Airbrushes vs. Washes
I have spent a lot of time using airbrushes and really loved them for a long time. If you want a perfectly smooth background or soft gradient, they are hard to beat. They excel at very soft and very hard … Continued
Eastern Chipmunk (Painting Fur) Step-by-Step
Well, the chipmunks are out of hibernation here in Michigan, so it seems like a fitting time to share a step-by-step painting of one. Although they do plenty of damage to our garden, there is no denying that sure are … Continued
Coke Bottle Hummingbird Feeder
An oldie. This was a commissioned painting. The client wanted five male hummingbirds at the feeder. We settled on Blue-throated, Costa’s, Violet-crowned, Black-chinned, and Rufus Hummingbirds. It is an 18 x 24 inch transparent watercolor on Lana 140 lb HP Paper.
Liquid Frisket Fix–it
Liquid frisket is a handy thing for anyone who does a lot of watercolor. I tend to use it as little as possible. It ruins brushes and there is only so fine a line you can get with it. Because … Continued
Bluet Damselfly Pencil Sketch
I’ve been sketching a lot of damselfly and dragonflies from photos that I took last summer. I’m already looking forward to this summer’s crop. They are fascinating creatures to watch.
Burrowing Owl Transparent Watercolor
Anytime you have a lot of detail in both lights and darks right next to each other, especially when the area is small, it can be a difficult area to paint in watercolor. The colors can have a tendency to … Continued
Meadowhawk Sketch
This is a pencil sketch of a meadowhawk dragonfly. In hot weather they often perch with their abdomens pointed at the sun. This decreases the surface area of their body being heated by the sun so they don’t overheat. At … Continued
Spread-winged Damselfly
I’ve had a lot of fun painting these small insects. This summer I took a ton of photos of dragonflies and damselflies. These tiny animals are easy to overlook, but they are spectacular on close observation.
Bluebird Sketch
We were lucky to have bluebirds nest in our yard again this year. We had 2 successful fledges of 6 birds each.
Baltimore Oriole Sketch
This summer we were lucky enough to have 4-5 Baltimore orioles coming to the feeder right outside our kitchen window. They were attracted by the grape jelly we were leaving out for them. We also got the occasional catbird. The … Continued