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Laughing Mantis Studio

Art inspired by biology, created by a biologist

  • The Art of Daniel D. Brown, Ph.D.
    • Woodworking
    • Pastel Pencil
    • Graphite Pencil
    • 3D Digital Art
    • 2D Digital Art
    • Paintings
    • Sculptures
    • Pet Portraits
    • Jewelry & Hangers
    • 3D Animation
    • Ocean Invasion Series
    • Science Art
  • Shop
  • Exhibitions
  • About

Pet Portrait Commissions

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  • Pet Portrait Commissions

I am no longer available for pet portrait commissions.

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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.
This isn’t very interesting but I like having a This isn’t very interesting but I like having a record of the things I make, even the boring stuff. I was tired of my $20 garage sale router table and my belt sander sitting on an unmovable desk in the back of my shop. Every time I used either, it made a mess in an inconvenient place to clean up. So I decided I needed them on something I can roll over to the garage door, where it’s easier to clean. I also needed some drawer/cabinet storage (I essentially had none). I did a quick search and found Brad @fixthisbuildthat had plans for a lathe stand that looked perfectly sized for what I wanted. So instead of spending a dumb amount of time designing something, I bought his plans for $9. He even had a video on the build. For this I just wanted quick, easy, and functional. I cut some corners, used a hodge podge of scrap, and now finally have a place for all my bits and accoutrements for my spinning tools. It rolls around smoothly and locks into place. I may put a finish on it if I feel like it someday. Or I may not. Mix of oak and pine plywood. With custom black locust drawer pulls I made in like 15 minutes.
#cuttingboard season. #cuttingboard season.
This first photo is an accurate portrayal of me an This first photo is an accurate portrayal of me and my wife @tam_a_ryn over the last 7 years. This entire account and the art within it likely wouldn’t have existed with her. She has been my constant inspiration and muse since the day we reconnected, living states apart. She has carried me so much since then, though we’ve swapped places many times. We make a great team and I am indescribably lucky! There’s no better experience than just laughing with her. I love you, Tamaryn! Happy Anniversary! A special thanks to Louie and Beth of @zumaphotography412 for the family photos! If you’ve followed my stories and posts, you know them as the “Sunflower Family” (scroll down to the sunflower project for that backstory). If you need photography work near Pittsburgh, hit them up! This is but a small sampling of this much-needed set of photos.
Skyrim Logo Carving. I’m a geek. I’ve played t Skyrim Logo Carving. I’m a geek. I’ve played through Skyrim, one of the best open world role playing fantasy games in my opinion, a number of times. The 10th anniversary is coming up, and of course @bethesdagamestudios is releasing ANOTHER upgraded version next week. Roaming the world as the Dragonborn on PS5 sounds like a good way to escape some cold winter nights to me! Made with a mix of scrollsaw, bandsaw, hand-carving, and power-carving, and pyrography on a chunk of black locust firewood I scavenged and milled up myself. Black locust is one of the most common urban trees cut around here, so I have a number of logs pulled from the side of the road. Also, it glows under black light (2nd pic). #skyrim #bethesda #skyrimfanart #skyrim10thanniversary #scrollsaw #scrollsawart #woodcarving #powercarving
Skyrim logo. Step 1: scrollsaw. Step 2 coming up: Skyrim logo. Step 1: scrollsaw. Step 2 coming up: carving. Making this from a chunk of black locust. Fun fact: black locust glows under UV/black light. #geekart #geekwood #skyrim #elderscrolls
Walnut and padauk frame with ash splines. My wife Walnut and padauk frame with ash splines. My wife @tam_a_ryn liked this shot of us from our summer vacation in Turks & Caicos. So I did my wood thang. ..: #pictureframe #framing #turksandcaicos #homedecor
“Captain Link Skywalker” One day I thought “ “Captain Link Skywalker” One day I thought “hey I should mashup a few of my favorite geek franchises” to go in my geek lair. That’s pretty much the whole deal here. Link from the Legend of Zelda, Captain America shield to represent the Avengers (I could have gone with several options but I didn’t want to clutter it, and a shield fit perfectly), and then of course a lightsaber for Star Wars in place of the Master Sword. Yes the blade should blue with that hilt. But the green light looks better. Eat it, nerds (@cyclocrosscutter). This is a hybrid of using natural wood colors (bloodwood and holly shield, African stinkwood harness, walnut boots, holly pants and shirt, maple face, mulberry hair, yellowheart buckles and shirt) and alcohol dyes (the blue, green, and red highlights). Link’s tunic needed to be a vibrant green and the shield needed the blue - natural wood just wouldn’t do. The dyed wood is ash or maple. … #scrollsaw #scrollsawart #intarsia #woodintarsia #legendofzelda #captainamerica #avengers #starwars #maytheforcebewithyou #lukeskywalker
If you follow my stories, you know I’m much fart If you follow my stories, you know I’m much farther along than this. But here’s part of my latest admittedly ridiculous project I’ve working on. It’s a mashup of 3 of my favorite franchises. I find myself getting like 2-3 hours per week in on it lately thanks to work and puppy rearing. But it’s gonna be stupid and awesome when complete, I think. #legendofzelda #captainamerica #starwars #scrollsawart
Quick Sunday project: a new 1/8” bit holder. My Quick Sunday project: a new 1/8” bit holder. My old one just didn’t have the space anymore. I have a large assortment of Saburrtooth carbide burrs, Dremel sanding drums and bits, and random cheap diamond bits. I grabbed the first piece of wood I saw that looked big enough (an old scavenged black locust log), scribbled some dimensions, milled the log, cut it up, drilled the holes, and ran it over the router. Process shots/vids in reverse order. It’ll do! Note: black locust is extremely toxic if ingested (usually by horses). However, it doesn’t seem like there’s any evidence that wood/sawdust exposure is toxic, aside from typical allergy risks (unlike yew for example). That being said, I always treat it as if it’s toxic. All sawdust is harmful to your lungs. But I take a little more care with black locust. And extreme care with yew. … #powercarving #carvingtools #dremelcarving @saburrtooth @dremel
May I present “Freddie Chirpury” the song spar May I present “Freddie Chirpury” the song sparrow! Named by @tam_a_ryn, he’s ruled our backyard since we moved in 4 yrs ago. He lives a hard life. He’s been forced to raise many a brown-headed cowbird (obligate brood parasites). We’ve seen his chicks brutally snatched by our resident blue jay Hunter multiple times. He always looks rough and disheveled by the end of the summer from trying to raise 3 broods of chicks. One year he tried to do it alone after his lady disappeared. He only successfully fledged the cowbird that time, who was twice his size. But despite the failures, loss, and constant work just to survive, he keeps on keeping on, singing right outside our bedroom all year, year after year. Unlike the ubiquitous and non-native house sparrows, song sparrow couples are solitary and tend to pick a territory and stick to it, defending and constantly shouting their ownership (the male anyway). This is their “song,” a repeating glorious aria declaring “this is mine, bitch, so stay the hell out!” Of course there’s some love song mixed in there as well. One fascinating fact I learned from watching them: once they’ve begun nesting/chick-rearing, the male and female make constant little “Marco”… “Polo” squeaks, basically pinging each other to maintain contact and location awareness. “Right here. All is well,” back and forth all day every day. I’ve also learned that their voices are distinct. The others in the neighborhood just sound different to me now. Based on a beautiful photo by Jared McCall @jaredm871 @ingrainednaturecreations, I initially designed it to have branches and a full background. But this clef design popped into my head. My wife’s excitement when I showed her cemented it, and I ditched the old version. Built from 11 species, all cut on #scrollsaw: black walnut, Peruvian walnut, spalted maple, curly maple, tree of Heaven, wenge, sapele, black locust, holly, ebony, with a cherry clef. … #scrollsawart #intarsia #woodsculpture #woodintarsia #birdsofinstagram #songsparrow #woodart #woodworking #homedecor
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