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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social

@mxcrobiotick.bsky.social
72 followers 76 following 373 posts

No work talk, just fountain pens, fountain pen inks, pen and inksketches, crudely drawn cartoons, cooking, sumo, and occasional arthropod macrophotography. For now on Instagram: at mxcrobiotick

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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 11h
I used various ink samples from Kitty Inkpot, Taccia, and Papier Plume. #penandinksketch #fountainpeninks #octoberartprompts
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 11h
it's not clear if this was based on a real lighthouse in French Guiana but if it was, it might be the island L'enfant Perdu. There are other lighthouses, but none quite match this one (small island, black rocks, etc
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 11h
In the Old Time Radio version, a banana boat lands and is taken over by the rats and is purportedly still sailing the seas with its sea rat crew.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 11h
In the short story they are rescued by other ships that use a barge of fresh meat to lure the rats off the island, into the sea, and onto the barge. the barge is then doused with fuel and ignited. Rats that survived were picked off by 15 foot sharks that inhabit the water surrounding the island.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 11h
They escape into th top of the lighthouse, but even though they keep out the rats with the steel trap door, they are without food, lantern fuel, fresh air, or water. One goes mad, another eventually succumbs to blood poisoning from the rat bites he sustained.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 11h
They notice a derelict, 3-masted ship that grounds on reef and become trapped in the lighthouse by a hoard of starving ship rats. At first they find it an inconvenience, but soon realize their danger as the rats break through the wood frames of the windows and break windows.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 11h
The story is about three lighthouse keepers on an island in French Guiana called 3 Skeleton Key, named so for 3 convicts that died there after escaping from Cayenne. The keepers' job is to tend the light to warn ships of deadly reefs near their black rock island.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Prompt for October 2nd was a zine prompt "skeleton key". @sennamatic 1) I've never made a zine before and 2) 8 pages of sketches is a lot more than I do in one week, let alone one day. I summarized "3 Skeleton Key", a short story by George Toudouze (1937) & modified for Escape radio by James Poe.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
October is one of my favorite months because the art community digs deep to show their creativity. I have difficulty making decisions, so instead of one set of prompts, I'll use ink and randomly choose a prompt. October 1st : #USkOctoberPrompts2026 "orange"-A silo against an orange sky
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Final day of aki basho (day 15): Onosato wins the Emperor's cup. He's been struggling with that shoulder for so long, but this basho we saw Yokozuna Onosato at his best and it was worth the wait. His genuine emotions touched the hearts of sumo fans. Congratulations! #sumosketch
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Aki basho 2026 Day 14 #sumosketch Hakunofuji vs. Ichiyamamoto So happy to see Ichiyamamoto get this win. He had a tough basho.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Day 13 aki basho #sumosketch i waited 2 days to avoid spoilers, but Onosato's 2-bout lead is rapidly evaporating. Poor guy--he's probably kicking himself enough without everyone else dumping on him. I'll just try to be hopeful that it won't be another Aonishiki basho. It's getting monotonous.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Day 12 aki basho I had difficulty choosing which bout to sketch: Fujinokawa vs Kirishima (in pencil) or Takayasu vs. Daieisho (water soluble graphite crayon and watercolor) #sumosketch
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Day 11 Kirishima vs. Atamifuji There was a split second when Kirishima had Atamifuji almost completely off the ground! Yorokiri. There was also that shove at the end... ink: Kitty inkpot Fallen star in the sea #sumosketch
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Sumo day 10 Kinbozan vs. Toshinofuji I didn't get the proportions right, mostly because i should have drawn in portrait instead of landscape. that throw was beautiful. Winner Kinbozan by shitatenage
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Glad to see the bow twirlers getting some attention!
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Day 9 Another rough #sumosketch using Lyra #solublegraphite crayon and #watercolor Fujinokawa just does not give up and is another escape artist. Wow, I didn't know what to expect but he's taken down two Ozeki and isn't going to slow down. No wonder he's so popular
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Day 8 A very rough #sumosketch using Lyra #solublegraphite crayon and #watercolor This bout between Ura and Ichiyamamoto was exciting. Ura is a magician--many of the rikishi can dance the tawara tightrope, but Ura has Houdini skills and pulled a tottari for the win
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
#sumosketch from Day 7 aki basho 2026 Tobizaru vs. Chiyoshoma (win by kotenage). It was hard to choose what to sketch--yesterday had so many great bouts. graphite, ink, and a tiny bit of watercolor
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
thanks very much! the next two will be faceless because i'm a coward.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Day 6 Aki basho 2026 #sumosketch Still fighting a cold so only a rough pencil-only sketch of Aonishiki vs Fujinokawa. These two move so fast that i had to pause the video and slide advance to see it in slow motion. the video was still too blurry to see moving arms
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
#sumosketch for aki basho day 5 Ura vs. Wakamotoharu, by sotogake #inkand watercolor
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
#sumosketch for Day 4 of aki basho 2026. Not sure why I keep messing up the faces with ink, but this was better before i inked it. I won't mention the names because the faces are so incorrect
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
#sumosketches of Day 3 Aki basho I'm coming down with a cold and I don't have time to add watercolor or ink, so just pencil today. this time I tried 2H. Ura vs. Oho Mita vs. Akua (Makushita--I think he's not scheduled to fight for the next two days.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A couple of #sumosketches from yesterday's bouts (Aki basho day 2) Asasuiryu vs. Shonannoumi in HB graphite and then w/ink Fanyantan Dream Floating Bridge. I'm not sure if i like this ink as much. it's hard to control where the pink or green shows up Gonoyama vs. Daieisho: 4B graphite; watercolor
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
#sumosketch for day one ( I haven't watched day 2 yet because we have to wait for everyone to watch together). Ura v Shishi. Shishi's head was blocked by a rikishi in front. Classic Ura proud-stance. I'm still figuring out how to draw facial features accurately. #watercolorsketch
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
My daughter is the best! She made me this crocheted Ura doll for my birthday and it's just in time for tomorrow (first day of aki basho). I did a quick watercolor sketch of the doll to decorate my #sumosketch book
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I swatched 24 Holbein granulating watercolors to see which ones I might like to get as full tubes. I like some of the swatches, but others may need a sketch to see how it behaves. Paint: Holbein daybreak, ref: @drawdailytogether @yifan_painting Olympic museum in Lausanne
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Reference 8 from @yifan_painting - Grindelwald, Switzerland @drawdailytogether ink: Kitty Inkpot The delicate branches are still holding last night's rain. It's a subtle multi-shading ink. #inkandwashsketch #dippensketch #drawdailytogether
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Day 6 #penandinkchallengeaug26 week4 favorite flower = Iris. #inkandwatercolor Daniel Smith moonglow, Kuretake cosmic olive and cosmic red, Favinci white watercolor, and Papier Plume Honey Island Swamp Monster ink @monteverdepens_official @penandinkchallenge
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Day 5 "snail carrying something" I've been taking photos of insects and spiders the last several weeks, so it's no surprise that I landed on a snail race with spider jockeys. #inkwash #penandinkchallengeaug26 #drawingprompt @monteverdepens_official @penandinkchallenge
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Day 4 "tiny mushroom" I don't have many photos of tiny mushrooms, so I drew a few different types of mushrooms (bolete, fly agaric, shaggy mane, puffball) with ink, bleach, and white watercolor #inkandwatercolor #penandinkchallengeaug26 #drawingprompt @monteverdepens_official @penandinkchallenge
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Day 3 of August week 4 "moon with face" #inkandwatercolor on toned paper. #penandinkchallengeaug26 #drawingprompt @monteverdepens_official @penandinkchallenge
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Day 2 of August week 4 "Happy little frog" I just chose the funniest instead of happy frog I could find. This is harder than you'd think, but it was a close tie between Xenopus and rain frogs. I did end up doing an inking but I prefer the pencil version. #penandinkchallengeaug26 #drawingprompt
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Day one #penandinkchallengeaug26 Week 4 August 25th "something in your cup" A cup of coffee is part of my morning routine, but I also like hibiscus-based tisane in the evenings when it's not too hot. It's a combination of the beautiful color, flavor, and fragrance. #inkandwatercolor
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Sketches from the evenings. #penandinksketch #inkandwatercolor
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
#penandinkchallengeaug26 August 14 was "M". I had a difficult time deciding, so i did 3 really crude sketches in hopes of redoing it later, but ran out of time. mountain, moth, or Mamiya TLR camera @signature_sh1, @penandinkchallenge, and @conklinpens_official @yafabrands_official
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
#penandinkchallengeaug26 August 13 was "S" Sunset. I happened to catch the sunset with the moon at the same time. #inkandwatercolorsketch @signature_sh1, @penandinkchallenge, and @conklinpens_official @yafabrands_official
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
#penandinkchallengeaug26 August 12 was "G". Great Blue Heron. This adult (i think?) was hiding in our pond and peeked out when I got close. It did take off eventually, but it's so massive that it took a good while to rise and turn. Kind of like watching a small plane slowly take off and turn midair
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Catchup on #penandinkchallengeaug26 August 11 was "c" for "Cosmos" @signature_sh1, @penandinkchallenge, and @conklinpens_official @yafabrands_official #inkandwatercolor
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Catching up on #penandinkchallengeaug26 08/0926 was "A": "Arctic fox" in ink and gouache on toned paper photo reference from wikimedia @signature_sh1, @penandinkchallenge , and @conklinpens_official @yafabrands_official
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
August 10 of #penandinkchallengeAugust: "B" Bridge: This is a quick #penandinksketch of the Pomoroy-Academia bridge, the longest covered bridge in PA. I prefer covered bridges that you can only cross on foot. I also took a photo of a damselfly eating an insect.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Work-related pressure to accept AI blindly is prompting me to look for resources that address concerns about the assumptions and the shortcomings of AI. In the face of attacks on DEIB, environ'l stewardship, & Art, the layperson needs to study to prepare tempered, well-supported counter-arguments
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
#penandinkchallengejuly2026 mystery solved: "WE LOVE PAIC" p= push or powerful A= Asakoryu I= Ichiyamamoto C: chibi challenge-the kids get a chance to spar with the rikishi during the regional tour #quicksketch #sumosketch #inkandwatercolor @conklinpens_official @penandinkchallenge
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
oops, I forgot this one was pencil, so it's not pen and ink. I often mess up pencil sketches with ink and I was afraid of ruining this sketch.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Day 3 (07/27/26) "❤️"for Mystery week of July #penandinkchallengejul26 Heart hands/snaps are common with sumo wrestlers and it's so adorable. I had a hard time deciding which models to use. These were Oshoumi and Shirokuma because the latter has the best smile #sumosketch #penandinksketch
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Day 2 (07/26/26) "E" for Mystery week of July #penandinkchallengejul26 Endo, who is retired, but has not yet had his haircutting ceremony. I only remember him being somber and professional, but since he retired I've noticed more smiling photos of him. #sumosketch #inksketch #penandinksketch
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Mystery week of July #penandinkchallengejul26 Day1 (072526): "W". i chose Wakamotoharu, one of the many top level sumo wrestlers that I enjoy watching. I started this as a sketch of him with his brother Wakatakakage, but I ran out of space. Initial sketch was in pencil, then inked, but roughly.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
That was insanity! He never ceases to amaze/entertain, but yeah, I worry about the little bull charging out with abandon. It's inevitable he will get injured if he doesn't mix it up a bit.
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mxcrobiotick.bsky.social @mxcrobiotick.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
So glad Grand Sumo is back! I had a bit of time this weekend between gardening, art festival browsing, and a 5k to watch the first 2 days of the Nagoya basho. Day one was great, but day two was full of excitement and upset. Someone has to win and someone has to lose, but I want them all to do well
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