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Laughing Mantis Studio

Art inspired by biology, created by a biologist

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    • Woodworking
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You can see my frequently-updated works-in-progress by following @laughingmantisstudio

laughingmantisstudio

Daniel D. Brown, Ph.D. | Breast Cancer Research Scientist
Woodworker/Artist
Husband to @tamarynart.
AKA: @danieldbrownphd
Pittsburgh, PA.
“Darth Maul”, 2020, wooden intarsia. All natur “Darth Maul”, 2020, wooden intarsia. All natural wood colors, zero paint or stain. Maul was cut on a scrollsaw, and the frame was mostly handcarved with chisels. Made from 11 species of wood: padauk, wenge, walnut, chakte viga, mahogany, purpleheart, redheart, yellowheart, basswood, holly, and ebony. Darth Maul was a character I didn’t find particularly interesting until Dave Filoni and his team expanded on his story, character, and motivations in Clone Wars. I thought it was pretty sweet how for the final season they brought in both the original Maul @iamraypark and his voice @switwer1. There was 1 particular scene that when I saw it, I immediately knew I needed to make an artwork based on it. Luke @cyclocrosscutter had the same idea, and actually brought it up to me first. One day I sent him a vid of me working on the design and he replied with an identical vid happening at the same time. From there it snowballed into a competition between me, Luke, and Justin @scrollsawscribbler to see who would make the better Wooden Maul piece. They’re both incredibly talented artists/woodworkers, despite this obviously thorough trouncing (there’s your set up, Luke). As I’m sure you will see, Luke will soon claim victory with some heavy-handed gimmickry. We’ll see if he can actually pull it off. If he does, I will bow down in defeat. Justin’s version is pretty dang sweet, though he had significantly less time to devote given he’s neck deep in actual $ commissions. No one can touch Justin in his unique style. There will be a separate post of all 3 pieces once Luke is done with his. ... #clonewars #starwars #starwarsfanart #darthmaul #scrollsawart #starwarsfan #pittsburghwoodworking #pittsburghartist #woodintarsia #madeinpittsburgh #makergeeks
One of my lab mates, @lydia00chen, is having a bab One of my lab mates, @lydia00chen, is having a baby! Back before covid, we had planned to have a surprise baby shower for her this month, so I had built this giant panda baby rattle. Instead I had to present it to her via zoom before lab meeting this morning. But it will be waiting for her on her lab bench soon! Here’s wishing her growing family all the best! Constructed from maple, walnut, mahogany, ebony, and holly and cut on scrollsaw. When I first designed it I thought “I guess this could be a kinda neat little thing”. After seeing it finished though, I have to admit that it might be among my favorite things I’ve built. It’s pretty simple, but it sure is cute. ... #woodart #babyrattle #scrollsawart #woodenbabyrattle #giantpanda #madeinpittsburgh #pittsburghwoodworking
“With our combined strength, we can end this des “With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy.” ... #starwarsmask #covid19
I started a new small project! Darth Maul from Clo I started a new small project! Darth Maul from Clone Wars. Step 1: the eyes. There was 1 particular shot of Maul near the end of the final season that aired this week that instantly made me think “I have to make that in wood!”. It’s just a simple closeup of his eyes and face, but it’s a stunning shot (kudos to the artists at Lucasfilm for producing such a beautiful season). Later, Luke @cyclocrosscutter brought up wanting to do the same (yes, Luke, you mentioned it first. You’re special). Later still, I sent him a vid of me designing it, to which he replied with an identical video. We were literally designing the same exact piece at the exact same time. Of course, now that Justin @scrollsawscribbler has suddenly become a Star Wars nerd (finally), he’s getting in on the action too. So keep your eyes open for their versions of Maul, which are sure to be spectacular, if inferior. You can expect Luke’s sometime in 2021 and Justin’s tomorrow, by my estimates. As always, I’m using all natural wood colors (no paint/stain) and all handcut in scrollsaw. ... #darthmaul #scrollsawart #starwarsart
Happy Star Wars Day! Holy cow I just finished the Happy Star Wars Day! Holy cow I just finished the series finale of Clone Wars (released today)! It was a mind-blowingly great finish and I’m sad it’s over. But here’s hoping for new series announcements set in our beloved galaxy far far away soon (praying to Filoni that a Rebels follow-up happens). At least we have Mando to look forward to! I’m also pretty stoked about the potential in the High Republic novels coming out this fall. Oh and here’s some Star Wars artworks I’ve made. #starwars #maytheforcebewithyou #maythe4thbewithyou #starwarsday
“Hummer”, 2020, wood intarsia. I made this lit “Hummer”, 2020, wood intarsia. I made this little hummingbird piece as a “quick and easy” palette cleanser after my previous incredibly tedious bee project. The main reason I designed this specific piece (besides being a mental health exercise) was to compare it to a similar work I made 3 years ago when I first learned intarsia (swipe to the final pic). It’s funny because I thought my original hummingbird was pretty cool back when I designed it. Looking at it now, it seems just ridiculously amateurish. I call that progress! Hopefully in a few years, this will look equally stupid (though I’m sure I’ve reached diminishing returns). The new piece was intentionally made of a more chaotic mix of grains and colors. I just wanted to have fun with it and make it kinda weird. It’s constructed from 16 species: canarywood, bocote, walnut, black palm, chakta viga, leopardwood, katalox, holly, cherry, redheart, yellowheart, olive, honey locust, maple, crab apple, and elm. ... #pittsburghwoodworking #madeinpittsburgh #woodworking #handmade #scrollsaw #scrollsawart #intarsia #woodintarsia #woodworker #handmade #woodporn #garageworkshop #hummingbird #birdart #homedecor #custommade #maker #DoItYourself #imadethis #makersmovement #covid19
Now a video... “Apis coronavirus”, Daniel D. B Now a video... “Apis coronavirus”, Daniel D. Brown, 2020, wood and resin. Constructed from mulberry (milled from my backyard), chakta viga, walnut, yellowheart, katalox, and epoxy resin. All natural wood colors. No paint, stains, or dyes. The resin is clear and the “honey” color derives exclusively from the underlying wood. I started this project at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown specifically because I knew it was going to be tedious and require hours of concentration, which I knew I’d need to distract from the stress we’re all feeling to various degrees. It ended up being even more time-consuming than anticipated and I spent almost 3 weeks on it, including at least several full workdays on the weekends. I initially designed it in Adobe Illustrator. The 12 bees were made as fully inlayed intarsia, then shaped (via @kutzall burrs), followed by scrolling and shaping of all 72 legs - shaped twice because I wasn’t happy with them after the first round. The wings ended up even more challenging than expected, requiring a couple trials to get them acceptable enough. Thin resin (slightly tinged with pigment) was poured over a crumpled acetate sheet, the wing veins hand drawn, and each wing cut out by dremel to avoid shattering. They were then sanded and shellacked. Each leg and wing was individually attached with @starbondadhesives CA glue - also a more difficult task than expected due to the fact that I couldn’t just spray accelerator everywhere as it ruins both the epoxy and shellac finishes. The honeycomb and bee bodies were finished with @odiesoil, appendages with shellac, and frame with @generalfinishes polyurethane. ... #scrollsaw #scrollsawart #woodworking #woodintarsia #woodart #woodsculpture #madeinpittsburgh #pittsburghwoodworking #honeybee #beeart
You do NOT want to get stung by one of these. You do NOT want to get stung by one of these.
“Apis coronavirus”, Daniel D. Brown, 2020, woo “Apis coronavirus”, Daniel D. Brown, 2020, wood and resin. Constructed from mulberry (milled from my backyard), chakta viga, walnut, yellowheart, katalox, and epoxy resin. All natural wood colors. No paint, stains, or dyes. The resin is clear and the “honey” color derives exclusively from the underlying wood. I started this project at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown specifically because I knew it was going to be tedious and require hours of concentration, which I knew I’d need to distract from the stress we’re all feeling to various degrees. It ended up being even more time-consuming than anticipated and I spent almost 3 weeks on it, including at least several full workdays on the weekends. I initially designed it in Adobe Illustrator. The 12 bees were made as fully inlayed intarsia, then shaped (via @kutzall burrs), followed by scrolling and shaping of all 72 legs - shaped twice because I wasn’t happy with them after the first round. The wings ended up even more challenging than expected, requiring a couple trials to get them acceptable enough. Thin resin (slightly tinged with pigment) was poured over a crumpled acetate sheet, the wing veins hand drawn, and each wing cut out by dremel to avoid shattering. They were then sanded and shellacked. Each leg and wing was individually attached with @starbondadhesives CA glue - also a more difficult task than expected due to the fact that I couldn’t just spray accelerator everywhere as it ruins both the epoxy and shellac finishes. The honeycomb and bee bodies were finished with @odiesoil, appendages with shellac, and frame with @generalfinishes polyurethane. ... #scrollsaw #scrollsawart #woodworking #woodintarsia #woodart #woodsculpture #madeinpittsburgh #pittsburghwoodworking #honeybee #beeart
Several years ago, I started making little plaques Several years ago, I started making little plaques with names and degree for students in the @leeoesterreichlab after they receive their PhD. Today I can finally say congratulations to Zheqi “Vaciry” Li (@vaciryli), who had to defend his dissertation via Zoom this week. But he nailed it! This plaque is made from walnut, ambrosia maple, and cherry, and the design is roughly inspired by architecture from Huishan Ancient Town near Vaciry’s hometown of Wuxi, China. I have to give special thanks to @chelseachen655 and @kaiding568 for providing and proofing the characters. #scrollsaw
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