Nadilyn Beato has established a strong reputation amongst reptile lovers as an extremely talented painter, sculptor and digital illustrator, even attracting the attention of Tomahawk Reptiles to make a sculpture of their logo. She’s also the mastermind behind powerhouse reptile breeder BHB‘s logo, and countless others. She found some time in her busy schedule to answer some questions about herself, her work, and her love of nature’s more exotic animals.
Firstly, tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Nadilyn Beáto, I’m a 23-year-old New York-based Freelance Illustrator/Designer. I graduated from Parsons School of Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Illustration in May of 2012.
How did you get started in art, both personally and professionally?
I’ve been making art since I could get my hands on crayons. Art is my passion and after I graduated from high school I decided to continue my education doing what I love to do. I attended Parsons School for Design on a HEOP grant, which stands for Higher Education Opportunity Program. I started to freelance when I was a sophomore in college. The government decided to cut TAP grants and I had to take out loans to cover the cost of my tuition. Attending college full time gave me very little time to find a part time job. I decided to freelance and I was fortunate enough to get some jobs from people who appreciated my work. I recently graduated last May, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Illustration.
Your website, apart from being incredibly well designed, showcases some astounding work of a range of wonderful and exotic animals. What do you use as a basis for the animals that you don’t have as pets?
For animals that I don’t have as pets I get my reference from a variety of photos. I used to use several photos for reference when creating a piece. There are always certain aspects from other photos I like to merge together in my mind to create the final piece.
A boa constrictor pendantAlthough you are a wildlife illustrator, a look at your prints and sculptures shows a large body of work focused on reptiles. Compared to the number of people with cats and dogs, reptile ownership is a relatively small niche; was it a conscious decision to focus on that market over other animals?
I mainly focus on reptiles because I own a lot of reptiles. I feel most people only associate “cute” with soft and furry animals and reptiles are not considered beautiful. I think this stems from the media and a common misrepresentation of reptiles. Reptiles are beautiful and every time I create a piece I want to immortalize my subject’s beauty for others to appreciate.
Do you prefer doing one over the other, for instance the paintings over the sculptures?
I like doing both equally. It is always fun to switch things up once in while. I am very grateful I am able to work with a variety of mediums.
A digital illustration; view the making of in the video below
A look at your Facebook and Instagram pages indicate that much of your work is relatively small – pendants, prints, daily creature drawings etc. Then came the tremendous sculpture commission from Tomahawk Reptiles, of the pied python on the axe, which seemed to be much bigger than your usual work. Do you find such projects daunting,and is there any size job you would refuse?
I actually enjoy working larger. My Senior Thesis in college was a collection of 6 very large sculptures ranging from 7-12 inches tall. The biggest I have made was 12 inches tall; I am always open to any bigger commissions.
Nadilyn’s sculpture for Tomahawk ReptilesFollowing on from that, what would be your ultimate commission? Would you enjoy being immersed in a project that lasts months, like a huge King Kong on the Empire State, or do you prefer the smaller gigs where you work on a wide range in a short space of time?
My ultimate commission would be maybe a life-sized pet, like a lizard or snake. I think that would be a great challenge and a fun experience.
Tarantula pendantLeopard Gecko pendantYou’ve drawn, painted and sculpted everything from rats and parrots to lizards and crocodiles, and your pets include tarantulas. Do you have a favourite animal?
That is a tough question. I really like all animals but if I had to choose one it would be a Tarantula. I love how unique and interesting they are. They are gorgeous little creatures misunderstood by society and judged for their appearance instead of the good they do. They consume a lot of pests in the wild. They are just adorable little fluffy critters.
Monitor paintingIs there a favourite animal to sketch or sculpt? Are the long shapes of snakes less challenging than a feathered animal or spiky lizard?
My favourite animal to sketch and sculpt would be a snake. It is always a challenge when it comes to painting the patterns on snakes, but I love challenges.
Chameleon paintingWho are your inspirations, in life and for your work?
My inspirations are nature, my pets and Thomas Shahan. I love his illustrations and macro photography. He takes macro shots of jumping spiders and I feel that his photos make people appreciate the beauty of those unique little critters.
Where do you hope to be in 10 years’ time?
In 10 years I hope to continue making art and doing what I love to do. I really want to work for zoos doing anything art related, or work for wildlife conservation organizations creating art for their fundraising campaigns. In the end anything animal or art related would be awesome.
To view Nadilyn’s work, order her work or put in a custom order:
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Deborah French is the author of A Brief Moment in Time, a memoir chronicling her experience of raising two children with special needs. A review of the book can be found here, and the link to it on Amazon can be found at the end of this interview.
How did the start of the book come about? Did you decide it was time to tell your story, or did someone else prompt you?
I introduced myself to ASD Publishing in a submissions email for my children’s book. I received an almost immediate response asking me to consider writing down my personal journey and sending a manuscript back to them for consideration. I remember reading the email with a quizzical brow thinking ‘Seriously, could I do this?’ I have always loved writing and had dreams of becoming an author as a teenager, so I asked my husband for the laptop, sat down and wrote Chapter 1, The Moment. And that was it.
The book is such a beautiful insight into your life and covers truly sensitive issues that I found I needed to read it slowly; digesting the information and reality of the situation as I went. Did you find it very difficult to write, retracing each moment and did you have to take it slowly?
The first three chapters were written within a few hours. I was surprised at the speed at which I was able to retrace my steps because up until that point, of course I had recalled the emotional trauma of birth but had yet to take that journey so intimately again. I was also aware that as I was reliving those first few days, I was about to share my story and my most shameful feelings with the world, that fact was overwhelming and frightening. Once I had I passed the first hurdle however and I was able to re read the first chapters without sobbing, everything flowed very smoothly from then on. Those moments of my life had been bottled up for a long time; once I began to write I couldn’t stop.
You’ve constructed a very natural narrative, following your life chronologically. Did you sit down and simply let the story flow, or did you plan out how you would write it?
Once I had made the decision to write my story I felt the only appropriate place to start was from the day I walked into the hospital to give birth to Amariah. From then on I didn’t plan to tell my story chronologically, it just worked out that way because I was able to explain my emotional development more accurately through each experience.
Your writing is very honest and really helps the reader to connect with your experiences, but was there anything that you wanted to include and couldn’t because of time or space constraints?
I could have certainly continued on but as you have described it takes some time to digest the information and the reality of the situation. It was important to find the right balance. I didn’t want to overwhelm the reader, I wanted to make sure that by the end of the book they could connect with the sense of happiness and contentment that we feel despite our circumstance. This was an important point for me to drive home.
I was surprised by the move to Israel and very interested to learn about the help that is available there.
What prompted this move? Primarly we moved because we were advised to live in a hotter climate for sake of Amariah’s health. During those early years she was plagued with chest, throat and sinus infections and the warmer climate has certainly helped with that. Secondly and most importantly, the facilities available to those with special needs is incredible. Amariah is only seen by a paediatrician during routine doctor visits through the regular health service. There are countless nurseries and schools for children with a range of special needs, both separate and integrated into the mainstream system. Therapies and after school programmes are readily available with free transportation from the council to and from our door step. There is also considerable emphasis on supported living and employment opportunities for adults with special needs, which is a consideration for all parents. The question of ‘what’s next?’ still keeps me up at night but I take comfort knowing that we are living in a society that thrives on how it cares for those less fortunate.
Throughout the book your focus is always on the children and their progression, but marriages have fallen through with much less pressure. How did you maintain your relationship and social life through it all?
My husband has an uncanny way of making me laugh, especially when I’m crying. He has often said that ‘If we don’t laugh about it then we will go nuts.’ And I agree with him. The challenges that we have faced have also never created an issue between us, our task has been to work on how we handle our own emotional pain and support each other in the way we both need.
As far as our social life goes, we enjoy as much private time as we do socialising with friends and family. We regard our social time as ‘taking a break’. Sometimes it’s hard to switch off from reality but there will always be something to worry about and time out is good for everyone.
Has the book and subsequent publicity had any effect on the school life of Henry and Amariah, such as raised awareness from friends or negative effects?
From the feedback that I have received so far, including your own review, I can see the effect my story will have on raising awareness. I have always said that ignorance breads fear which in turn breads intolerance and predjuidice. The more informed people are about children and adults with special needs the less they will fear them and the more society will accept those with disabilities. I hope that in some way my story will inspire more integration at a grass roots level between families, friends, teachers and their pupils. As far as Henry and Amariah are concerned, A Brief Moment in Time is merely an extension of these efforts, we work tirelessly everyday to inform those around them to ease their integration. It’s a working progress.
You keep busy with raising awareness for special needs and having activities for special needs children. Do you have any hobbies outside of that part of your life?
I love to cook. I have enjoyed hosting and entertaining our family and friends as well as running cookery demonstrations for adults and lessons for children. I believe that cooking is a life skill that all children should be taught from a young age. I have also run courses for children with special needs and have seen the improvements in their concentration and coordination whilst working towards the finished dish.
Apart from this I love to spend time with my husband and children relaxing and having fun experiences. We try to take time off from our hectic lives even for a short time just to get away and spend the day together. This is a very important part of my life.
How has the reaction to your book been so far, and has it differed from your expectations?
I anticipated that it would have an impact of some sort because birth is an experience anticipated by all and experienced by most and there is always a sense of fear that everything may not go according to plan. Even if the reader doesn’t have a child with a disability they will be automatically transported back to their own experience during the read and will connect with my experience.
In saying that, I could not have hoped for the response that I have received. I haven’t made so many people cry in such a short time in my life! It has been so wonderful to hear that our story has touched the hearts of so many people and, what’s more, I have been so delighted to hear that other mothers in similar situations have headed to my advice and reaped results with their children. I could not have hoped for more.
Do you have any plans for a follow-up to A Brief Moment in Time, telling readers what the experience is like as the children have got older, or how things are changing in a broader perspective for the special needs community?
I wouldn’t rule that out. I am currently developing other projects to help raise awareness through my writing for children with special needs and I have also completed a picture book to help prepare children on the autistic spectrum for their first day of school. So there are lots of directions to follow. I like to take one step at a time.
I’ve always loved a good romance. Back when I was a pre-teen, I remember reading Sweet Dreams romances. As I got older, I graduated to Harlequins. There’s always been something about two people meeting and falling in love that draws me in, and makes me want to see them find their happily ever after.
When I started writing, someone told me to always write what you like to read, and that’s what I’ve tried to do. The hero and heroine have to be characters I can fall in love with. I don’t want them to be perfect, but I do want them to be likable enough to make me want to root for them through whatever struggles they have to go through.
Relationships are complex, which means I can have fun putting the couples through lots of twists and turns. There has to be a good story, with strong supporting characters to round things out, and keep things entertaining.
Since I don’t plot out my stories ahead of time, I rarely know what’s going to happen in one of my novels until right before I type it into the computer. It keeps things interesting, and makes writing fun. I’m not sure I could do that in another genre. Romance is about people at its heart, and I like writing about people.
The combination of FBI agent and professional footballer is an unusual one. What made you come up with the idea?
Gage’s profession was decided in the first book of the series, Behind Closed Doors. After that, it was a matter of finding the right woman for him. I knew she needed to be strong, both physically and mentally, yet vulnerable, too. Rebecca took shape from there.
Which idea came first, the professional footballer being stalked, or the romance between an FBI agent and her project?
Gage and his stalker were first. There are hints in Behind Closed Doors about Gage having a stalker. Rebecca’s character didn’t begin to take shape until the very end of writing Behind Closed Doors.
You go into quite a lot of detail about the football games. Is this a personal passion of yours?
I grew up watching the Cleveland Browns with my dad. Back then it was not unusual to find me right there along with him shouting at the television. Of course, during playoff season, it’s not uncommon to find me doing that now, either.
As Rebecca relaxes and allows herself to be seduced by Gage she gradually becomes used to the more provocative outfits that he picked out for her. Was this an intentional statement about female sexuality and a woman’s right to dress as we please?
It was more a statement about Rebecca herself. I tend to write what is right for my characters, their personalities, and their growth. Everything else is secondary. In Rebecca’s case, she viewed her ultra conservative clothing as an outward sign of her poise and control over her life and situation. Gage gave her the freedom to release some of that, and realize her world wasn’t going to fall apart if she did.
Your main characters get engaged and have a child relatively quickly by today’s standards. Did you have any alternative endings in mind when you were writing?
Neither of those things were planned when I started writing their story. When I write a story, I generally only have a vague idea of where it’s headed. Outside of that, I let the story flow, and the characters guide where we end up. I knew they would end up together, but they surprised me with the ending.
How did you find writing the erotic scenes and are there any family members who will be forbidden from reading it? (Grandparents, etc.)
This is my sixth published work to date, and all of them have had love scenes of one shape or form. Writing them doesn’t bother me. I do what I feel is appropriate for the plot, scene, and characters. As for family…the only family that reads my books is my mom and she loves my romances. She once told me that my love scenes were what a woman wants but rarely gets.
Who were your literary influences for this book?
I love to read, but I wouldn’t say there were any specific literary influences for Red Zone.
The obvious question is, what was your take on 50 Shades of Grey and did it inspire you to write your own erotic romance?
My first book published six months before 50 Shades of Grey, so no, it didn’t inspire me. While I read part of the fan fiction when it was posted, I haven’t read the books since E.L. James published the trilogy.
Do you see yourself more as Rebecca or Megan and is any part of the story autobiographical?
I relate more to Rebecca than I do Megan. While I wouldn’t say any of the story is autobiographical, there are parts of Rebecca’s past and personality that are similar to mine.
Was there a man that you had in mind when creating Gage’s character?
I tend to visualize personalities more than physical traits when I write my characters, so no. All of my characters come purely from my imagination.
What made you choose the romance genre and not Sci-fi or fantasy, for example?
I’ve always loved reading romance novels, and I write what I like to read. There is something about reading about a couple falling in love that draws me into a story, and makes me want to see them get their happy ending.
When did you decide that you wanted to be a writer?
Writing was something I sort of fell into. It wasn’t anything I’d ever considered as a career path growing up. In fact, I didn’t start writing my first story until I was thirty. It wasn’t until three years later when my publisher approached me after reading some of my online writing that I ever considered being a writer.
Have you got any advice for budding erotic novelists?
The best advice I can give any writer, erotic or otherwise, is to write what you like. If you don’t like the story, then chances are, no one else will either. It also makes the work of writing much more enjoyable.
Do you believe that erotic fiction empowers women?
In a way, yes. I believe it gives women more freedom to learn what they might potentially enjoy sexually with their partners, and that’s always a good thing.
The first thought to enter your mind when opening the Lumia box is “Wow” – the design is so different to the other smartphones on the market, yet remains identifiably Nokia. With the fabula design, Nokia has managed to set itself apart with a combination of elegance and simplicity. In comparison, Samsung’s Ativ S (pictured below) looks clunky and out-dated. On the design front, Nokia seems peerless in striving for new designs – the iPhone has had 2, the original curved plastic back of the 2g, 3g and 3gs, and the current design of the 4, 4S and 5 (adding an extra inch of vertical height does not count as a design overhaul); HTC has churned out the same rounded-edge rectangles in grey for years, until borrowing a few design cues from the Lumia range for its 8X and 8S handsets; and Samsung is profiting nicely from copying the iPhone. The Lumia 920 always got a comment when it was taken out of my pocket, and it was always positive.
Samsung Ativ S displaying a lack of design intuitionLumia 920 in Ferrari red boasting a unibody design with a curved screen
Your second thought comes after picking it up – the weight is nothing like so many reviews would have you believe. Some state the phone makes their arm ache, it’s uncomfortable to hold to their ear, it doesn’t fit in their pockets and it’s a struggle to hold. This is a device that weighs not even 200g – heavy compared to other smartphones, but by no means heavy in an objective definition. The fact is, complaints about weight are not doing much to improve the stereotype of wimpy geeks.
The 920 feels like a premium device – by no means will it make your arms ache (and if it does, a visit to the gym now and then would be recommended), but you will know you’re holding it. Compared to the iPhone 5’s feel of almost weightlessness, the 920’s feel is my preference. Holding the iPhone 5 makes me worry that holding it too tight will cause it to crumble, and the end result is most people will choose to cover it in a case that bumps the weight up to that of the 920 anyway. With the 920, the usual fear of damaging a trial device isn’t there – videos are abundant on YouTube of people going to extreme lengths to try to damage the device, with most failing to do so. No case or screen protector is necessary, and after more than a month of using it, there was not one scratch on either the screen or body.
One of the big features of the 920 is the ClearBack Display boosting readability levels when outdoors. This has been a smartphone plague since day one, and nothing caused me more frustration on my Samsung Galaxy II than trying to read an email outdoors – even minimal sunlight rendered readability to zero. By comparison, I never once had to shield the 920’s screen to make out what it was displaying; during my review period I visited Arizona, and even beneath its bright sunlight it was like looking at the screen indoors. It’s without doubt the best screen the market has to offer, and a feature Nokia should be shouting about.
Fortunately for the review, I was also able to test it in the English winter. Could it really work with gloves? Yes, it can. Reasonably thick leather ones too, with stunning accuracy. Finding a contact to call and even typing messages were no problem. When resistive screens were still reasonably popular, I was an advocate of them for the simple reason that they registered clicks from things besides flesh; the inability of capacitive screens to do so is a glaring problem and one that manufacturers have been content to ignore. Perhaps a perk of being based in Finland, a country that experiences winters California can’t even dream about, Nokia saw this weakness and overcame it – to such an extent that it even registers input from big ski mitts. If you’ve ever missed a call because you couldn’t get your glove off in time, you’ll understand the benefit of this technology.
One of the other features is Nokia’s Rich Recording, a feature only present on Nokia’s recent devices (you’ll be forgiven for having not heard of it, as Nokia has hardly mentioned it). Chances are you’ve seen a video on YouTube of a concert filmed on a mobile phone, or even recorded your own, and not had a clue what the song is supposed to sound like when you play it. If you own a non-Nokia device, you’re pretty much guaranteed that experience. If you do have a Lumia or the 808 PureView, though, then you will be able to record audio and listen to it later with such clarity it’s as though you’re still there. Want an example? The video below compares the 920 with HTC’s Windows Phone flagship the 8X.
If there’s one feature that the 920 boasts and people do know about, it’s the camera – specifically the low-light capabilities. It’s one thing when a manufacturer touts these things, but there’s never a guarantee they’ll work that way in real life conditions. Here are some sample shots I took in low-light, with no flash.
Incredible detail in a garden at night. The only source of light is from the window.Same shot as above, but with flash.Photo taken at night with the light off, no flash used.And two to demonstrate the quality of the photos in normal conditions:
A curious dragonIce on a Canadian peak, taken from 35,000ft
The camera has some interesting features besides its incredible low-light abilities, and they never ceased to amaze my iPhone-owning friends (and at least two wanted to immediately drop their Apple and get the 920 instead). Smart Shoot in particular always got stunned expressions when a person or object was simply removed from a picture, or the option to flip through multiple shots to pick the best one – ideal when someone is blinking or moving. Cinemagraph also elicited shocked responses as the picture suddenly became alive with waves, smiles and moving objects. The camera capabilities, including the aforementioned Smart Shoot and Cinemagraph, put Nokia on a plane that its competitors can only dream of matching. In fact, the camera technology Nokia has in the 808 PureView runs rings around Samsung’s dedicated Galaxy camera.
The software on the phone is excellent too. The native Nokia Maps were used frequently during my time in America – always offline and they never missed a beat. From the back hills of California to the freeways along Pacific Highway, as well as finding stores like Target, it worked first time every time. It’s easy to take for granted just how good those maps are, but a recent use of Apple’s “sat nav” really proved how capable Nokia’s offering is. The iPhone version does not display the speed limit, the travelling speed, the time until the destination or any other information. When approaching a junction, it does not say “Turn left now”, and about one-third of the screen is taken up with the roadsign image – meaning that you can only see on the screen about the next 30 yards of road, and that makes it impossible to know what your next move is, and thus which lane to be in. Although it knew where we were trying to go, and did get us there, the way it did so was frustrating and, at times, outright dangerous. On a three-hour journey in a motorhome in California, questions of “How long until we get there?” were unanswerable by those on iPhones, partly because the maps don’t give that information and partly because when there’s no signal, there’s no information. The 920 gave the information within ten seconds of it leaving my pocket. It’s the differences like these that truly demonstrate just how far ahead Nokia is with its maps – being able to immediately pick up your location, your destination and the time between, while offline, is one feature that will be sorely missed by anyone who uses it and then uses a competitor device.
Maps also has the City Lens feature of augmented reality. When visiting somewhere new this is an excellent, and fast, way of finding what you need. You can hold the phone up to your surroundings and see what’s around you, or hold it vertically for a list. Tap an item and you can see photos, read reviews, call the place, or get directions using Nokia Drive. Seamlessly integrated, and probably the quickest, easiest way of discovering new things presented by any phone.
The other main feature of the 920 is its wireless charging capability. Although it still requires contact, of being placed onto the pad, it’s quite shocking how much easier it makes things. It’s a common problem that the charging cables are too short to reach from a bedside cabinet to the bed, which means fumbling in the dark if the phone goes off, trying to unplug it, not drop the cable, and then plugging it in again when you’re done. The wireless charging ability means you pick it up and put it down like you would normally, except it carries on charging as you put it down. It’s a simple action that makes things much easier, and since the 920’s release other manufacturers have rushed the feature into removable cases for existing handsets. That being said, the irony of the 920 having it is that it’s a battery seemingly impossible to kill anyway – no matter what my usage was (games, video, music, web browsing, voice calls, text messages, WhatsApp etc), it would never die before I put it on to charge at night. That was a solid 14+ hours every day, and on days of medium usage, I wouldn’t bother charging it overnight and it would last until the following evening.
The Windows Phone 8 software has been largely discussed already and there’s not much more to add. The new Start screen is very impressive, and going back to Windows Phone 7.5 after using 8 makes you appreciate how much better the upgrade is. The 920 is extremely fast and fluid, and the operating system is obviously designed to make everything so simple to get – from Search results offering relevant apps to improved live tiles, and resizeable tiles making information so much easier to get to. Kid’s Corner is a feature that I have no use for, but see the need for other people to have. In fact, on one trip to Target, there were three women looking at a children’s iPhone dock, of which the main feature was, according to one ecstatic shopper, “it blocks the home button being pushed so the kids can’t make calls and stuff.” Kid’s Corner, for those who haven’t yet heard of it, is an area of the phone where you can decide what apps and games are available, so the children can use the phone to play Angry Birds but you don’t have to worry about them deleting emails and contacts or making expensive calls. It’s a feature that is sorely needed by millions of parents, and you don’t need a separate accessory that only does one small fraction of Kid’s Corner. For Android and Apple, there isn’t an app for that.
Windows Phone 8 also brings the much, much needed backup ability. It isn’t quite as good as other options though – from Nokia’s previous Symbian and Maemo options, and iOS and Android, all let you backup a local copy to the PC whenever you want. Microsoft has oddly chosen not to do this, and in WP8 certain things, including text messages, are stored to SkyDrive. It’s not the complete option that we expect, and Microsoft needs to address the issue immediately – who is going to store data they can’t afford to lose on a device that doesn’t allow them to back it up?
Nokia is touting the 920 as the most innovative smartphone in the world. With wireless charging, the best screen on the market bar none, outstanding maps, Rich Recording, Optical Image Stabilisation, PureView camera technology, Lenses and the near-indestructible build quality that has led to countless people trying to destroy it in videos, there’s no choice but to agree. It’s no surprise the Lumia 920 won 12 awards in 2012, and couple that with a fast, simple and refreshing operating system, Nokia has a clear winner in the Lumia 920.
