Books & Illustrations
How the Beetle Got Her Colorful Coat
Jessie Lehson, 2023, pokeberry ink, acorn iron ink, pen and digital media
As soon as I saw the prompts for #folktaleweek I knew I wanted to make something for INK. I make a lot of inks from scratch from natural materials and had some incredible deep magenta pokeberry ink burning a hole in my pocket. This got me thinking about red pigments and cochineal in particular. Cochineal of course is made from the crushed shells of the cochineal beetle which has a long and storied history. So then I started researching folktales about beetles and came across the beautiful Brazilian tale of “How the Beetle got Her Colorful Coat.” It’s kind of a better version of the “Tortoise and the Hare”— ATU type 275 (Race between two animals)
In the story a rat is teasing a beetle for being slow and challenges her to a race. A wise parrot offers a new coat to whoever wins. The rat dawdles and assumes he has it in the bag only to get to the finish line and find the beetle waiting for him because she flew there. The beetle then picks out a colorful new coat of vibrant colors and accepts herself for who she is. I love the themes of self expression, self acceptance and cleverness.
So for this illustration, I wanted the little beetle to not only have a vibrant pokeberry ink coat, but she’s holding a star in her pincers so everyone can see her shine!!
Clients
Client: Taproot Magazine
Insect Spirits at the Loch
Jessie Lehson, 2021, watercolor and pigments foraged on site (black walnut ink, acorn iron ink, violet flower lake pigment, wild grape ink and pokeberry ink) on paper.
Issue 48 : Nest
Article: Genius Loci, The Magical Storytelling of Special Places by Jessie Lehson
Genius Loci, The Magical Storytelling of Special Places
Article
Genius Loci, The Magical Storytelling of Special Places
photos by Jessie Lehson
Full Moons
Jessie Lehson, 2022, watercolor, ink and salt
Issue 55: LUNAR
Article: The Phenology of Full Moons by Jessie Lehson
Article: The Phenology of Full Moons
article
Article: The Phenology of Full Moons
article
Client: Plant Wonder Collective
Dill
Plant Illustrations, Jessie Lehson, 2021-2023, watercolor, ink, digital media
A sampling of “plant of the month” illustrations made for the Plant Wonder Collective.
Goldenrod
Plant Illustrations, Jessie Lehson, 2021-2023, watercolor, ink, digital media
A sampling of “plant of the month” illustrations made for the Plant Wonder Collective.
Cardamom
Plant Illustrations, Jessie Lehson, 2021-2023, watercolor, ink, digital media
A sampling of “plant of the month” illustrations made for the Plant Wonder Collective.
Blue Butterfly Pea
Plant Illustrations, Jessie Lehson, 2021-2023, watercolor, ink, digital media
A sampling of “plant of the month” illustrations made for the Plant Wonder Collective.
Turmeric
Plant Illustrations, Jessie Lehson, 2021-2023, watercolor, ink, digital media
A sampling of “plant of the month” illustrations made for the Plant Wonder Collective.
Sumac
Plant Illustrations, Jessie Lehson, 2021-2023, watercolor, ink, digital media
A sampling of “plant of the month” illustrations made for the Plant Wonder Collective.
