Artist’s Corner 1
Caterpillar Moth Stretching
During my first semester of taking an art class at the junior college I went to in my hometown, one of the images that we had to draw were of insects. This was probably the 5th or 6th assignment that we did. There were different insects to choose from-I don’t remember all of them, but I do remember there being one or two spiders and a caterpillar. For my drawing, I chose the caterpillar, mostly due to having a bad case of arachnophobia-although for some reason I’m okay with wolf spiders and daddy long-legs. All other spiders-regardless of their poison level-don’t have that same protection. Don’t ask me why cuz Idk.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````The Caterpillar
While writing this tiny-for-me-to write-essay, I was curious as to what The Caterpillar represents from a cultural standpoint. According to the Almighty Google, caterpillars have many different messages, meanings, and usages depending on the culture.
One of the most well-known uses for caterpillars in the ancient world was the use of silkworms. They were bred specifically for their silk, and according to various websites, there are no longer any silkworms in the wild-or at least specifically in China.
In some cultures, the caterpillars are symbols of meekness, while in others they are a symbol of strength.
Most people reading and/or listening to this are probably aware that caterpillars can transform into either moths or butterflies. Although moths are considered pests, both they and butterflies are quite important to the environment of the planet.
Although they are known for eating plants (at times in a destructive way) and being food for other animals, did you know that some caterpillars-who are known as insects-will also eat insects? I honestly didn’t know that about caterpillars until writing this post. I admit to not looking too hard, but I wonder if mosquitos are also on that menu? For more quick reading, check out this Wikipedia page about caterpillars!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“The Stretching Caterpillar”
I remember doing this drawing in particular because there was a webpage with information about this caterpillar. Sadly, I don’t have the paper that had the image and the website that talked about this caterpillar. But I do remember, when my curiosity got the best of me, reading on the website that the picture that this image is based off of was taken by a photographer’s daughter while they were taking a walk somewhere in England. According to the site, the daughter saw this caterpillar stretching and was able to get a quick picture of it. I don’t remember if an exact age was written, but I remember the site saying that she was pretty young.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Mediums and Drawing Style
I believe that the medium for this piece was different variations of the HB pencil. We had to use different shadings on various parts because we weren’t allowed to use color.
You might notice that the right front foot that is hanging in the air is different from the other legs-I’ve been told that I should say that I made that leg different intentionally…truthfully, though, I was trying to make it look similar to the other legs, but for some reason I made it look more cartoony. I think I had reached a point where I was ready to move on so I mentally checked out while drawing the foot. I sometimes call it the R2-D2 foot because looking at it often reminds me of the beloved smart-asstro droid, only upside down and with a coned head instead of a domed-head.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Conclusion: The Irony in Drawing a Caterpillar
To me, a caterpillar represents the start of change, the start of something new. I didn’t think anything would come out of taking the class except, perhaps, a better skill-set for drawing things at an archaeology site. Looking back, although I started taking drawing classes to help me with anthropology-specifically archaeology-I found that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and it eventually grew into a hobby.
A hobby that has allowed me to explore two paths. One path is mental health-both in myself and how other people interpret not just the art that I put out but also other, much more talented artists as well. The other path-somewhat interconnected with the first past-allowed me to develop a deeper connection to the humanistic side of anthropology, while also simultaneously developing a deeper connection with my fellow humans.
I hope you enjoyed this first post in the Artist’s Corner section. I hope to do these every so often, and will try to keep them short, sweet, and to the point. Although, as most artists will say, sometimes the process of creating and talking about art requires more length and time than the artist would like. Oh well-it’s all part of an enjoyable process! Huzzah!
My next planned post for this section will be about the Japanese Emperor Butterfly-painting is pictured below!
As a reminder, I’m going to be taking a break to focus on my final semester projects. Don’t forget to go vote in the poll that can be found here (it’s after the Cat-Filing-Nails meme). Here is also a list (because accountability) for my upcoming planned posts for the next few months of December-February!
Intro Section:
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
Deep Dives:
Deep Dive 1: Franz Boas
Artist’s Corner:
Japanese Emperor Butterfly
Carpe Diem!
~Kimber~
Wonderful work as always! And a talented artist too 💗