Male Blue Dasher Dragonfly Step-by-Step

posted in: Finished Paintings, Step-by-Step | 0

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

Andean Cock of the Rock Pencil Sketch

posted in: Sketches | 0

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

posted in: Sketches | 0

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

posted in: Sketches | 2

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

Pileated Woodpecker Step-by-Step

posted in: Finished Paintings, Step-by-Step | 0

  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

posted in: Tips and Techniques | 4

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