American Goldfinch Transparent Watercolor and Ink
American goldfinches are cheery birds. I thought I’d try out a really quick watercolor and ink of this male. Original painting is available here.
Redbud Rose-breasted Grosbeak
I’ve never been very good at keeping things loose with the watercolors… or any other media I suppose. I decided I needed to give it a try. I did a few loose washes (by my standards) and then inked them … Continued
Green Frog Pencil Sketch
Green frogs really get around. It seems like you can hear their banjo-like call coming from every still body of water in the State of Michigan. They certainly are adaptable.
Baltimore Oriole from the Back Pencil Sketch
Well, after a great summer full of Baltimore Orioles visiting the three jelly feeders we had set up, we are down to nothing but wasps eating the jelly. It sure was great while it lasted. We had a fairly continual … Continued
Male Blue Dasher Dragonfly Step-by-Step
These are pretty common dragonflies, but they are simply spectacular. Their eyes alone seem to have at least seven or eight colors on them! Those beautiful eyes, striped body and transparent wings made for a fun painting to work on. … Continued
Marsh Fly Pencil Sketch
Its no secret that I like insects. Well, not ALL insects I guess. I’m not that crazy about mosquitoes. I can’t stand ticks and chiggers, but those aren’t insects are they! I took parasitology as an undergrad and realized that … Continued
Juvenile Tufted Titmouse Pencil Sketch
The past two years we have been lucky to have regular visits from batches of juvenile tufted titmice. I’m not exactly sure where they have nested. Aside from being really cute, they have also been very entertaining. The young ones … Continued
Baltimore Oriole Pencil Sketch 8/11
We have had a lot of orioles coming to our three jelly feeders this summer. There is one male that has the brightest orange I’ve ever seen on an oriole. He is more of a fiery chrome orange rather than … Continued
Scarlet Tanager Pencil Sketch
For 9.5 and 6.5 years old our kids are pretty good birders. While doing homeschooling at the kitchen table one day, my daughter Kelly excitedly yelled out “scarlet tanager.” Despite my initial skepticism, she was right! Just outside our kitchen … Continued
Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pencil Sketch 2
In the spring and summer we have an almost continual flow of these attractive birds at the feeder. We often hear them cracking away at the white-striped sunflower seeds that we put out for them. For a few reasons they remind … Continued