JUNE 2026
MONTHLY ART:
KEEP THEM GUESSING - COELACANTH
I look up to Coelacanths a lot. Given that you're reading this (and thus aware of my art and what it's about) you're probably not surprised, but let me elaborate anyway.
An absolutely prehistoric family of "lobe-finned" fish, coelacanths are distinguished by their limb-buds (an transitional form of limb between a fin and a leg) in addition to several features that set them apart:
First, they have eight fins in total and a secondary, smaller tail that juts out beyond the larger primary one. They also have an oil-filled tube down their bodies, a notochord, supporting their vertebral column as their not-entirely-calcified spines, a gel-filled rostral organ in their heads that senses low frequencies in a way that gives them "night vision", and a hinged braincase that lets them open their jaws far wider than most fish can.
What I'm saying is: they're the platypuses of the sea. Odd. And that's what works about them.
Read more about Coelacanths, their weirdly perfect evolution, and why they’re so inspiring over at the Beastie and Bone Patreon: www.patreon.com/beastieandbone
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Publication Day for 3D Papercraft Butterflies and Moths
August 25th 2026
Preorders help the success enormously, so please do preorder if you’ve had your eye on this first-ever physical book of Beastie and Bone DIY paper art!
NATURAL HISTORY FACT:
While just two species of coelacanth still live today, there have been dozens of coelacanths across time. The largest documented fossil belongs to the freshwater-dwelling Mawsonia gigas, measuring just shy of 17 1/2 feet. This mammoth of a fish lived in South America, eastern North America, and Africa, and did not have true teeth but tiny nub-like denticles, enameled growths that are the same structure that makes shark skin rough.
RECOMMENDED:
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
The first fiction recommendation for The Snippet, this young adult novel centers around a Lipan Apache teenager in an alternate Indigenous Futurist America where folklore from around the world is a matter of fact, ghosts whisper for justice, and fossils hold spirits just a summoning away. A good summer read for ages twelve and up.
Learn more about Elatsoe and its prequel, Sheine Lende (which features mammoths) at darcielittlebadger.com
NEW IN:
A mini collection inspired by the summer equinox just passed and ethical specimen collecting is now available publicly, featuring Luna Moths and a dash of Memento Mori. Bring one home to your collection from beastieandbone.com
Lunar Fade I - III Paper Art Originals $425
Flutter and Float Paper Art Originals $200
No Less Lovely Paper Art Original $950
LAST CHANCE:
These retired Patreon exclusive prints and stickers are available publicly in the Beastie and Bone online shop only through the month of July!
This main projects on the Beastie and Bone studio table this summer will be the paper art originals of backlogged North American Megafauna Project entries, such as Radiant Range (above, Hagerman horse, Idaho) and It Thirsts At Night (below, Stock’s vampire bat, Texas). Be sure to follow the progress via social media or Patreon, or get the print version now while they’re available!
DISCOUNT:
Monthly discounts are exclusive to those who receive the print version of The Beastie and Bone Snippet though the B+B Happy Mail Club or select tiers of the B+B Patreon.