White Nose Revised

Something always didn't really sit right with me about the original version of this - it was a little too passive, didn't really express the idea of the danger and destruction this disease is causing. So I went back in, redesigned the digital element and here is the result.

Lotus Leaves

Another one on biomimetics, this time about the lotus flower and the ability of its leaves to repel all sorts of materials, specifically allowing water to bead rather than absorb on its surface; and as such picking up dirt and other particles as it rolls along and off the leaf. Understanding this process has led to the creation of self-cleaning glass, paints, fabrics, and other materials.

Moth Eyes

Just finished this guy last night, decided to post the original scan, before I go in and do some digital stuff - it's part of a series I'm doing on Biomimetics. This ones about moths and thier eyes which are covered in a nanostructured film that eliminates reflections, allowing moths to see well in the dark, as well as to not be seen by predators. The structure consists of a hexagonal pattern of tiny bumps, each of them roughly 200nm high (nanometers - really, really small) and spaced 300nm apart. The way it works has something to do with the fact that the bumps are smaller than the wavelength of visible light, which creates this anti-reflective effect... I'm not exactly an expert on the subject, but I'm always inspired by science and technology - and especially interested in this idea of learning from nature. We're finding out with modern science that nature really is the most advanced form of technology out there (it has had 3.8 billion years to develop, after all) and we're finally beginning to be able to understand that on a meaningful level, and make use of the knowledge.

White Nose Syndrome

Apparently in caves across North America, bats are being killed off en mass by a poorly understood sickness called white nose syndrome. It was first detected 2006, and has gone on to kill over a million bats since, with no signs of stopping. The disease leaves the bats with white patches all over, particularly on the nose, has the appearance of mould, and is predicted to cause the "little brown bat" to become extinct within 20 years as well as making the situation of several species that are already endangered much worse, including the "big-eared bat" and the "indiana bat". I wanted to accentuate the idea of extinction by drawing the bat completely solitary, with nothing around it at all... as the bacteria Geomyces destructans slowly destroys it.