https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog daily 0.75 2022-01-28 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/killdeer-or-kill-dear monthly 0.5 2022-01-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1619528394523-5KHRR9FXD72DYZO3B6KG/active+verb+parenting.png Birdsong Blog - Killdeer or Kill Dear? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1619528242514-WIXTR1MDSOJP1HC7RCER/killdeer+final.png Birdsong Blog - Killdeer or Kill Dear? https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tufted-titmouse monthly 0.5 2022-01-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1617898043112-CUOEEYUTWNO56QEGL26B/Chickadee+titmouse+grandma.png Birdsong Blog - Tufted Titmouse https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1617897563542-WS26G0QJOW4DXPPCU75R/titmouse+jay+no+text.png Birdsong Blog - Tufted Titmouse https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/blue-jay monthly 0.5 2021-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1617049058360-7OHUEB9DLLS7HK0BXZUP/Jay%2BJay-01.jpg Birdsong Blog - Blue Jay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1617048401378-N6GET9SNV226PT3USHSS/Silly+Blue+Jay+Mirror-01.png Birdsong Blog - Blue Jay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1617049367566-JLFHU464E9OTULKI2RH1/Jay%2BStandup-02.jpg Birdsong Blog - Blue Jay https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/birdsong-what monthly 0.5 2021-03-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1616706830914-ZNBPFBGGWF6FHDF78O3X/where+magic+edited.png Birdsong Blog - Birdsong, Why? Where the magic happens these days. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1616699942195-2R1MVOGGIW6YKRQOHA6D/universe+bird.png Birdsong Blog - Birdsong, Why? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1616700616781-075ITL9619CDIHK8J7IX/First+snow+thistle.png Birdsong Blog - Birdsong, Why? First snow, last season at Thistle Whistle. Aspens aglow and sunchokes abloom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1616707118099-UOUYBZZKLKWH59PY0YDQ/stripes+fixed+me.png Birdsong Blog - Birdsong, Why? Sorry, no photos from bird camp. Just me recently out nerding. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1616697561951-ZZPIMOROYI093IXFDTIM/but%2Bwhy%2Bbird.jpg Birdsong Blog - Birdsong, Why? https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/american-robin-the-early-bird monthly 0.5 2021-03-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1616445627797-M1TIG0IF2KVQGGNKULZW/Robin%2BRain-02.jpg Birdsong Blog - American Robin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1616447236180-PGMOWKU6BGXTZBR6N5QV/robin%2Bsale-02.jpg Birdsong Blog - American Robin Recently fledged robins appear a bit clownish with their speckled bellies and overlarge beaks. Through peak yard sale season, watch them hop their ways towards the day when they grow their big-kid feathers and fly away.. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1616439378671-TR4VRGJ5GFNWLLZJSPYM/Robin+Yard+Sale+for+IG-01.png Birdsong Blog - American Robin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1616447086765-3X0Y42E0JTHT91UISNEH/robin%2Bsale-02.jpg Birdsong Blog - American Robin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1616445797580-FZNNB49F9UY8RWVPC978/Robin%2BRain-02.jpg Birdsong Blog - American Robin I also associate robins with rain, with that feeling of stepping with bare feet onto a steaming sidewalk after a passing summer shower. Robins break into song after rain as if they are celebrating the return of the sun. It’s a jovial song with lots of ups and downs, most often sung in a chorus (individual robins chiming in across the land), so that the song of the robin adds its own color to the ornate tapestry of this Midwestern landscape. https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/black-capped-chickadee monthly 0.5 2021-03-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1616020198408-RGYEJ0CN5XMECATXLNCL/chickadees+for+IG-01.png Birdsong Blog - Chickadee Listen to their song at Cornell Bird Lab and you can decide, chickadee or cheeseburger… or none of the above. https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/cardinal-crooner-car-alarm monthly 0.5 2021-03-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1615742614991-4O81CM6AJ9B5WK7IV27N/Cardinal%2Bpompador%2Blady-03.jpg Birdsong Blog - Northern Cardinal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1615737626354-VSSANCS9XGVV4YQI3A3N/boundary%2BCrooner-01.jpg Birdsong Blog - Northern Cardinal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1615739439753-LSX6SQG1DZP9VGP9QZGK/Cardinal%2BDetails-02.jpg Birdsong Blog - Northern Cardinal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1615743873531-FWPG2OTNJ67RFAJJKG4F/Cardinal%2Bpompador%2Blady-03.jpg Birdsong Blog - Northern Cardinal https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Humans+and+Wildlife monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Fun+Beginning+Birds monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Bird+Illustrations monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Nature+Comic monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Nature+Humor monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Birdsong monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Birdsong+ID monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Birdsong+and+Calls monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Bird+Behavior monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Illustrated+Bird+Guide monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Bird+ID monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Backyard+Birds monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/category/Bird+Watercolor monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Thrushes monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Chickadee+Song monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Robin+Early+Bird monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Shorebird monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Cardinal+Identification monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Beginning+Birdsong+ID monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Fun+Beginning+Birds monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Simple+Calls monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Good+Beginning+Birder+Practice monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Simple+Song monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Blue+Jay%27s+Imitations monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Chickadee+Cheeseburger monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Intro+to+Guide monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Chickadee+Hey+Girl monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/American+Robin monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Cardinal+Crimson+Crooner monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Blue+Jay+Behavior monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Black-capped+Chickadee monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Common+Backyard+Bird+ID monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Dawn+Chorus monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Robin+Illustration monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Why+Birdsong monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Northern+Cardinal monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Cardinal monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Tufted+Titmouse monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Blue+Jay monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Illustrated+Birdsong+Guide monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Common+Birds monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Songs+versus+Calls monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Cardinal+Behavior monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Ground-nesting+Bird monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Cardinal+Song monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Sounds+Like+Chickadee monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Cavity+Nester monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Illustrated+Birds monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Corvidae monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Sounds+Like+Blue+Jay monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Learn+This+Bird+First monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Birders+Philosophy monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Birding+as+Meditation monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Chickadee monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Backyard+Birds monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Killdeer monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/birdsong-blog/tag/Illustrated+Bird+ID monthly 0.5 https://www.bethraboin.com/my-stuff daily 1.0 2022-12-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/00117835-ffaa-431e-a022-0271cd433b7d/Troll+Sunset+Logo+Sticker_troll+sticker+square+wilder+sunset.png Home - Make it stand out Professional Portfolio. Click image to open corresponding page. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1613498083928-G8QG7UCIT9J04UVJLN3X/help+birds.jpg Home Nature-themed comics and guides made for kids by this big kid. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1615734374085-4HMY3IUB1PRVZFQ1XJ25/cardinal%252Bstarling%252Bwow.jpg Home Birdsong Blog: Illustrated beginner’s guide to birdsong ID. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1615647123029-ZWT18K9Q7ERPWMB4JFYW/Moon+Tide-01.png Home Miscellanea: Cartoons, Greeting Cards, Illustrations (the fun stuff) https://www.bethraboin.com/miscellanea daily 0.75 2024-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/f24b69ae-5a73-4298-ab5a-d659992065ac/Fox+Rabbit+Battle.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/531875a4-ad74-4021-897b-7e0f1a4465f4/Unicorn+efforts.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/8e5d7a58-acad-4953-a3c3-bb806ef05f18/Sea+Monster.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/044d361a-f7a8-4213-89f1-b51a95e529c4/cow+pinkers+cleaned-02.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/ffb54048-4538-4d05-8cb3-75bd909e0a09/Flo+Knows.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/5d528fb1-ce25-4933-be4d-2031b7eeaf1f/bear+polkadots.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/58455fff-7043-4282-b0b5-957cbfa7a109/red+background+cow-02.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/c0a97fb4-ae80-43bc-9e34-8982f786140d/gull+island.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/90d11d11-5b63-44e9-9edb-999b6864d442/UniSlothET.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/a06e4d6b-7d3c-4d94-b3ea-cc1ca87f4584/chicken+cranes.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/81ac0abb-bf92-467a-b65f-76a76f2dc779/Aunt+Flo+1.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/7854ab86-0ebc-46ac-84be-a85979d53646/bobcat+retro.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/ae3814c9-27ad-42cc-aa71-776d0077e85a/fox+winky+aspens.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/5d6c05d9-481e-4d60-8b55-fce33c4f3524/wolfy+jenky.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/0a58202f-eb58-4cf7-ab12-866bd5a7ad57/chunky+bird.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/a3acf5c0-3a46-46c1-8242-8b4ed44a6c3e/trees+and+flowers.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/d097e13d-0aa8-4fd1-bc1f-4468e654b6c6/Dancing+Again.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/22b21da2-436f-4e24-bce4-7921f1760138/Fox+Flowers.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/4681f635-131d-4240-9993-7b1feaea7be1/Troll078.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/fe0bbf6a-d9c9-46b4-a119-ed318034f900/Troll076.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/8ecabcd2-8281-4c23-ae92-48e8a69bb1f8/throwyourbike.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/4478538d-7d58-4f90-8c87-141101ef1915/survivalmode.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/89699542-b936-4f9c-b1ca-fe442bd8827b/FeelingfeelingsPMS.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/dbda8f00-b32e-4dc5-90f5-9a2db304b4e6/uncertainty.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/b216fd95-2582-4c50-ade5-b04289148327/lonliness.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/9d463c9d-9f9e-465f-86ec-377cca0ac59c/fear.jpg https://www.bethraboin.com/for-kids daily 0.75 2021-03-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1614611621835-NNX9NKCHG0D4O3N20OK3/Kai+with+Guide+Fancy.png For Kids https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1614610004582-TNTNZ0RM16KMR5ZLFRAG/Explore%252BCover%252BThumbnail-01.jpg For Kids https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1614614781344-126BBHNJKVIFIXP0J5DB/help+birds.jpg For Kids https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1615736340120-HP23W6WEYW26KMJ1LX46/bird%2Bconvention%2Bwindow%2Bstrike.jpg For Kids Above: A pigeon’s outline where it flew into a window. See the reflection of the cloud? When birds see reflections in windows, they assume the reflections are real. If they see sky, they think they are flying towards sky. If they see trees reflected, they think they are flying into trees. Birds don’t see glass as the barrier it is, and that’s a big problem. https://www.bethraboin.com/professional-portfolio daily 0.75 2024-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/33e78145-23b8-4c4e-b71a-ff5abb23fc7d/Burning+Troll+Poster-03.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/d7c93fad-4c2d-4b8e-9994-79635c77e031/Sundog+Sticker_Dog+sticker+w+brix+apples.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/f2271a18-7c28-4573-975e-164e73822fef/Basil+Beach+Sticker+Circle-11.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/b6249ea4-9d2d-4916-b5ad-88b25e61e061/FCF+Logo+Text+Left-02.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/4cbdfbb1-732d-45e8-9aea-7c17f0edff08/Pluto+Sticker_Pluto+sticker-wall+5x3.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/8f1bd508-6726-4298-8467-43517ed1790f/Sour+Sticker_Sour+Note+Wall+and+Sticker.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/07c1a25b-a352-4d02-905e-4b2f8cb6fd1d/Bric+Black+outlines.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/c467ed6f-951e-43c8-9b91-098795cd96ac/Fall+gathering+poster-01.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/fa653345-1cf8-4628-8f4b-28161943ec3c/Troll+Sunset+Logo+Sticker_troll+sticker+square+wilder+sunset.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/3278351e-40ca-4701-9393-905a36a504af/Basil+Beach+beginnings-03.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/4c5f5393-ad9b-4f22-82cb-962701d7577c/Ice+Cider+Label-01.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/d745e6ba-78d4-45ef-b2a4-99445044616b/Cosmic+Sticker_Cosmic+Queen+Sticker.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646700442515-KZO6RVDPMV89HOSJRDI0/mural+just+getting+started.jpg Professional Portfolio - My brother and sister-in-law, Matt and Marie, own Brix, which is a farm to table restaurant and cidery. Brix has relationships with farmers across the Driftless Region of Wisconsin and beyond. Matt had the idea that he’d like something cheerful in the large vacant space above the main entrance to the cidery. The cidery was once a cheese storage facility, so the ceilings are high. Whatever filled the space needed to be bright and full of life to meld with Brix’s jolly atmosphere of open mics and live music events grounded in a vibrant local food scene and social hub. I like drawing goofy animals. Matt suggested I draw farm animals playing music at open mic. Turns out some of our wild neighbors wanted to join the party. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646696679763-BULQR50Q5L4GDASACB5A/me+with+mural.jpg Professional Portfolio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646701053230-OA1CCUS6AOXANX4HRB21/badger+efforts.jpg Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out My first step was to fill a sketchbook with animals that might want to attend the party. Here, the badger in profile seemed like a good fit, so I inked over my pencil lines. Notice the poor, rejected badger left to languish forever in pencil. When I had something I liked, I took a photograph and edited the photo to something like the dog to the right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646702358977-98B9Z8SC1RRE81U6FS84/silly+fence+critters+-+Copy.png Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out The bird hanging with these goofs got cut to make room for the guzzling deer. I’m sorry to all the bluebirds who were left unrepresented. I love bluebirds. Good thing robins are bluebirds’ cousins, and a robin can be seen forever flying over the barn in the mural. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646702510889-BANN1MS8TSA978V72S6P/me+and+started+mural.jpg Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out I filled in the background first. The background happened to be the second most tedious part of the whole process. Do you like my midriff sweatshirt? Perfect for painting. That yellow in the sunbeams can also be found all over my winter jacket. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646700803125-JR5Z8SPTC9Y7X8BUWSLZ/squirrel+in+pencil.jpg Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out This pencil drawing is on quarter inch thick plywood that I painted with three coats of primer. Sheets of 4’ x 8’ plywood aren’t cheap, and I needed three of them. (Well, originally I thought I needed six of them, because I measured wrong. Measure twice, paint once!) The grain of the plywood presented a bit of an obstacle for smooth painting. Also not cheap: paint. Because I had such a large surface to cover, I chose the most affordable option, interior wall paint. It doesn’t behave as intuitively as other paints I’ve used. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646702870848-G2KV2H5NEK30918PKRL6/finished+mural+floor.jpg Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out Oh my how things progressed! For finishing touches I used acrylic markers. I LOVE them. I’m used to watercolor topped with various ink pens for filling in details. House paint and acrylic markers were a fun, if challenging, change of pace. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646702704207-FJ4BK36GPXJG6MSVC3T2/finished+sheep.jpg Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out The sheep turned out to be my favorite, but really, sheep are always my favorite. I love that the golden fleece looks fleecy enough to bring up the sensory memory of burying my hand in wool to push a resistant sheep through a gate back in my shepherd days. If sheep were musicians under human terms, they’d all write endless protest songs. Bah! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646701282734-QEXPPCIN38QSLD3HWG8V/tamborine+dog-01.png Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out This tambourine playing border collie was eventually rejected because I couldn’t find a space where it didn’t overlap with the other animals in a way that would make the painting look too busy when viewed from a distance. Notice in the finished painting how I try to frame faces using background features. That’s a trick pulled from many hours of watching Bojack Horseman. Even though this dog didn’t make the cut, I’m glad it now exists in the world. PS, border collies are never this chill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646701522030-0X3HBIV2C8TCQ4YZBXKX/total_Whole+Mural+2+by+3.png Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out I set up an Adobe Illustrator document with all the individual animal characters saved in a way that allowed me to easily rearrange them. When I landed on something that felt good, I overlaid a grid then penciled out the grid to scale on the 12 foot long and 8 foot high plywood I used as a canvass. Transferring the image to the plywood was the most tedious part of the project. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646700895601-4Z2VC02RGXVDFMOKQHIN/full+finished+cow+with+squirrel.jpg Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out There were a lot of steps between this and the squirrel in pencil below. The cow’s dress! It was a puzzle, just a blob of yellow for weeks on end. It looked unfinished and boring. I didn’t know how to bring life to it. Then, in the middle of the night, I woke up and remembered a watercolor I made during the first week of lockdown. It was based on a similar circle pattern. I fell back to sleep knowing what I wanted to do with the dress. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1637688307350-P0XZZ7I4HPQ3LMQGD6AH/soil+microbes-01.png Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out Soil microbes trade plants nitrogen for carbon in a symbiotic relationship. The chemistry behind a topic as complex as climate change can feel overwhelming. I like to add a little whimsy and humor to help audiences lock onto key concepts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646773069807-LD8VWXAML6FCEGVHYLQB/Bike+Brigade+Official-03.png Professional Portfolio - In the spring of 2021, I organized a team for Brix Cider to participate in our first ever Wisconsin Natural Resource’s Great Birdathon. Our team raised money from donors to support projects and habitat critical to Wisconsin birds. To promote the event and offer a fun incentive to donate, I created this design and had 100 stickers printed to sell at Brix. The stickers quickly sold out, and all proceeds went towards our $1000 fundraising goal. Brix also used this design for a limited edition birdathon cider with a portion of those proceeds also going to the birdathon. A fun crew of diverse birders (all employees of Brix and their families) spent the a glorious spring day counting birds. We detected upwards of 80 species. Yes, we saw plenty of sandhill cranes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1637687724387-K0UTYEXOAMRSDC2JMCDL/ecosystem+flower+excellent.jpg Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out The Driftless Area is home to a diversity of natural landscapes with prairie and agricultural systems as landscape highlights. This image is designed to show readers how landscape stewardship carries through all features of a systems with water as the key to connection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646772294876-USWSVBPMU8ET1624R5PC/A+Host+in+Red-01.png Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out A quick iconographic demonstrates how diverse systems thwart pests on several levels. Evolution is probably my favorite thing about studying biology. I love looking at a system and thinking about the ways each organism fits into it like a puzzle piece. Click on the black button at the top of this section to read the text that accompanies this image. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1646772648635-YMZTT3Z9JMHPJ396CEEU/tastes+good+too.png Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out When motivating to make positive change, this is an important point to remember. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1637687202792-5JCLW5Q96C0WFXJBZMOW/Door+Creek+Label+gone+wild-01.png Professional Portfolio - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.bethraboin.com/cartoons daily 0.75 2023-10-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/c0afb09f-3b0d-4ef7-9ada-ef699cae75af/called+it+bro-04.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/28ca750a-18d9-46a1-8ed9-2039c9ba41a1/insufferable+sun-05.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/cccc03d5-ae08-4a80-9544-aa41d8935642/Hot+girl+summer-03.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/7dbd40b6-65dc-40ce-8691-b472b27ed801/alien+bird-04.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/a7352ff1-b870-4045-ab99-c7ab2de8e6db/pestilence+spelled+correctly-01.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/1d001ca9-abd3-45d9-b30c-c94dac12af2a/work+release+alien-05.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/397b41a6-7e82-40f4-a107-89993923efa9/Seriously+Dino-02.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/2dcc164b-2357-4cfd-a9d8-4714fb89e967/Like+Meow-02.png https://www.bethraboin.com/bio daily 0.75 2024-03-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f92fd5a2c1d2800dd21876a/5864987c-8c1e-476a-a8fc-a862a10281eb/Troll087.jpg