🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire

@corvuserpens

Scientific illustrator and palaeoartist from 🇵🇹 She/Her | Masters Degree in Biology | Bachelors Degree in Arts | Nature and outdoors lover | Occasionally a writer, full-time nerd.

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🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· 38m

Went to the local book fair yesterday and found my personal Holy Grail 😍 An oldie but goldie and in great shape for the outrageous grand fortune of €5. That John Sibbick cover illustration has lived rent free in my head since I was five-years-old.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· 29d

QRP with your most popular piece on bsky ~

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Jul 24

Sneak-peak on what I'm working on atm. Got five more of these buggers to paint 😅

Work in progress shot of a sketched out shark's tail while three pilot fish (Naucrates ductor) swim around it. One is complete, the other three are halfway done.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Jun 16

No new sketches today, but I do have this test-doodle I did a few years ago from my sketchbook of a ghostly Spinosaurus aegyptiacus wading through a swampy forest. I was trying out Faber-Castell's Pitt artist pens and tho I didn't like them, the drawing turned out ok. #dinosaurart #spinosaurus

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Jun 12

Tyrannosaurus rex (2022) An older little watercolour painting from my sketchbook for today's #fossilfriday of my favorite non-avian theropod. This was supposed to be a business card but I changed my mind in the meantime. Might re-visit it soon tho! #sciart #paleoart #dinosaurs

A portrait in watercolour of a Tyrannosaurus rex done in a sketchbook, landscape oriented. The T. rex is painted in three quarters, right facing, with its mouth semi-open to show off its teeth. It was painted in shades of warm purple and yellow, with the nasal ridge and lacrimal crests in light gray and the eyes deep red, which stare directly at the viewer. The large scutes along the maxilla, dentary and jaw muscle are drawn in individually. The background is a deep royal purple colour.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Jun 10

Forgot to post this yesterday for #sketchtuesday but yeah! Bunch of doodles of oceanic whitetips with their entourage of banded buddies for a future piece 💙🦈 #sharkart #sharks #sketches

Four line art sketches of the oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) in different poses, with only the namesake white tipped fins filled in. In the first, second and forth sketches the shark is accompanied by pilot fish (Naucrates ductor). The third sketch is in full colour, with various grays and white belly and fin tips. The forth sketch has a cloud of red coming out of the shark's mouth to simulate blood, while a few pilot fish nibble around it in a demonstration of the mutualist relationship between the species.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Jun 6

Mobula taparacana (2026) Second of my Mobula series is the Chilean devil ray, or sicklefin devil ray. This manta also occurs in the Azores and can dive to depths up to 2,000m! Please check out the Alt text for more details 💙 #sciart #mantaray #mantaart

A scientific illustration of a Chilean devil ray (Mobula taparacana) in dorso-lateral view. The manta faces left with its sickle-shaped fins fully outstretched and the cephalic fins are curled up, since that is how divers usually find them at the surface, where they warm up before plunging into the deep. Likely, they only unfurl the fins when feeding at depths beyond a human's capacity to follow. The animal is painted in watercolours and colouring pencils, with a yellow-greenish back, white underside, dark tips on the cephalic fins and a black marking underneath the eye.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Jun 3

Mobula birostris (2025) Last year after concluding my Masters I started working on a new project based on marine vertebrates from the Azores while I'm between gigs. This is the first: a giant oceanic manta ray in watercolour. #sciart #scientificillustration #mantarays

A dorsal view in 3/4 of a giant oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris) done in watercolours. The animal has its mouth closed with its cephalic fins unfurled, while its wings flow in opposite direction (the right one upwards, the right one downwards) to show a bit of the dexterity and agility these mantas have when swimming.

Ventral view of a giant oceanic manta (Mobula birostris) done in watercolour. The cephalic fins are unfurled, both sets of five gill slits are visible, along with its characteristic spots and dot markings at the center and posterior side of the large fins.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Jun 3

Hey everyone - I have a new logo! Since I decide that for now I'm going to be a generalist sci illustrator, I thought it would be best to go with an extant, relatively well-known animal. I went with an iberian hare as I feel an affinity for them. This will be on all my illus from now on. Cheers!

A digital black line work logotype of an iberian hare (Lepus granatensis) in a dynamic running pose, with only its left front paw touching the "ground", facing left. On the space between that paw and the belly/back paws, you can read "Carlota Forte, Ilustração Científica" in hand-drawn, slightly cursive script.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· May 31

A Sereia (2026) Final piece for this year's #mermay, my newest addition that I finished a few days ago!This particular mermaid is very dear to me for reasons that will me announce soon.......... 👀 #mermaidart #mermaids #clipstudiopaint

A full body colour portrait of a mermaid done in digital medium. The mermaid sits atop a dark brown rock covered in algae (sargasso and gongolaria) and marine invertebrates (blue mussel and Azorean barnacles). Her body is facing away but she's looking over her shoulder directly at the viewer, with large, dark eyes and partly open lips in an expression of surprise, apprehension, but also curiosity. Her black, wavy hair falls in ropes over her pale back while her tail, based on the European barracuda, curls around the rock so that the yellowish tail fin poses directly in front of the mermaid's hip area, where her human body and fish tail meet. From her ear dangles a tear-shaped pearl earring. Behind the mermaid, a gloomy gray sky with dark clouds and a calm blue-green sea stretches out into the horizon, where it becomes near pitch black. The promise of a storm looms in the distance.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· May 30

Penultimate #mermay post this year with a merman this time! This piece is from 2018 and it's the last merfolk piece I worked on in a while, based on another OC who is originally a necromancer. Watercolour and ink. #mermaids #mermaidart #watercolor

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· May 29

Goth Mermaid (2017) Made this one for Inktober back in the day, still one of my favorite older pieces 🖤 #mermay #mermay2026

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· May 26

I called this one a candy mermaid bc these colours remind me of gummies or bubble gum 😆Another fun experience from 2017 with colouring pencils. #mermay #mermaids

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· May 22

My take on a mermaid cove as a watercolour piece from 2017. Don't really like the bg but the character design was fun. #mermay

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· May 17

Another #mermay piece from 2016, this one in watercolour!

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· May 12

Eubalaena glacialis (North Atlantic Right Whale) For #sketchtuesday today, my favorite whale, who's been making a slow comeback in population numbers in the past couple of years💙🐋 Graphite on smooth A5 paper, circa 3h. #whales #sciart

Graphite drawing of a North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) facing rightwards. The scientific name is drawing in cursive underneath the animal, and above it are the thin eraser and pencils used to execute the artwork. From top to bottom: 8B, 6B and 3B.

Head detail of a graphite drawing of a North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) facing rightwards. The callosities (called a "bonnet" on the upper jaw) and barnacles on the snout and eyebrow are more detailed than on the previous drawing.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· May 10

Another old mermaid piece for #mermay, this one from 2015. Done in Paint Tool SAI at a time when I still developing a drawing style for my numerous original characters.

A digital drawing of a mermaid in various shades of purple, done with lineart and simple colors and shading, reminiscent of the Disney style. The pose is dynamic and fluid, with the floating hair and pink tail fins suggesting the is gently floating down, while her arms stretch backwards in a backward stroke. The mermaid is staring off to the left of the frame with a surprised expression on her face, like she's seen something unexpected. The background is simple, in dark blue tones, with sketch-y sea plants and bubbles decorating it in flat tones of blue, purple and green.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· May 5

Smalltooth Sand Tiger Unfortunately I got to know about this shark under sad circumstances when a few days ago, one of these harmless sharks was beaten to d3ath by ignorant fishermen in São Miguel island, Azores. This is my homage to that poor animal. Roughly 3:30 hours. #sciart #sharks

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· May 1

#Mermay is here and I thought it would be a fun experience to see my technical drawing/painting progress through the mermaids I've done along the past ten years, so! This first one is from... 2013 I think? I was starting out with watercolors and developing my style for character drawing. (1/10)

An ink and watercolor drawing of a mermaid in graphic, cartoon style. A typical mermaid design with long wavy red hair, blue eyes and green/blue tail. The mermaid appears sitting, facing right, and is decorated with various pieces of ornate jewelry. On her left hand she holds an old pipe.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Apr 28

Ichthyaetus melanocephalus Mediterranean gull | 4B pencil and kneaded eraser, 1 hour. While I'm somewhat free, trying to cultivate that weekly posting habit with a sketch every Tuesday 👍 #sketchtuesday

Pencil sketch of a Mediterranean gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus). The bird is facing left, with the left paw pushing forward and the right paw pulling back, as if its walking.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Apr 13

Hey everyone! I'm officially out job hunting, so if you're in need of a scientific illustrator, please feel free to contact me! Even if you're not interested, I would appreciate a quick share so I can reach more people 💗🐾🦖

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Mar 3

La Vaquita Marina (Phocoena sinus) Little sketch of the world's smallest and most threatened cetacean. I'm thinking of making it a habit of posting 1h30-2h sketches like this every Tuesday. #vaquita #sciart #cetaceans

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Feb 22

Oviraptor (2023) Last one for today. A pair of same-sex Oviraptors incubating rocks and one stolen egg from the neighbours. Based off of stories of same-sex pairings in modern birds and the flightless bald eagle who brooded a rock in a nest on the ground. #sciart #dinosaurs #paleoart

A colouring pencil and watercolour piece of a same-sex pair of Oviraptor philoceratops. One of the dinosaurs is standing over his mate as if looking out for him and their brood. The other is sitting on a nest made of earth, underneath a shrubbery Cretaceous tree, genus unspecified. The brood consists mostly of rocks, but on the centre lays a single blue egg, stolen from a neighbouring nest. The Oviraptors are covered in white feathers with dark brown speckles along their backs. The penaceous feathers of their arms and tail end are also dark brown, while the crests are blue (top) and yellow (bottom) with inverted teardrop shaped patterns along them. In the background there's is also a large red sandstone rock and a couple more shrubs. The ground around the Oviraptor is arid and full of smaller rocks and pebbles, evocative of the desert environment their fossils hail from in the Gobi desert of Mongolia.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Feb 22

Ceratosaurus dentisulcatus (2022) Another older piece, this time in watercolour. The proportions aren't quite right, but I still like the colour scheme and textures I achieved in this painting so... while technically paleontological illu, it's more paleoart now. #sciart #paleoart #dinosaurs

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Feb 22

Dryosaurus altus (2022) An older graphite piece I did in my sketchbook. #sciart #paleoart #paleontology #scientificillustration

Graphite drawing in portrait format of a Dryosaurus altus, a herbivorous ornithopod from the Upper Jurassic period (Morrison Formation in Wyoming, USA, and possibly Western Europe). The body and chest of the dinosaur is faced right, with its long, elegant neck curving up and toward the left, so that its big eye is staring at the viewer. Though covored in filamentous plumage, the neck was left naked with a wrinkly texture, like a lizard.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Feb 12

Details

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Feb 12

"Blue Melancholy" Okay, so it's not my crab. Or paleoart. But I needed a break from scientific illustration because I've been feeling very... well. This helped. Back to work, now. Done in CPS, roughly 8 hours.

Digital portrait of a woman done with brushes resembling oil paint. Her wavy blue-green hair falls down her back and she stares sadly to the side and downward. A translucent white shawl covers both her arms, otherwise she is nude. Around her neck hangs a pearl necklace with a clam shell pendant in shades of violet, pink and white. The background is a smoky mix of earth tones, quite dark.

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Feb 7

Progress shot of what I've been working on these past two weeks. Hopefully, the finished piece will be up by next week when I go on vacation from work haha.......... #workinprogress

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Jan 15

More sketches of some of the terrestrial plant life that existed in the Ribatejo/Lower Tagus Basin (Santarém, Portugal) during the end of the Miocene epoch. Genera name in ALT. 2/3 #sciart #sketch #botanicalart

Graphite sketches of various trees and flowers whose fossils have been identified for the Lower Tagus Basin, South-West Portugal, dating back to the Miocene epoch (Tortonian and Messinian age). Genus & species: Ulmus minor (Ulmaceae)

🍉🌻Carlota Forte🌻🍉Available for hire@corvuserpens· Jan 14

Thought I might post a few sketches I've done for my mural (which I WILL post eventually I promise😅) of some of the plant life from the SW Portuguese Tortonian (Miocene epoch), namely the Ribatejo and Lower Tagus Basin in the Santarém district. Genera name in ALT. 1/3 #sciart #sketch #botanicart