One Year Anniversary!

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And here we are, a year later! I’m so used to letting projects like this fall to the wayside, and when I started I honestly worried whether I’d be able to keep up the pace. And yet here I am, still posting comics at a rate of one one week, two the next, wash, rinse repeat (plus those extra Mt. St. Helens comics I did last spring!) I’ll admit that people’s enthusiasm for my work is a big part of what helped keep me going even when I was tired, or discouraged, or really stinkin’ busy, because I wanted to keep sharing what I was creating with you all. But I also found that this continued to be fun instead of work, which is the whole point: something in my life that wasn’t just a way to make income. 

Which isn’t to say there aren’t ways to help me pay for art materials, of course. My Redbubble shop, for example, actually has a few more designs than what I said in the comic since there were a few drawings that I liked enough to add as stickers and other fun stuff (that last page design is available as a greeting card, with and without text!) But this is still by and large a sideline, a nice break from my day job and a creative outlet that doesn’t need to be measured in sales. 

If you want to do something nice for my anniversary, please share my work with others! (Or reblog, or retweet, whatever’s appropriate.) You can find my social media links at the bottom of any page at http://wyntkan.com. I also always appreciate likes and comments, and I’m open to suggestions for topics for future comics, too. 

Finally, again, THANK YOU! It’s been nice to have people to share this piece of my creative life with, and I look forward to giving you more fun nature comics to enjoy.

Species portrayed: raccoon (Procyon lotor), western red cedar (Thuja plicata), spotted towhee (Pipilo maculatus), redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana), American crow (Corvus brachyrhyncos), beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax), Pacific golden chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Garry oak (Quercus garryana), Pacific rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum), cascara (Frangula purshiana), coastal manroot (Marah oregonus), sword fern (Polystichum munitum), old man’s beard (Usnea longissima) king bolete (Boletus edulis), beach strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis), fly agaric (Amanita muscaria, Amanita Muscaria var. guessowi), vanilla leaf (Achlys triphylla), western bunchberry (Cornus × unalaschkensis), western lily of the valley (Maianthemum dilatatum), Western matsutake (Tricholoma murrillianum), early blue violet (Viola adunca)

The Scientifox Method

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Okay, not to brag too much, but I think I may have created one of the cutest explanations of the basic scientific method. Plus it gave me a chance to draw one of my favorite animals a whole bunch! Obviously the scientific method is a lot more complicated, especially once you start looking into research methods, statistics, etc., more than what I could fit in one comic! Consider this a nice introduction.

Also, just a quick reminder that if you like my work, you can support it through buying something in my Redbubble shop, or tipping me on Ko-Fi!

Species portrayed: Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), field mouse (Apodemus sp.)

Literal Mushroom Names!!

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This fall has been really good for mushrooms here in the Northwest. Along with my usual haul of chanterelles and boletes, I also found a new spot to look for oysters, and got some shaggy manes as well. Still no luck in finding chicken of the woods that’s either young enough to eat, or not just a remnant of what someone else already picked and took away. But I will prevail!

Anyway, I was inspired to create this comic while listening to a talk on fungi identification by Quinn Colling at the Oregon Master Naturalist convention back in October. I thought it would be fun to play on the common names of some of my favorite fungi, and I hope you enjoy the visual puns!

Species portrayed: chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sp.), hedgehog mushroom (Hydnum repandum), shaggy mane (Coprinus comatus), black trumpet (Craterellus cornucopioides), fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), king bolete (Boletus edulis)