Digital Sketch

This was done with a trial version of Corel Sketchpad. Santa gave me a copy of Painter 11, so expect to see more digital work. :)

Baby, Baby, Zebra

Some recent work...two oil pastels--one of Scarlett and one of her cousin, Adam--and a digital sketch. :)

Scarlett Anastasia

Last month we were blessed with a new addition to our family. This is Scarlett Anastasia, only the cutest little angel in the whole wide world. :) These are both done with Conte crayon...the first is from when she was 18 hours old, the second when she was three days (she is now all of 13 days old!).

Another Conte, Zebra Portrait

As I am officially on a "roll" with these, I thought I'd do another one last night before I got distracted by oil paint today. :)

A Few Different Things

I have been all over the place lately as far as creative projects. The last two days, I have been using my Conte crayons...these are both on 12x12 Mi Tientes paper (smoother side).

And here is a graphite drawing...not my usual thing or style, but it was pleasant to do.
And here's my really unique project the last little while, a quilt, which I am quite overly pleased with. :) It has been a long time since I've done anything like this, and now I fear that I am quite hooked on the quilting bug.

Graphite Drawing, Baby and Three-Quarters Zebra

Here is a graphite drawing I started over a month ago and finished yesterday. I don't do drawings like this often (to say the least), which means this is probably the best one I've ever done. :) Good practice with graphite and terrific practice for studying values. Maybe I'll do more of these.

Watercolor Pencil/Watercolor WIP

Today I took progress shots of the sketch I was working on, with watercolor pencils and watercolor on top...sorry for the changing light in these and having to adjust the photos weirdly so you can see them. First I did a sketch with a very light purple pencil...which is a nice choice as it will all but wash away later if I make a lot of searching lines and such.And here I have blocked in the stripes with a golden ochre pencil.Then I layered more pencil on top, varying shading and colors to get vibrancy and texture in the stripes.
Then I wet on top with watercolor, adjusting colors, adding more shadow and background, and adding a few details.
I like this process more than just using pure pencil or pure watercolor...the pencil allows a lot of "drawing" and also leaves lines and texture under the watercolor, and the watercolor allows more vibrancy and nice washes.

Mini Watercolor Pencil/Watercolor Series

This last weekend, I went to the zoo and was able to do a sketch. The composition wasn't my usual, but since they had just fed the zebras at their trough, I didn't have much of a choice...and I ended up really liking it.
A couple of days later, I did another sketch with watercolor pencils and watercolor on top...it was an off day and I was very dissatisfied.
So the next day I decided to do a mini-series with the same approach and palette...

And the next day continued the series. I will do at least a few more of these before possibly moving on, who knows...but I think I'm getting somewhere, I feel the need to practice and gain more consistency with what I do in water media.

Three Plein Airs

All watercolor in my pocket Moleskine.

Zebra Look and Three Plein Airs at the Lake

It's been a while since I've done any work in my favorite Hahnemuehle sketchbook, so I did this last night with my watercolor crayons.
And I managed a few plein air sketches at the lake this weekend again. All in my pocket watercolor Moleskine, the first with watercolor (when we got a bit drenched by the intermittent drizzle), the next two done today with watercolor pencils.

Przewalski Horse Foal and a Sagebrush Sketch

Both done on itty bitty illustration board, 2.5x3.5, watercolor

Zebra Baby, Walking Tiger

Both 2.5x3.5, illustration board, watercolor :)

Vacation Watercolors

We recently went home for vacation, and I took my watercolors and watercolor pencils...**and I actually used them**! :) So here they are...the first one was done from the Sky Mall magazine (this is some weird ceramic garden statue) when I was bored on the flight...regular Moleskine, ink and watercolor.
Two from camping near Yellowstone park...the little pine is ink and watercolor pencil, the campsite is straight watercolor.
The lake near where we were camping. I tried doing straight watercolor and didn't like it, so added the ink...I never like it as well when I do the ink second, but oh well.
I also have several pages of color mixing, as I was very inspired by the desert colors (much greener than normal this year!)...
This one, done out in the desert areas, is straight watercolor on a little tiny Strathmore "Art Card" Illustration Board, 2x5, 3.5...really fun surface for watercolor, so I bought a big stack of these to use.
Another ink and watercolor, in my pocket Moleskine.
Ink and watercolor, small Moleskine (trying out a "brush pen"...it ended up a bit Oriental...). I really wanted to do the sagebrush justice, but I think I need more practice. Absolutely gorgeous color, as I've mentioned...
And I spent some time at the little zoo...where they had a baby zebra of all things! Ha! This, however, is one of the mares...watercolor pencil and watercolor in my pocket Moleskine. (Yes, done from life.)
Here is the little guy--again from life, watercolor pencil and watercolor in my pocket Moleskine...somehow got his neck way too long and the colors ended up a bit muddy in this one, but I was very happy to get to spend the time to do these.
And the last one I managed, at a local lake. I was very pleased with the ink and watercolor in this one, which is again in my pocket Moleskine.
It was a great vacation and I was very pleased to have gotten some sketching in!

Zebra Colt, head portrait, oil pastels, 9x12 rose gray Colorfix

Ink and Wash with watercolor pencils/Watercolor sketches

Small Moleskine, ink and wash using watercolor pencils
Regular Moleskine, ink and wash using watercolor pencils and watercolor
Monochrome watercolor sketches, 12x16 Hahnemuehle cold press

Quarter Horse Racer, 9x12, oil pastel on rose gray Colorfix paper

All the Pretty Little Horsies, 9x12, oil pastel, burgundy Colorfix paper

The other day my almost-three-year son set up some toy horses on the table and asked me to take a picture of them. :p I asked him if he wanted me to paint them. "Yeah." Well of course. :) So this is our team effort.

Baby Cheetah, Oil Pastel, 9x12, olive Colorfix paper