After having spent some time in the Belize jungle last year, I could use some time away from long legged, creepy crawly creatures. Though I realize they’re an essential part of the ecosystem, I would still rather view them fondly from a distance. Thankfully, it seems I’m in luck – I can get the best of both worlds.
Seattle artist and science illustrator Marlin Peterson recently completed a massive mural on the roof of the Seattle Center Armory, in the shadow of the Space Needle. It’s so big that a person can easily see it from the top of the needle, and that… is pretty damn cool, especially considering the “3D” nature of the mural. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, this Arachnida casts some very realistic looking shadows to match its realistic looking self.
Daddy Long-Legs Mural, Seattle Center Armory
Marlin certainly seems happy to be working on this piece. I can only imagine how rewarding it must feel to finish an art project of such massive scale and complexity.
Mr. Daddy Long-legs looks a heck of a lot different up close. It’s only at a distance that the illusion of depth becomes completely apparent. At this range, it still looks rather flat.
I mean no disrespect to Marlin, but it just occurred to me that at this range, the creature looks a little bit like some sort of crab or crayfish.
There we have it, the finished – and incredibly awesome looking – final mural. Two Daddy Long-legs, one male, one female. They’ll provide many years of surprise and terror for all visitors that happen to gaze down from the town of the Seattle Space Needle. They may even provide some inspiration for more amazing 3D tattoos. If nothing else, Mr. Peterson absolutely nailed the shadows here… they look spot on.
More Information
If you’re interested in seeing more of Marlin’s Illustration and Science Imagery (as he puts in), then head over to the official Marlin Peterson website and have a look around. He has plenty of photos of his work, and even talks at length about the creative process and the trials and tribulations he went through to produce them. If you’ve got an interest in art, or are an aspiring artist yourself, then you should find the whole thing quite interesting.
