I haven’t done a straight “bird portrait” in a while. Instead, I’ve been painting entire birds—each with a portion of its environment serving as part of the subject. I used to paint portraits regularly, but I think they work best on … Continued
This watercolor painting and pencil sketch of a Black-bellied Plover are from the stockpile of photos taken on last year’s trip to Florida with my brother Ted. The drawing is p84 from the sketchbook. I’m getting dangerously close to finishing … Continued
I love birds but have a definite weak spot in my life list when it comes to shorebirds. Having lived mostly inland, far away from the coast, I’ve missed out on seeing many of these birds. I enjoy watching them and learning … Continued
While doodling around one day I started a sea horse drawing. With these caricatures I’m always anthropomorphizing. It seems to me that seahorses are always portrayed as beautiful and classy creatures. Why should they get all the glory? Come on… I’m sure there are … Continued
The sleek, fine feathering of Cedar Waxwings makes for a good challenge in watercolor. When picking out what to paint next, I usually try to choose things I’ve not done before. Breaking new ground keeps things fresh and offers new challenges. … Continued
This is a bit of a change in media for me. I haven’t done a pen-and-ink drawing in over 20 years! I was cleaning up my flat files, going through old paintings and sketches when I came across a piece … Continued
It’s been over a month since I posted. I’ve been insanely busy with medical illustration and animation work, which is good, since my freelance work tends to be “Feast or Famine.” Plus, it was peak season for mountain biking. This blog is … Continued
After a few insect paintings, I thought it was time to mix things up again, and this collection of caricatured fish accidentally made it to the top of the to-do list. Here’s how it managed to weasel its way to the … Continued
This treehopper is an impressive thorn mimic. A few years ago I saw a set of thorns on the redbud and thought, “Wait a minute… that shouldn’t have thorns.” Sure enough, it was a cluster of thorn mimics. They are great … Continued
Yes, it is a watercolor painting of a spider. Sorry if you’re not a fan, but I really like jumping spiders and enjoy photographing, drawing and painting them. These interesting little guys are ambush predators, pouncing on their prey much like a … Continued