Gray Wall Jumper Jumping Spider Pencil Sketch p27
Growing up I was lucky. My parents were into animals and nature. Behind our house we had a huge woodlot to explore, and the other side of the street led to a big field, and past that was a pine … Continued
Arrow-shaped Micrathena Spider Pencil Sketch p28
I’ve always been interested in insects and spiders, but being small they are very hard to draw from life. Another option is to use dead specimens under a scope, which loses all of the magic of a heathy specimen. Getting … Continued
White-breasted Nuthatch Pencil Sketch p27
We get White-breasted Nuthatches year round here in Michigan. They are energetic little birds with just the right amount of attitude. A five year old was watching me draw while I was waiting for my kids at karate. I asked … Continued
Eastern Box Turtle Pencil Sketch p26
I found my first Eastern Box Turtle in January of 1989. It was a Florida subspecies. What a fantastic experience that was. At the time I was in grad school and was a Teaching Assistant for a course on Ecology … Continued
American Tree Sparrow Pencil Sketch p25
Most sparrows don’t seem very dramatic at first glance. From a distance the majority seem to be generic little brown-gray birds. With time and a nice set of binoculars, the sparrows really come to life. You get to appreciate how … Continued
Harvestman Pencil Sketch p24
Harvestmen are an interesting creatures. Growing up we always called them daddy longlegs. The scientists call them Opiliones. Although they are arachnids, they are not spiders, despite sharing many superficial characteristics. Both have eight legs and two body segments. In … Continued
Catbird Pencil Sketch p23
There are certainly a lot of interesting backyard birds. Of them, I’m quite fond of catbirds. They regularly visit to the jelly feeders that we started for the Baltimore Orioles. We have been surprised at the number of birds that … Continued
House Wren Pencil Sketch p22
House wrens cause me some conflict. They are undeniably cute. These tiny birds also seem intelligent, resourceful, adaptable and curious. Those are good qualities. At the same time, they are bullies having some nasty habits. The little squirts have a … Continued
Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle Pencil Sketch p21
At first glance, the milkweed leaf beetle looks like a ladybug on steroids. After that cursory look, you can appreciate that it has a more dome-like abdomen, larger antennae, and is missing the white dots on the side of the … Continued