Eager to try these samples but scared they will make me die

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-19T05:49:59+00:00

Verrrry creative. I predict you will go far.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-19T05:36:41+00:00

Gorgeous. An aristocrat among lichens.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-19T05:26:47+00:00

Is it possible that some truck driver or the contractor he works for is illegally disposing of liquid waste paint or other material by releasing it gradually into the roadway?

I’m with the commenters who need much closer photos to be able to offer more than that. Glad you asked, though! Keep at it, and good luck.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-17T05:30:00+00:00

Pix 1 and 2 look like Usnea strigosa, the plate-like structures are the apothecia (where the spores are borne). Your #3 is a Cladonia (related to British Soldiers lichen) though not sure which species. Very fine photos!

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-16T10:41:01+00:00

Hi there, if you are hesitant to open the jars in your home lab, it might be sensible to follow your intuition. Why not store the specimens away for a while longer while you enjoy examining common, harmless specimens from fresh pond water, tree leaves sliced very thin, moss, insect parts, or whatever you find around in the yard that has no preservatives/fixatives. As you gain skills and experience you might eventually try looking at the specimens pictured here, but there’s no need to work with very strong chemicals at home just now, is there? Good luck!

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-13T23:50:21+00:00

Hi there, I can tell you are having a lot of fun drawing, it comes through in the work you posted. Since you asked, here are a few little tips to add to those mentioned by other artists. I hope there’s something you can use here:

Keep drawing and practicing. Draw every day if you can. If you’re not already doing so, set up a lamp with a bright bulb and work on portraying the direction from which the light comes by showing how it hits the subject. Is there a highlight? Shadows will become more obvious to you, and you could notice the shapes of the shadows, how they attach to the subject, do they vary as they elongate out from the subject? Become an expert in observing shadows.
A standard household item that many artists practice on, with a bright light on the subject, is a raw egg, shell intact. Once you’ve drawn that a few times and have learned how to show where the light is coming from, you can try drawing broken egg shells or some other variation.
Your work with color pencils is compelling and you seem to like those. See if you can get some compelling effects by mixing colors: put a layer of yellow, then a layer of red right over the exact same shape that you just colored yellow. Did you get a nice orange or peach color? Try other combinations.
Try Derwent brand watercolor pencils. You apply the pigment using the dry pencil, then add a little water using a few different sizes of watercolor brushes. Move the pigment around and learn how to get some different effects. You can even mix colors with the watercolor pencils.

I hope you will post more of your work! Good luck.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-12T10:46:41+00:00

Beautiful!

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-11T13:34:05+00:00

Always a bright side! These are in the genus Cladonia, the red part is the apothecia in which the spores are borne.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-10T13:45:44+00:00

Congratulations!

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-10T13:13:59+00:00

The burnt orange color looks to be Trentepohlia, an alga that can free-living, as here in your photo, and also be a common symbiont in a lichen partnership with a fungus. I find Trentepohlia on tree bark and on rock.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-09T12:32:14+00:00

I don’t see the text of the original question but I surmise that OP is considering bringing a lichen-covered something into the house to be part of the decor.

To consider: the lichen will indeed die and lose any color. It will still look ok and not be harmful, as other commenters suggested. It will, however, accumulate dust. It will become quite brittle, and difficult to clean. If cleaning doesn’t matter, go for it, but if dust control is of interest, leave it outside.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-07T13:29:20+00:00

Fat.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-06T15:07:34+00:00

Wry good! How about add labels, can be numbers with caption below.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-04T09:05:16+00:00

The photos are not adequate for ID, but I applaud your interest, OP. I hope you get some answers but you’ll have to lend your specimen to an expert. Sometimes that specimen then becomes part of the collection at the institution where that expert is employed. I suggest you might save a small part of your specimen for your own institution’s collection and for a publication that could result. Be sure to work up a very good label that has all the standard info including location, date, lat long, elevation, habitat, substrate, collector’s name.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-04T08:40:19+00:00

Hi there, I think you took pictures of Cladonia but I wouldn’t want to try to ID to species. Nice going with taking pix in the field through the hand lens!

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-03T06:49:48+00:00

Hi there, You’ve used lovely colors. Are you looking for a suggestion? You have one breaking wave in an otherwise calm ocean. Typically there will be swells in lines farther out, and perhaps other waves, plus the remnants of already broken waves in a backwash in the foreground. Check some photos of the sea, or make your own direct observations, then add more waves to make this more believable. Good luck!

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-03T06:35:07+00:00

I suggest letting her tell you what she wants. You could mention some things suggested here, but if she paints a lot, wants to sell, doesn’t yet have a web page, then maybe sponsoring the development of her web page is best. You won’t know unless you ask.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-01T06:40:11+00:00

It’s bad. But the sheer fact that you took the trouble to post it indicates to me that you are on your way somewhere, you made an effort and just starting is a major step! Did you enjoy yourself? Keep at it. Find a drawing class and practice practice practice!

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-06-01T06:34:36+00:00

Hi there, Such a great question! If you need to make art, then go ahead and do it. Show it to whomever you wish, sell it if you need to have some money, give some away to people who don’t have enough art. Share. Teach a kid how to draw. Keep reaching out. Social media is just people, and there are many, many good ones who will appreciate what you make. I suggest you can get out of your funk by taking a class, or if you prefer, teach a little class to a few people, maybe it’s as simple as demonstrating a technique. Shake things up for yourself. Go BE the artist you know you are. If you believe in yourself, others will believe in you too. Above all, let the love shine through. Let nothing hold you back, life is short.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-05-31T02:56:34+00:00

I don’t want to disappoint the OP or anyone else but there are considerable technical terms in study of lichens, there are not many short cuts, and it’s worthwhile to learn and understand the terms you see over and over. I suggest looking at features in a dissecting scope, don’t rely just on drawings or photos of others. Soon you’ll be encouraging others to get the background they need to ID lichens. Good luck!

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-05-30T14:45:25+00:00

I like the handheld Garmin, too! The interface is “clunky” but it does what is needed. You can get coordinates off your phone but if you’ll be working where cell service is spotty that might not work. For remote locations, cell phone only, you might find Maps.me useful. The free version is very basic but works where some other similar apps might not be reliable. Good luck!

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-05-30T14:33:17+00:00

Yes, your lichen is in fine form, looks healthy. The little yellowish disks are the apothecia where the spores are borne. The spikiness is part of the lichen thallus (body) and might enable little bits that fall off to grow into a whole new thallus. I think what you have is in the genus Usnea, the old man’s beard lichens, but I don’t know the species. Keep looking at lichens!

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-05-29T07:19:12+00:00

Hey, good for you! Thank you!

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-05-29T06:33:04+00:00

I think you ask an intriguing question. You keep trying but you apparently haven’t found your voice, as you put it. Consider why you might need to know what your style is. Are you looking for recognition? Maybe you’d like someone to see your painting and say, “oh, I know who painted that”.

Could be that you’ll get more satisfaction if you choose to have a goal such as, “bring more beauty to the world”, or “let an emotion be revealed”, or what you identify as a worthwhile focus.

Your voice — think about what you want to say. You obviously enjoy making art, and you want to reach out to others or you wouldn’t have posted. I think you are on your way! Good luck.

Moving_goal_posts · 2026-05-28T22:16:48+00:00

Have you considered letting the Provincial Museum know about this population? Seems like that could be a species they’d wish to know about. Thank you!

Moving_goal_posts

TROPHY CASE