RED BELLIED WOODPECKER WITH ACORN SKETCH IN INK

Yeah!  I really like how this sketch came out! It works as a completed portrait, and the negative space works great.  I like the eye, and really enjoyed putting in the 'fluffy' feathers at the edges to give it a rugged look.  The eyes were a real challenge, as I wanted to add the extra layers of feathers below the eye to give it a 'had a hard night' kind of look.  All of the little extras really gave it a look of character that I wanted.  Now to work harder on that acorn...

I JUST DON'T GET ZENTANGLE!

I really am trying to get the zentangle...I guess I just am not letting my doodle spirit loose to play! I started off with a basic face, widening the areas to doodle in them, but I think I am just to rigid...and my meditational skills really didn't get a chance with this as I over thought the whole process, and tried to get it to work aesthetically.  Nope!  Ugly, and a bit scary...perfect for the Halloween season though, don't you think?

PEREGRINE FALCON SKETCH IN INK

I have always been especially fond of the raptors.  We saw a nesting pair on Biloxi Bay in Mississippi when we were living there, and spent several hours watching them, photographing them.  This is a small portrait, and I am afraid that the eye isn't quite right...the light was at an odd angle and that messes up what you see...and what you THINK you see!  Sometimes it is better to go with artist intuition than to draw exactly!  I have to work on my intuition and creative choices.  I could have done so many different things here to make it work!

CONTEMPLATION: CONTOUR LINE DRAWING

Life occasionally gets in the way of art...this year it is really testing me.  Due to a family crisis, of which noone cares for me to expand upon (I hope), I was gone unexpectedly for a few weeks.  I am back with renewed feelings of creativity and resolve!  I chose to do an expressive drawing today, as I contemplate my own plans for growth and purpose in life...a temporary and frighteningly brief time on earth!  What impact do I want to make NOW...immediately and without waiting for something to get in the way?  I think that simple, elegant line is the most expressive thing I can do, and this drawing works on my personal level.  Hope you like it!

LOOSE KITTEN SKETCH

I was quick sketching yesterday, doing a kitten portrait to loosen up a bit before a more detailed drawing.  I came back to it today, and thought it might be interesting to add just a touch of watercolor to make the eyes pop.  I really like the effect.  I used yellow, orange and green watercolors.  Meow!

WATERCOLOR STUDY BUTTERFLY: PEARLY HEATH

 

I was playing with my watercolor pencils today.  They did fairly well, though I didn't use sturdy enough paper, and it warped a bit.  I added pen for the details, and felt it came out OK, but not great...I need to practice a LOT MORE!

PHOEBE BIRD SKETCH

We have had several Phoebes at our feeder this year.  They are an unassuming little bird with a lot of personality.  Their brown feathers have the look and texture of rich velvet.  This one sat quietly for me while I drew his profile...I find this kind of sketching to be the most peaceful. 

EYES OF A WISE WOMAN

I was reading an article about Jane Goodall today, and was fascinated by the wiseness, the knowledge in her eyes.  I did a quick study in pen to see if I could capture even a small amount of that peace and stillness...

FREAK ART ACCIDENT

 

I had the brilliant idea of going out into the woods with my sketchbook and drawing the forest floor.  I started in drawing the sticks, some of the fallen leaves, and some pine needles...when I notices the tiniest red spiders on my page.  Then itching...lots of itching...I ran indoors and showered, but too late!  I had sat in a 'chigger' infested area, and was eaten alive!  A week later (and an antihystimine-induced coma later) I am on the road to recovery, having discovered an allergy to the bites...dozens of them!  Nature is not so much my friend this week, and I never finished the sketch.  I am drawing from photos and from the window...