Timber Rattler Watercolor and Ink
This is a Tennessee Timber rattler that we discovered near my Mother-in-law’s house. I thought it would be worth trying as a “faster” watercolor and ink painting. I’m not sure if the subject matter didn’t lend itself to the medium … 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
Gorilla Skeleton Pencil Sketch
They have a great mount of a gorilla skeleton at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Even though I’ve drawn countless ones for work, skulls will always be interesting and fun to draw.
Andean Cock of the Rock Pencil Sketch
I always like getting in some sketching when I go to natural history museums. This Andean Cock of the Rock was in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. I question the realism of the display having a grape vine as … Continued
White-throated Sparrow Pencil Sketch
Its hard not to like these beautiful birds. They aren’t terribly showy or colorful, but they have an attractive mix of browns, whites and blacks with a perfect touch of brilliant yellow in front of their eyes. This one is … Continued
American Goldfinch Pencil Sketch
Few things are as cheery as the American goldfinch. Their friendly call and rollercoaster-like flight add to their obvious visual appeal. We have an almost constant stream of them at the thistle feeders. They like to nest in the blackberry … Continued
Common Grackle
Common grackles are interesting birds. They are icterids, related to the blackbirds and orioles. Male birds have a beautiful iridescence to their feathers. These intelligent birds are capable of mimicry and have been known to even copy the human voice.
Pileated Woodpecker Step-by-Step
Although I did this painting few years ago, I scanned it in as it was being painted, so I thought it would be worth sharing as a “work in progress” series. PIleated woodpeckers lived in the woods around our house … Continued
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