I now have some availability for illustration work! 🖌 My focus is Earth sciences, but I also take design and personal commissions. If you are interested, dm or visit my website: cameron-brideoake.com
I have been working with @mackenzie_kwak_parasitologist to produce a watercolour illustration for @illresearch, based on his research paper describing Australia's newest species: an endangered tick.
Heath's Tick (Ixodes heathi) is a parasite of the Mountain Pygmy Possum (Burramys parvus). It can only survive on this specific possum, which is critically endangered, so if the possum becomes extinct, so too will the tick. Interestingly, the tick has not been found to affect the health of its host.
Whilst ticks may appear to be unwanted, they are an important part of ecosystems. Though they can sometimes transmit those animal's diseases, even viruses are a natural part of ecosystems, as they can play a role in keeping populations in check; a delicate balance of interconnected organisms that goes much deeper than we can initially see.
Parasite research has great potential for controlling introduced pests, as well as medical advancements for treating and preventing tick-borne diseases.
My zine 'More than just Dinosaurs' will feature at Festival of the Photocopier zine fair this Sunday 10th at the Trades Hall 54 Victoria St Carlton Melbourne.
New business cards, happy with how they turned out. ☺
I read a great book recently - Bees, A Natural History, and after much research I decided to do a watercolour illustration of the Teddy Bear Bee, Amegilla bombiformis. I was interested to see if there were any bumblebees native to Australia, which there isn't, save for a feral population in Tasmania. But the Teddy Bear Bee is Australia's next best thing, even the species name 'bombiformis' refers to its superficial similarity to the genus Bombus - the bumblebees.
My Australian Paleobotany 30 day challenge zine is now available! This full colour zine includes all 30 watercolour and gouache illustrations and follows 500 million years of plant evolution known from Australian fossils. 🌏🌿
Magpie Lark in graphite. Final piece for the short course Natural History Illustration 101x. Grateful to have made connections with like-minded people interested in the cross over between art and science. Thank you @newcastlexnhi for such a great learning experience!
Crab claw study. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. Some observational homework for Natural History 101x short course.
Watercolour and gouache fossil study and life reconstruction - Elrathia kingii, a very common trilobite from the Wheeler Shale Formation, Utah. Excited to be starting a short course in natural history illustration with @newcastlexnhi this week!
Australian paleobotany challenge day 30/30 - The final piece for this series! A remote population of Wollemia was discovered in the 90's, its striking resemblance to fossil specimens caused a sensation. It was labelled a 'living fossil', a term that modern science views as somewhat misleading, as it implies they have not changed in a very long time. Which is not entirely true, Wollemia is a descendant of very similar ancestors that lived during the Cretaceous period, and although it may look outwardly similar, it is still genetically different. However they do give us a window into prehistoric Australia which is pretty cool. They are critically endangered and protected, but numbers are on the increase as many more are being planted in Australia and abroad.
Australian paleobotany challenge day 27/30 - Ok so I picked this one just coz it's pretty! 🌸 Other than eucalyptus, I could only find fossil pollen from the myrtle family, so here is a modern myrtle genus: Astartea.
Nearly finished 30 day challenge
Australian paleobotany challenge day 23/30 - Nothofagus, or southern beeches, represent an early group of Angiosperms, the flowering plants, remaining quite similar to this day. Their fossil history is rich in Tasmania and even Antarctica (yes it was once much warmer there and supported diverse plant life) providing clues to how these continents were once joined.
Australian paleobotany challenge day 15/30 - Agathis jurassica is remarkably similar to today's Kauri pine trees growing in small regions of tropical Queensland. Though during the Jurassic period tropical conditions were wide spread across Australia, at the time connected to the southern supercontinent Gondwana.
Australian paleobotany challenge day 14/30 - Thinnfeldia feistmantelli, a dicroidium seed fern, and the insect Clatrotitan andersoni are both known from early Triassic period fossils found in New South Wales. Here also is a beautiful Thinnfeldia fossil from Melbourne Museum.
Australian paleobotany challenge day 13/30 - Some ginkgos from the Triassic period known from Australian fossils. The genus name 'Ginkgo' is shortened to 'G.' for convenience when listening multiple species of the same genus.