KINGFISHER 2

Finished the kingfisher.


Look out for that bill, fishes!!

KINGFISHER 1

Started this little guy on my sketchpad with Caran d'Arche watersoluble crayons, then sketched him on Arches 140# coldpress and began with the background color (something light so he could be the star).

COOL DOWN

Something begun to cool us down.



It's been too hot and humid here in Kentucky already this summer.

I lost the photo of this one (when my laptop died) so will have to work up something to make shadows again (or search on the external hard drive for the photo).  

Until then, this one will sit in space.

SCARLET TANAGER FINISHED

Almost finished.  Need to do his eyes, bill, legs, and darken some areas.



Received my Fabriano Artistico 140# cold press paper from Dick Blick so have some full sheets now.

All done. 




What's next?  Something cool for the hot summer days here and around the U.S.  

SCARLET TANAGER

A Scarlet Tanager sketched and colored (again, using just Caran d'Arche crayons) in my Strathmore sketcbook before drawing and painting on watercolor paper.

He's got a little winged critter in his mouth - could be a bee?

This is on a fourth sheet as I'm running out of full sheets of watercolor paper.

(I did place an order so should have some full sheets coming soon.)

PLAYING WITH COLOR

This began as just laying down colors (on a scrap piece of paper - not even sure what it is but not watercolor paper or maybe student grade paper) with Caran d'Ache watersoluble crayons.

Water added to bleed, blend and move the color around.  Done.


I am a Warrior...
or is that Worrier??


Warrior

TOUCANETTE FINISHED

Ready for his eyes, feet and his perch and then done.

Pretty bird :)


The Toucanette from Costa Rica (smaller than a Toucan but a pretty good sized bill on him.)

Love the blue, violet and yellow bill and face area.

TOUCANETTE

A little toucanette from Costa Rica, also begun with sketching and color in my Strathmore sketchbook before drawing and putting paint to Arches 140# cold press paper.

A little more color in the background of this one as a starting point.








Thought this was going to look stiff, too, so I went in with a scrubber brush and softened the edges before painting the bird.

I think this will look better once the bird gets his colors in.

MOTMOTS SOFTENED

I did not like the hard edges on the Motmot painting, so I returned to it to soften the edges, using a scrubber brush.  I softened the edges, then dropped in more pigment.  Not great but I had nothing to lose with this one.

The next one is much better - you'll see.

MOTMOTS

Adding a little color to the Motmot painting...

And a little bit more...



Finished, but looking a bit stiff.  I think I'd do better by not doing the background as a whole and then painting the birds but bleeding and blending as I go along, leaving some white spaces in the background.  

I may try this one again.  But I'm running out of paper - need to place an art supply order!!

COLORFUL RETURN

After a short break and some quiet time - I also did some painting.  Back now and have some things to share.  Hope you like them.


Before painting, I did a sketch in my Strathmore sketchbook, then added color with Caran d'Ache watersoluble crayons to get me primed for the drawing and painting on watercolor paper (Arches 140# cold press).  

Here's the initial sketch and color of the Turquoise Crested Motmot (from Costa Rica).

And here's the painting, starting with the drawing on Arches 140# cold press paper (half sheet), the laying in the background using Daniel Smith Shadow Violet (one of my favorite background pigments).

INK ON PAPER

Three pieces of watercolor paper and ink.


These three seemed to make an interesting triptych when laid one on top of another, although they were painted separately without thinking about the previous one prior to doing the next.

Another ink on watercolor paper.








I'm taking some time off in July.  

ALCOHOL INK ON YUPO

Thought you might be wanting something with color after all the inky and conte crayon stuff in the sketchbook.

Just a scrap of yupo and alcohol ink.


Northwest Dunes

More yupo and alcohol ink.






Rise Up

FROM DRAWING TO CHARCOAL, INK AND CONTE CRAYON

In my Strathmore sketchbook.  

Not finished yet but getting there.  

STRANGE ANGELS

India ink in my Strathmore sketchbook.  It bleeds through a bit - and then you can create something differnt from the bleed through on the other side - like this next one :)

A Picasso-ish creation?  This one on the back of the previous inked one but this one using charcoal.

(Have you been watching the NatGeo series Genius: Picasso?  What an ass the man was!! )

Charcoal in the sketchbook.

Again, the the sketchbook but using charcoal and conte crayons (chalk) along with blue pencil.  


If it wasn't so hot (heat index of 105!!), I'd go out to one of the cemeteries that have the angel statues and draw and/or photograph them as angels are on my mind.

THIS AND THAT - INKY ANGELS

Inky angels...using the Strathmore Mixed Media paper (400 Series) and black ink.

Trying to just hint at the thing...

Ink on paper in my sketchbook and then wiped away the shape...




Sometimes one needs a few angels.  Not sure why mine are so dark - but they are.

HUMMINGBIRD DON'T FLY AWAY

Back to the birds.  Another painting based on a photo reference Sweetie took in Costa Rica :)  Only needs a bit of touches to finish it.


Remember that song, "hummingbird don't fly away, fly away, fly away...."  Can't remember who sang it - a duo...Seals and Croft?  

Here is a closeup so you can see the hummer (the painting is a half sheet watercolor on Arches 140# cold press paper).  You can't see it but I put down irridescent medium on the globes and the hummer's body before painting (and his eye isn't filled in yet).  Will show again when it's finished.


Are you having a good late spring/early summer so far?  We have a mama deer and her spotted fawn hanging around in our yard and the neighbor's yard (the house was empty for a long time so they felt safe in the woods behind their house).  The fawn stays over there because he's too tiny to jump the fence (yet), but mama comes over and eats our clover and violets and other stuff in our yard, including the bird seed I put out on the ground for Donald and Daisy (the two mallard ducks that visit our pool every spring).  It is a nice menagerie of animals around here.

LACK OF FOCUS?

Lack of focus?
(Anniversary card for Sweetie!)

Or just trying out the new paper I got (Strathmore 400 series mixed media)?


Fluid acrylics on the 400 series paper.  (Not great - not even good, but I would need more experience with the acrylics to get better.)

This one is better, but I just sponged on the top shape of the tree in 3-4 colors.  














Perhaps I need to stick with the birds?  Okay, more of them later...

BIRDS OF COSTA RICA CARDS

Just a couple of cards from Sweetie's photos of Costa Rica nature.




There are 50 species of hummingbirds in Costa Rica and Sweetie saw quite a few.  This handsome fellow is the Fiery-throated Hummingbird.

This is a Red-rumped Trogon (I think).  I like the black body with the bits of bright red on it.  Can't find it in any of the small, travel books of Costa Rica Birds, though.  Could it be their version of a Red-winged Blackbird?



These are on Strathmore blank cards (either watercolor, or mixed media).

JUNE IS GOING TO BE A BUSY MONTH

Just a little charcoal sketch in my sketchbook.




Sweetie just returned from a fabulous trip to Costa Rica with some great folks.  He has hundreds + hundreds of photos to edit and use - and I am using some for reference photos for paintings (of course).

Here is the first card I painted on Strathmore watercolor blank cards (they are great for painting on, as are the mixed media cards and the printmaking cards).  It is an Acorn Woodpecker from Costa Rica.  Nothing like that here in Kentucky.  This is a female (the red tuft meets with the white front if it's a male).  




It seems like everything is coming up in June, including a granddaughter's graduation from high school (we are so proud of her!), our 23rd anniversary (seriously, 23 years??), and my mother's 80th birthday.  Lots of plans for parties and family gatherings.  I'll try to keep up, but can't promise anything!


Hope you all have a good June!