20 AM

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I thought it would be nice to have an art thread! 

 

I got into ants almost by accident. I was a longtime AntsCanada fan and kept other inverts, but didn't really think about keeping ants myself. I stumbled on a queen ant, and on a whim, caught her. I thought I could find out what species she was. I hated to think I'd accidentally found some ant that was desirable and hard to find in my area or something and some ant fan who'd been looking for ages didn't have one. I figured I'd find out about her and then either pass her on, or put her back outside. But then she was fascinating and pretty and whoops. 

 

So I did what anyone would do and made a comic about it:

 

antastic.png

 

 

It would have been very special to have my very first queen's colony, but sadly, Leizu and her two babies died (thank you to the people here who helped me in my thread about that). I decided that I would have my first colony forever, and preserve them in a little momento mori piece. I used resin, some little dried flowers, and a tiny splash of glitter- it looks as though Leizu and her brood are falling through a shining cloud into the world beyond. Some wire and a small length of leather cord and now I have a lovely pendant.

 

Leizucrop.png

 

 

Share your ant art, I'd love to see it!


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#2 Online ANTdrew - Posted April 6 2021 - 5:51 AM

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This is morbidly fascinating! I love it!

How did you keep the queen from floating up in the resin? That happened to me one time I tried to to encase a Hercules beetle.


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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#3 Offline GhostMouse - Posted April 6 2021 - 6:14 AM

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This is morbidly fascinating! I love it!

How did you keep the queen from floating up in the resin? That happened to me one time I tried to to encase a Hercules beetle.

 

I definitely had to get creative. I wrapped the opening tightly in plastic wrap and kept flipping the piece upside down to be sure she was in a good position. Had to keep an eye and do it several times so she didn't just sink entirely to the bottom on her back, or immediately float back up to the top. I also used a toothpick to arrange things a bit and push some of the glitter down so it looked like they had fallen through. 

 

This isn't the first time I've put an invert into resin so I've learned a bit from trial and error! 


#4 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted April 6 2021 - 6:40 AM

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I knew someone would make a thread for this sooner or later. I was going to but I didn't have any art and didn't have the energy to make some.


#5 Offline Chickalo - Posted April 6 2021 - 7:49 AM

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Check out my DeviantArt, LarvitarAnimates, I got a Pheidole Pilifera queen up there, I also have a (bad) bee.  If there are any species requests I'll try to make it and I'll post it there


シグナチャーです。예.

 

#6 Offline GhostMouse - Posted April 6 2021 - 8:01 AM

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Check out my DeviantArt, LarvitarAnimates, I got a Pheidole Pilifera queen up there, I also have a (bad) bee.  If there are any species requests I'll try to make it and I'll post it there

 

Ah cool, I'm SeventhBard on all my art sites (hence the sig on the comic), I'll add you on dA!


#7 Offline OhNoNotAgain - Posted April 15 2021 - 2:15 PM

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Due to personal home circumstances/family emergency I had to put my book publishing on temporary hold (yeah that's why I pretty much fell silent here on FC and discord and Facebook), but here's artwork from book 2 of the Bugs of Arcadia series:

Attached Images

  • CampPeter 2.jpg

Edited by OhNoNotAgain, April 15 2021 - 2:17 PM.

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Formiculture Journals::

Veromessor pergandei, andrei; Novomessor cockerelli

Camponotus fragilis; also separate journal: Camponotus sansabeanus (inactive), vicinus, laevigatus/quercicola

Liometopum occidentale;  Prenolepis imparis; Myrmecocystus mexicanus (inactive)

Pogonomyrmex subnitidus and californicus (inactive)

Tetramorium sp.

Termites: Zootermopsis angusticollis

 

Isopods: A. gestroi, granulatum, kluugi, maculatum, vulgare; C. murina; P. hoffmannseggi, P. haasi, P. ornatus; V. parvus

Spoods: Phidippus sp.

#8 Online ANTdrew - Posted April 15 2021 - 2:27 PM

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I hope things are getting better for you.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#9 Offline OhNoNotAgain - Posted April 15 2021 - 2:35 PM

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I hope things are getting better for you.

 

I'm working on getting back into the groove of things gradually, though the circumstances are still ongoing. (For example I did manage to feed most of my ants recently.) Thanks ANTdrew!!!  :)


Formiculture Journals::

Veromessor pergandei, andrei; Novomessor cockerelli

Camponotus fragilis; also separate journal: Camponotus sansabeanus (inactive), vicinus, laevigatus/quercicola

Liometopum occidentale;  Prenolepis imparis; Myrmecocystus mexicanus (inactive)

Pogonomyrmex subnitidus and californicus (inactive)

Tetramorium sp.

Termites: Zootermopsis angusticollis

 

Isopods: A. gestroi, granulatum, kluugi, maculatum, vulgare; C. murina; P. hoffmannseggi, P. haasi, P. ornatus; V. parvus

Spoods: Phidippus sp.

#10 Offline GhostMouse - Posted May 3 2021 - 9:10 PM

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Due to personal home circumstances/family emergency I had to put my book publishing on temporary hold (yeah that's why I pretty much fell silent here on FC and discord and Facebook), but here's artwork from book 2 of the Bugs of Arcadia series:

 

Oh wow! Wonderful work, oh I bet your book is just great! I'm working on one too, though not with art like this. <3 Got you in my rainbow thoughts, here's to a published book and better days.

 

Is this art digital or traditional? The ant looks so curious, and I love the little isopod- "no way Jose!" I have an embarassing number of isopods, they're so cute. 


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#11 Offline Ferox_Formicae - Posted May 4 2021 - 4:09 AM

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I used to do ant drawings all of the time before my computer decided to stop functioning. I'll link my ArtStation here so you all can check some of it out. It's mostly Strumigenys. It's not great, but it's all okay. Apparently my art is good enough for Doug Booher to have me do the illustrations for his key which will probably be published later this year. Here's just a few of my pieces if you don't feel like going to a separate website right now:

 

Strumigenys godmani
Strumigenys deltisquama
Strumigenys ornata
Strumigenys cordovensis

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Currently Keeping:

 

Camponotus chromaiodes, Camponotus nearcticus, Stigmatomma pallipes, Strumigenys brevisetosa, Strumigenys clypeata, Strumigenys louisianae, Strumigenys membranifera, Strumigenys reflexa, Strumigenys rostrata

 

All Strumigenys Journal

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#12 Offline GhostMouse - Posted May 4 2021 - 10:18 AM

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I used to do ant drawings all of the time before my computer decided to stop functioning. I'll link my ArtStation here so you all can check some of it out. It's mostly Strumigenys. It's not great, but it's all okay. Apparently my art is good enough for Doug Booher to have me do the illustrations for his key which will probably be published later this year. 

 

 

Sounds like Doug Booher knows how to appreciate your art better than you do-- which makes you a true artist lol, we all have imposter syndrome. XD 

 

But seriously though the detail in these is wonderful. As you can tell from my little comic, I really only have much practice/skill at doing very cute, brightly colored, stylized and cartoony sorts of drawing. Doing any sort of accurately proportioned anatomical drawing impresses the heck out of me. That "looked more like this" image is maybe the most realistic ant I ever drew HA! I think these are great! 


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#13 Offline JoeByron - Posted May 6 2021 - 10:15 AM

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Entering the founding chamber

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  • 20210506_030337.jpg

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#14 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted May 6 2021 - 12:02 PM

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Haha it’s a demon.
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#15 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted May 7 2021 - 3:58 AM

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A couple of my drawings. They don't look all that good and most of the parts in the thorax and head are probably wrong but I tried!87183d194ef9b7613e300dd321d8519e.jpg5fb2bcf284bc070d3489f78ac6435622.jpg8f31be2b8cd26d948cf9d56ce349cd50.jpg740966e6cecf45807ce2487f5e9211ad.jpg

Sent from my CPH2201 using Tapatalk
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Young ant keeper with a decent amount of knowledge on local ant species.

YouTube: https://m.youtube.co...uKsahGliSH7EqOQ (It's pretty dead. Might upload again soon, don't expect my voice to sound the same though.)

Currently kept ant species, favorites have a star in front of their names (NOT in alphabetical order, also may be outdated sometimes): ★ Camponotus irritans inferior, ★ Ooceraea biroi, Pheidole parva, ★ Nylanderia sp., ★ Paraparatrechina tapinomoides, Platythyrea sp., Anochetus sp., Colobopsis sp. (cylindrica group), ★ Crematogaster ferrarii, Polyrhachis (Myrma) cf. pruinosa, Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) laevissima, Tapinoma sp. (formerly Zatapinoma)

Death count: Probably over a hundred individual queens and colonies by now. I cannot recall whatsoever.

#16 Offline Chickalo - Posted May 7 2021 - 4:15 AM

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Do you create shapes first?  I know it sounds really stupid, but most people skip over this step, and it really helps.  Also using guidelines to figure out the proportions and how surfaces bend makes it much easier.   (Btw, they look fine to me!  Great job)


Edited by Chickalo, May 7 2021 - 4:16 AM.

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シグナチャーです。예.

 

#17 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted May 7 2021 - 4:20 AM

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Do you create shapes first? I know it sounds really stupid, but most people skip over this step, and it really helps. Also using guidelines to figure out the proportions and how surfaces bend makes it much easier. (Btw, they look fine to me! Great job)

Oh I don't actually. I just draw the basic parts of an ant and then slowly modify. And thanks!

Sent from my CPH2201 using Tapatalk
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Young ant keeper with a decent amount of knowledge on local ant species.

YouTube: https://m.youtube.co...uKsahGliSH7EqOQ (It's pretty dead. Might upload again soon, don't expect my voice to sound the same though.)

Currently kept ant species, favorites have a star in front of their names (NOT in alphabetical order, also may be outdated sometimes): ★ Camponotus irritans inferior, ★ Ooceraea biroi, Pheidole parva, ★ Nylanderia sp., ★ Paraparatrechina tapinomoides, Platythyrea sp., Anochetus sp., Colobopsis sp. (cylindrica group), ★ Crematogaster ferrarii, Polyrhachis (Myrma) cf. pruinosa, Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) laevissima, Tapinoma sp. (formerly Zatapinoma)

Death count: Probably over a hundred individual queens and colonies by now. I cannot recall whatsoever.

#18 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted July 27 2021 - 11:53 PM

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I MADE DIGITAL ART! made a little gif on a polyergus queen pixel art thingy i drew. Edit: here's a weaver ant too!
giphy.gifgiphy.gif


Edited by ANTS_KL, July 28 2021 - 12:57 AM.

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Young ant keeper with a decent amount of knowledge on local ant species.

YouTube: https://m.youtube.co...uKsahGliSH7EqOQ (It's pretty dead. Might upload again soon, don't expect my voice to sound the same though.)

Currently kept ant species, favorites have a star in front of their names (NOT in alphabetical order, also may be outdated sometimes): ★ Camponotus irritans inferior, ★ Ooceraea biroi, Pheidole parva, ★ Nylanderia sp., ★ Paraparatrechina tapinomoides, Platythyrea sp., Anochetus sp., Colobopsis sp. (cylindrica group), ★ Crematogaster ferrarii, Polyrhachis (Myrma) cf. pruinosa, Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) laevissima, Tapinoma sp. (formerly Zatapinoma)

Death count: Probably over a hundred individual queens and colonies by now. I cannot recall whatsoever.

#19 Offline SYUTEO - Posted July 28 2021 - 2:16 AM

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I MADE DIGITAL ART! made a little gif on a polyergus queen pixel art thingy i drew. Edit: here's a weaver ant too!
giphy.gifgiphy.gif

:0

 

I couldn't even draw 3d ants :(


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Began antkeeping in 2018  :)

 

All ant journal: https://www.formicul...os-ant-journal/

#20 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted July 28 2021 - 3:29 AM

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I MADE DIGITAL ART! made a little gif on a polyergus queen pixel art thingy i drew. Edit: here's a weaver ant too!
giphy.gifgiphy.gif

:0

 

I couldn't even draw 3d ants :(

 

hehe if ur amazed with this wait till i'm done with my protanilla lini gif


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Young ant keeper with a decent amount of knowledge on local ant species.

YouTube: https://m.youtube.co...uKsahGliSH7EqOQ (It's pretty dead. Might upload again soon, don't expect my voice to sound the same though.)

Currently kept ant species, favorites have a star in front of their names (NOT in alphabetical order, also may be outdated sometimes): ★ Camponotus irritans inferior, ★ Ooceraea biroi, Pheidole parva, ★ Nylanderia sp., ★ Paraparatrechina tapinomoides, Platythyrea sp., Anochetus sp., Colobopsis sp. (cylindrica group), ★ Crematogaster ferrarii, Polyrhachis (Myrma) cf. pruinosa, Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) laevissima, Tapinoma sp. (formerly Zatapinoma)

Death count: Probably over a hundred individual queens and colonies by now. I cannot recall whatsoever.
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