iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

Pretty sure this book was on my childhood bookcase, will have to hunt it down. I also have a Baskin print that my dad bought in the 60s on my living room wall. My parents were fans.

Framed b and white etching of a man’s portrait. He is seen in three quarters, looking to the viewer’s left. His head is depicted from a thick fur collar up and tightly framed by a thin lined rectangle. Value is rendered with hatching, the light coming from the upper right. He has rather small, high set eyes and a long nose. His hair is pushed back from his brow and he has a short beard. The paper is a yellowish cream.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Baby’s first gif! An attempt to plan out a pop-up book page with a Late Formative spinning and weaving kit from the southern Lake Titicaca Basin. #textiles 🧶 #SciArt 🐡 #archaeology 🏺 #DHmakes #Bolivia

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Finally, the third painting contains a single variant out of all the possible alternatives. In turn, this unique individual and their life experiences becomes one of many factors affecting the health of future generations, circling the viewer back to the first painting.

Image of “Variant 3”. The watercolor and colored pencil painting contains a single amorphous shape such as the ones at the center of the “Variant 2” clusters. The shape fills the paper and has areas of wet-into-wet watercolor contrasted with detailed renderings of histology images from the placenta, colon, and testes. There is one perfect circle of white negative space. It is painted with wet-in-wet watercolor technique in shades of alizarin crimson.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

…fetal development with the rows and columns of abstract shapes containing fragments of histology images. The second painting combines some of these shapes into new, overlapping forms, drawing on the idea of Venn diagrams. Each group of overlapping shapes creates a unique possibility in its center.

Image of "Variant 2". The watercolor and colored pencil painting contains 6 clusters of overlapping amorphous shapes such as the ones in "Variant 1". These clusters echo Venn Diagrams and each create a new shape at its center. Each center shape also contains a perfect circle of white negative space. It is painted with wet-in-wet watercolor technique in shades of alizarin crimson.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

My statement accompanying “Variants”: “The sequence of paintings in this triptych guides the viewer through the process of a hypothetical fetus becoming a physical reality.The first painting gives the viewer a sense of the wide range of factors and possibilities influencing…

Image of "Variant 1". The watercolor and colored pencil painting consists of 35 amorphous shapes arranged in 5 columns and 7 rows. Each shape is painted with wet-in-wet watercolor technique in shades of alizarin crimson. Some of the shapes also contain detailed renderings of histology images from the placenta, colon, and testes. Each shape also contains a perfect circle of white negative space.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

My “Variants” triptych is back on view, at the John Hansard Gallery in Southhampton, as part of the “Art of Creation” exhibit at the British Science Festival. The “Art of Creation” is a project of @slobodalab.bsky.social, exploring the early origins of health and disease through art. #SciArt 🐡

Photo of the "Variants" triptych hanging on the wall. The three paintings are 24 inches tall and 18 inches wide. They each in a thin maple frame with no mat.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I recently discovered Stubbs, while very good at painting horses, was not as good at painting other animals. Admittedly, he only had a description and the skin of the kangaroo to go on, not sure about the dingo. These two paintings from 1772 hang in the UK’s National Maritime Museum. #SciArt 🐡

George Stubbs’ 1772 painting of a kangaroo. The kangaroo stands on a rocky outcrop in the center of the composition. Their body is orient toward the left, while their head is turned to the right. Behind them is a green landscape with a mountain peak in the distance and pink tinted cumulus clouds. Stubbs uses atmospheric perspectiveto create a sense of depth. The kangaroo is proportioned incorrectly, standing straight legged. Their forelimbs are too short, tail lacks muscles, and forehead has a sharp slope. The painting is in an elaborate gold frame.

Detail of Stubbs’ kangaroo painting, cropping in on the kangaroo.

Detail of Stubbs’ dingo, showing the animal up close.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

The extra pointy indicator hand pairs well with the totally-over-it indicator lady shared by @infowetrust.com last year. For when just words can’t fully express your exasperation. #illustration #BookSky bsky.app/profile/info...

Line illustration of a woman dressed in 1960s fashion gesturing with both arms towards a knob on a typewriter. Her facial expression is slightly bored and cross. She is drawn with red lines and the typewriter is drawn in black.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Finally got my hands on @sallypointer.bsky.social’s Nalbinding book! Looking forward to making @aroddick.bsky.social some incredibly lumpy socks. #booksky #archaeology #textiles #craft

Sally Pointer’s book, “Nalbinding: Heritage techniques for the contemporary textile crafter”, laying on a dark wood background. The cover has a photograph of a collection of colorful Nalbinding projects and tools arranged on the rocky shore of a beach.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Newest member of our family and my instant favorite. #textiles #craft #fiberarts

A double drive spinning wheel sitting in front of a brick wall, painted white.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

If I remember correctly from my undergrad European Folklore class, this news story falls into 1 of the test or task motifs from Thompson’s Motif Index of Folk Literature. The gold-ring-loser and the gold-ring-finder must now wed and live happily ever after, them’s the rules. #folklore #fairytale

Text saying “H322.1. H322.1. Suitor test: finding object hidden by Princess. *Type 507A; Irish myth: Cross.”

Text reading “H1132. H1132. Task: recovering lost objects.

H1132.1. H1132.1. Task: recovering lost object from sea. Irish: Beal XXI 308, 316, O'Suilleabhain 26.

H1132.1.1. H1132.1.1. Task: recovering lost ring from sea. *Types 513, 554; *Saintyves Essais 381; BP I 134ff., II 19ff.; *Fb "guldring"; Irish myth: *Cross; Greek: Fox 101 (Theseus); Japanese: Ikeda; Cape Verde Islands: Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 280 No. 91.

H1132.1.1.1. H1132.1.1.1. Test: recovering ring from water. India: *Thompson-Balys.”

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

I’ve now bound the edges and added pockets on the back. Next up, adding some zippered pouches and a couple of felt pages to turn it into a little needle book/ sewing kit. Maybe that way there will be less free floating pins and needles around my house… #textiles, #sewing, #quilts #craft

A 4 by 9 inches pieced and quilted rectangle of irregular fabric strips in shades of blue. It is quilted in a vertical white running stitch so that the fabric puckers at uneven intervals creating a three dimensional ripple effect. The rectangle is bound with blue handmade bias tape.

The back of the 4 by 9 inch pieced and quilted rectangle of irregular fabric strips in shades of blue. The back is a navy blue fabric with two blue denim pockets covering the bottom two thirds. The rectangle is bound with blue handmade bias tape.

The 4 by 9 inch pieced and quilted rectangle folded in half with the fold on the left. This is how it will look when it becomes a needle book.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

A few more pages from “The Easter Pig”. I always loved the super weird and beautifully complex style of #kidlit, maybe because my mom collected Harlin Quist books and they were on my shelf as a kid. Remind me to share some of them sometime! #booksky #illustration

End papers from “The Easter Pig” showing the pig standing on a giant tulip and surrounded by giant white lilies. The artwork is in watercolor and black ink line work.

A page from “The Easter Pig” showing Crow displaying his collection of shiny finds that the pig wants for his Easter basket. His collection includes a cigar band, a button, and a ring.The artwork is in watercolor and black ink line work.

A page from “The Easter Pig” showing the pig sitting under a tree with Crow. The illustration shows the ground beneath them as a cutaway so you can see layers of soil and interconnected roots. The artwork is in watercolor and black ink line work.

End papers from “The Easter Pig” showing a very haughty Easter bunny standing next a a sort of pushable Easter wagon filled with flowers and decorated eggs. The bunny has a pink parasol and a blue sash. The artwork is in watercolor and black ink line work.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

My favorite psychedelic Easter book from my childhood, “The Easter Pig”, published in 1982.

The cover of the children’s book “The Easter Pig”, written by Louise McClenathan and illustrated by Rosekrans Hoffman. The text is framed by the handle of an Easter basket shaped vehicle that seems to be decorated with cloisonné. Two metal gate-like doors are open in the middle and a large pink pig is standing between them. Children with Easter baskets are riding in the basket vehicle. It is decorated with giant ribbons and spring flowers. The art is done in watercolor and ink linework.

A page from the book “The Easter Pig” showing a giant pig with an Easter basket on a city street. There are happy children in the street with Easter eggs and baskets. The buildings are animate , some with mouths or human hands. There is no sense to the scale of beings and objects, a car on the street is smaller than the children and a tulip is as tall as a building. The art is in watercolor and black ink line work.

Another city street scene showing tall apartment buildings with faces. People and cars weave between them. The artwork is in watercolor and black ink linework.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

15 years with these two (@aroddick.bsky.social and the Royal BC Museum’s mammoth).

A black and white photograph of a man and woman standing in from of a life size diorama of the Arctic tundra with a wooly mammoth. The image shows the people from mid torso up and the mammoth is positioned entering the from from the right. The woman has a chin length bob and wears a cardigan over a dark top, while the man wears a suit and has short hair and beard.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Got a mini iron for my birthday and already putting it to good use on this little bit of piecing! #textiles #sewing #quilts

A 5 by 9 inches section of pieces and stitches fabric. It is made up of 9 uneven vertical stripes of fabric in different shades of blue and 2 stripes in cream. Everything is quilted down with small vertical running stitches in white tread. The stitches uneven spacing has slightly gathered the fabric, creating a subtle three dimensional ripple effect. The fabric edges are raw and have not yet been cut down to the same length.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

A few more from the series “Something from Nothing” 2/3

A graphite drawing with a landscape layout. A detailed rendering of a thick and coarse piece of plied rope crosses parallel to the page above one third down from the top. About two thirds of the way from left to right, the rope crosses through a scribbled ring of dark graphite lines, making the two dimensional marks seem three dimensional.

A collaged bouquet made up of torn paper painted with graphite washes, detailed drawings of cultivated flowers, and the scrap paper with the negative shapes of the blooms.

A collage of torn paper painted with graphite washes and detailed drawings of peonies cut out precisely and then chopped in half.

A graphite drawing and collage of torn and cut paper in a portrait arrangement. An oval of dark graphite with torn edges is pasted onto a white background. A long rectangle of cut paper is on top, arranged vertically. The paper has a detailed drawing of fur on it. A right triangle of cut paper is placed in the bottom left corner of the composition. It also is covered by a drawing of fur.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

The thought experiment must have stayed with me because I created a whole series of drawings called “Something from Nothing” that exist in that liminal space between 2 and 3D. #drawing #graphite #FineArt

A drawing of 5 cobbles realistically rendered and placed randomly on a 5 x 5 grid. The other spots in the grid are filled with roughly outlined circles.

A graphite drawing of a sleeve of a cable knit sweater arranged vertically on the paper. The sleeve is cut in two vertically and the space between the two pieces as well as on the sides and below is filled with graphite filled scraps of paper arranged to look like a continuation of the stockinette stitch in the sleeve.

A drawing of a flat oval of dark graphite wash with frogs eggs drawn in realistic detail growing out of it.

A drawing of of two pieces of string tied together in a simple knot. One piece of string is a two ply cord drawing in high detail and the other piece is only a loose and rough brush stroke of liquid graphite.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

I had my suspicions from the modern construction elements and clothing on the villagers, as well as the inaccurate stork. The credits confirmed it, very disappointing. (I am excited by the bird article though!).

Screenshot of part of the credit page for the most recent volume of Turkish Journal of Archaeological Sciences. I have circled in red the text “Kayak Fotoğrafı/ Cover Photo: Güneş Duru. Yapay zeka üretimi görsel/ AI-generated image”.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

My teen edition, found on my parents’ shelves and guarded fiercely ever since.

My copy of the 1989 paperback edition of “Titus Groan” by Mervyn Peake. The book is well worn, the cover crumbled, the pages foxed. The cover has the author and title in black calligraphic font at the top. Below is a scene looking out over medieval looking stone and half timber houses. A castle with many turrets and crenellated walls looms over them and is wrapped in mist. The colors are predominantly desaturated blues and greens.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

I love when artists subtly break with traditional and show a slightly more naturalistic view once in a while. Like Raymond Harris Ching’s illos in “The Reader’s Digest Book of British Birds”. They’re often left profiles and you can still use them for id but they’re more lifelike positions.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Yeah, it’s a general convention though there are exceptions (like insects are usually top down if only showing one view). It makes cross species comparisons easier. Also, Renaissance lighting + facing right = a lot of well lit butts.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Blurry coyote going about their business, no time to chat, in SoCal yesterday.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Sketching in the new year. My one resolution is to finally fill up this old and mostly empty sketchbook.

Photograph looking down at my left hand holding a pencil and sketching a dock spider in a sketchbook. The sketchbook page already has drawings of an earthworm and a moth but is mostly empty. There is a tattoo of a piece of yarn knotted around my wrist and my nails are painted with black polish.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Christmas book! “The Nature of Fashion” by @carrysomers.bsky.social And look at the beautiful cover design by Kimberly Glyder and cover art by Victoria Villasana! Can’t wait to get started. #textiles 🧶 #fashionhistory #archaeology 🏺 #botany

Cover of the book “The Nature Of Fashion” by Carry Somers. The cover has a black and white photograph of an agave plant (I think), taken from above and looking straight down. The lower third of the image has been embroidered over with red, lime green, blue, orange, and purple yarn following the outline of and filling in the shape of its leaves. This has created a stripe-y abstract pattern. The ends of the embroidered yarns hang down from the image and tangle around each other on a white background at the bottom of the cover. The book’s title is written in white uppercase font and some of the yarn crosses over them and seems to stitch them down to the photograph.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

I slipped out of the TAG York party last night and found this beauty waiting patiently for me, a little blessing on the proceedings.

A terrible photo of a fox sitting on the side of the road, next to a car park sign.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

Tiwanaku popping up in surprising places, @aroddick.bsky.social spotted the Gateway of The Sun motifs decorating a treasure chest in “Pirates of the Caribbean” while watching with our sick kid. It makes vague sense as the bulk of Spanish treasure was silver, mined in Potosi, Bolivia. #archaeology

Screenshot from the film “Pirates of the Caribbean”, showing a fold treasure chest sitting on a pile of gold coins and other treasure. The chest is decorated with Tiwanaku motifs taken from the Gateway of the Sun. The Staff God is repeated four times across the side and boarded by their attendants. A change has been made to the meander like motif along the rim, replacing the Staff God’s face with a skull.

Detail screenshot from the film “Pirates of the Caribbean”, showing a closeup of the chest decorated with Tiwanaku motifs taken from the Gateway of the Sun. The Staff God is repeated four times across the side and boarded by their attendants.

A photo showing the center of the Gateway of the Sun with the main Staff God carved in high relief. They are flanked on either side by rows of attendants, half with bird heads and half with human heads. The bottom is linked with the meander like motif with the Staff God’s face.

A photo showing the left side of the Gateway of the Sun. You can see the rows of flanking attendants, half with bird heads and half with human heads. The bottom is linked with the meander like motif with the Staff God’s face.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

And another coincidence, The illustration @biodivlibrary.bsky.social shared is by Alcide D’Orbigny who also visited and drew Tiwanaku in the 19th century, the Bolivian archaeological site that’s been my focus for the past couple years. #archaeology

D’Orbigny’s illustration of Tiwanaku, looking east over the site. You can see the Akapana, the Kalasasaya’s pillars, and the foundation of the Putin. A farmer is plowing part of the site a Shepard with their sites nearby.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Hey, it’s #WorldAnteaterDay and I’m coincidentally working on a digital painting of a giant anteater (as well as some relatives). #SciArt

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Taking a moment to recognize how lucky I am, someone is paying me to paint sloths.

A screenshot from the Procreate app showing an in-progress painting of a brown-throated slothhanging from three limbs. The head and right arm have some detail blocked in, while the rest of the body is a solid grey-brown fill.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

A major perk of being a science illustrator is constantly learning new things. I recently got to delve into the world of North American mastodons while creating this editorial illo to accompany new research from @mcmasteruniversity.bsky.social Ancient DNA Centre. 1/2 #SciArt #paleoart #illustration

An editorial illustration, in portrait layout, summarizing new DNA research into the North American mastodon’s family tree and migration. In the foreground, a mastodon rears up on their hind legs and reaches up with their trunk to grab a branch on a nearby black spruce tree. Some of the surrounding forested wetland landscape, like ones found in Nova Scotia, is loosely painted in. The background darkens to a dark purple grey, with faint silhouettes of black spruce trees. The silhouette of North America in a light desaturated transparent purple is superimposed on this dark background. Ghostly sketches of mastodons roam across the map, some moving towards Canada’s Maritime provinces, and others sweeping up from Alberta to Alaska. A lone mastodon stands in central Mexico.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

The goldenrod and one of the pollinators in question. I think it’s a brown belted bumblebee?

A beautiful and large patch of goldenrod growing along a fence in a parking lot.

A bumblebee hanging upside down and collecting nectar from a group of goldenrod flowers. You can see the black dot on it yellow thorax and a brownish stripe on its black abdomen. It is probably a brown belted bumblebee.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Me reading another headline saying “Spending as little as 5 minutes outside with nature improves quality of life”: “yeah, yeah, yeah” Me tearing myself away from my computer to walk the dog around the neighborhood and spotting a large clump of goldenrod with pollinators buzzing:

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Some tickets make use of both sides, the Madison et Jardins Claude Monet ticket suggests other cultural and historic places to visit nearby and the DC Tourmobile has its route mapped with all the attractions. The beautiful Predjama Castle ticket becomes a postcard after use.

Front and backs of paper entry tickets to the Madison et Jardins Claude Monet (from ~1992) and the Washington, DC Tourmobile (from ~1988). The back of the Madison et Jardins Claude Monet ticket suggests other cultural and historic places to visit, outlining a Normandy-Vexin tourist route. The DC Tourmobile has its route with all the attractions on the back. The tickets are all printed on colored paper (yellow or pink for the Monet and yellow or blue for the DC) with black ink.

The beautiful Predjama Castle ticket becomes a postcard after use. The front has a detailed pen drawing of the castle printed in sepia, cream, and white. The back has the standard postcard layout, an area for writing on the left and for the stamp and address on the right.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

My life-long compulsion to save every scrap of paper that crosses my path is finally paying off, I’ve just found a stash of other paper objects w/ outreach potential! Such as entrytickets w/ imagery that can serve as souvenirs (places & approx. date visited in alt text) 🏺 #archaeology 🐡 #SciArt

A collection of entry tickets to museums and historical sites, including the Château de Chenonceau (from ~1996), the Athens Acropolis (from ~2001), the Sheldonian Theatre (from ~ 1987), Tiwanaku (from ~ 2024), a combo ticket for 5 churches in Verona (from ~ 1997), the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (from ~ 1999) and the United States Capital (from ~ 1988).

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Here's one of my old graphite drawings of outdoor spaces at Çatalhöyük showing a stamp seal being used on bread. If I remember correctly, the idea was to show them as more of a maker's mark but I love the idea of a decorative border instead. #archaeology 🏺 #SciArt 🐡

graphite sketch of an outdoor space at Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic site in Turkey. One woman is pounding something in a large wooden mortar, another is sliding a piece of flatbread on a stone into a large mudbrick oven. A stampseal, a bowl of bread dough, and some stretched out pieces of dough sit on an animal hide near her. The stretched dough has stamp seal impressions. Two children entertain a baby lying in a coiled basket. In the background, a man works on making and stringing some beads near a dung fire and another person is passing by.

Detail crop of the previous image, showing a woman sliding a piece of flatbread on a stone into a large mudbrick oven. A stampseal, a bowl of bread dough, and some stretched out pieces of dough ready for the fire sit on an animal hide near her. The stretched dough has stamp seal impressions.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

This is may sound weird/morbid, but I encourage my brother to send me photos of dead animals, roadkill or sometimes dead of unknown causes that he spots mountain biking. They make good #SciArt drawing references! Anyway, he sent me this one yesterday.

A squirrel stuffed animal, lying on its side and abandoned on some dry grass.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Part of the interior with more, very tiny, handaxes…I think I purchased this at the BM during my MA.

An illustrated timeline of the Pleistocene in Britain. It includes information on climate, archaeological sites, Homo species and their associated stone tool technologies.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Adding isometric coloring books to my collection of simple paper outreach products and ideas, such as these trading cards (made by the Science Museum of Minnesota for Çatalhöyük), paper model postcards, and foldout timelines. Also thinking about pop up books & paper dolls. #SciArt 🐡 #archaeology 🏺

A collection of paper products for archaeological education and outreach. On the left are several cards fanned out. The cards are in a comic book trading card style, each with a picture of an artifact from Çatalhöyük and a brightly colored border. On the right are 3 postcards from Paris, France that can be cut up to create paper models of famous architecture. The top card is for Notre-Dame. A thin booklet, titled “The British Time Scale: Half a million years illustrated”, is in the center.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Finding a view point that showed what we needed took some time. Looking over the river towards site did this best. I'd love to fully develop an image of people washing up & primping before making a big entrance. There's hints here, this guy has pulled out his best tunic & is tying his shoes. 6/9

A crop of the illustration described in the first post of this thread, focusing on a man a little past the river bank. He has crouched down to put on his shoes. He already dressed himself in hide leggings and a long sleeve tunic with a red ochre strip and white disk beads from the shoulder to cuff. He has a large basket on his back with a chest strap. He is balding and has shoulder length grey hair and a beard.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

We’ve also included other details such as a necklace made from boar’s teeth collected during a previous hunt and a red deer antler, another type of faunal material found along with the boar crania deposit (the source of the long distance transport data). 5/9

A crop of the illustration described in the first post of this thread, focusing on one of the two foreground hunters carrying a field-dressed wild boar between them on a pole. He is dressed in a hide loincloth and has set down his spear and basket behind him so he can better lift the boar up the bank. He wears a necklace of boar tusks perforated at both ends his loincloth has red deer fur trim.

A crop of the illustration described in the first post of this thread, focusing on the man with his hide clothing bundled his head as he crosses the river. He also has a hide bag on his back with a red deer antler strapped to it. He has a disk bead necklace and bone ring. His dark brown curly hair is gathered in a ponytail.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

We looked at other sites for inspo & settled on a flat roof for the communal building and more impermanent materials for the domestic structures. These are only seen in the background & could easily have been the subject of their own illos showing all the possibilities & #uncertainty. 4/9

A crop of the illustration described in the first post of this thread, focusing on the small hide and pole buildings on top of the slope. The have open entries where hid flaps have been tied back and a hole in their roofs for smoke to exit. People are preparing food around them.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

This meant peppering the researchers w/ questions about seasonality, vegetation, material culture, etc, etc. Asiab’s structures were one sticking point as most of the Neolithic surface has deflated & only the floors and pisé foundations of the semi-subterranean communal building remained. 3/9

A crop of the illustration described in the first post of this thread, focusing on the large communal structure on top of the slope. The structure is circular and made of rammed earth. It stands about 2 meters tall and has a thatched rood topped with earth. In front, There is a group of residents greeting the newcomers and other groups roasting a boar over a fire and preparing other foods.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

This was A LOT of archaeological research to synthesize into one #visualization. The focus of the research and the image was the long distance transport and its implications for communal gatherings but I also needed to create a complete scene. 2/9

A crop of the illustration described in the first post of this thread, focusing on two of the foreground hunters forging a river and climbing up onto the banks. The two men carry a field-dressed wild boar between them on a pole. They are dressed in hide loincloths and carry bows or spears. One wears a necklace of boar tusks perforated at both ends. The other has a red ochre zig-zag and wip stitch edging his loincloth.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

A new piece, my recent illo depicting long distance transport of wild boars to Asiab in the early Iranian #Neolithic. I’ve reposted a couple articles featuring the illustration but here’s the whole image and some detail crops. #archaeology 🏺 #SciArt 🐡 1/9

A reconstruction illustration (by Kathryn Killackey) showing groups of hunters approaching Asiab, an early Neolithic site in Iran. In the foreground, one ground is forging a river and climbing up onto the banks. Two men carry a field-dressed wild boar between them on a pole. Another man has his hide clothing bundled and is carrying them on his head. He also has a hide bag on his back with a red deer antler strapped to it. The hunters exiting the river are dressed in hide loincloths and carry bows or spears. One wears a necklace of boar tusks perforated at both ends. The rest of this group has already crossed and dressed themselves in hide leggings, tunics, and shoes. They carry an assortment of baskets and bags on their backs, one with another boar's head attached. Their tunics and legging have decorative detailing with red ochre and small disk beads. They are walking up a slope towards the settlement at the top. A group stands at the top of the slope, greeting the new comers. Behind them is a large rammed earth circular building with a flat thatch roof. There are also clusters of smaller circular structures made of poles and hide, some with wood shade shelters attached. Groups of people are busy preparing food, including cooking another boar, for a feast. Children and dogs are running about. Another group of hunters are also seen arriving in the midground, entering the image from the right side. The landscape is covered in a mix of grass, wild pistacio and almond trees. There are sedges along the river banks. This vegetation is dry and yellowing, indicating autumn. You can see mountains in the background and vultures following air currents in the distance.

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Killackey Illustration @kjkillackey.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

The dog figured out we were leaving about 24 hours before our exit and subjected us to this look for the rest of the time. Oh the shame. How could we be so cruel?

Large black and white dog shitting by a window and looking at the camera. She looks very pitiful.

Close up of the head of the large black and white dog shitting by a window and looking at the camera. She looks very pitiful. Her gaze screams “how can you do this to me?”.

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