Let me hold your place
A few weeks ago I joined the budding art-focused social media site called Cara. I’ve enjoyed building up my presence there and finding some community among those fearsomely talented folks. Last weekend Magdalena Baltes proposed a friendly art exchange, paint her pet in exchange for one of her paintings of yours. Looking at her work...
Feeling crabby
This is just a crab, a sea crab of some sort. I bumped into her looking at references from the Love Life Drawing community monthly animal drawing challenges and got excited about the challenging colors on display. A crab has a fascinating combination of hard edges and organic forms. I think she turned out pretty...
Bumblebee
I tried to take the lessons of that last painting and apply them to a different kind of subject. Flowers require either going all in on detail or finding some balance between detail and suggestion that, frankly, I still haven’t found. I don’t think this painting is very successful. Let’s put on the critical analysis...
A good day at the park
I adopted Riley in the Fall of 2014 — nearly 10 years ago. He was my first dog. I have had a couple close friends recently tell me they believe we have multiple soul mates in life, and I believe them. He changed me forever. He is first in my heart. I will love him for the rest of time. Riley passed one week ago....
Let's go, Tycho!
The last month has been full of bad news for pets, both mine and that of my friends. The ongoing series of tragedies has been hard to receive. I decided to make this painting to celebrate the spirit of one of the dogs hard hit in this time. I present to you Tycho, AKA Tychopath, a little dachshund mix a friend rescued...
Cane toad
The animal of the month subject over at Love Life Drawing is the toad. This is a cane toad, famous for being an invasive nuisance throughout Australia. I rushed through the painting of this, and frankly it shows. It's not great. It does a reasonable job representing the shapes at least. I've got another thing I'm...
Tolbunt Crested Polish
The animal of the month on Love Life Drawing is a chicken. I asked a friend who raises chickens if she had any favorite pictures. I figured I'd get something cutesy, like a silkie. Instead I got an incredible challenge: the Tolbunt Crested Polish. I **think** that's a hen. It's a pretty vivid bird, and flashiness...
Praying mantis
A little while ago I watched a fundamentals training video stressing pen skills. There were ten exercises, like drawing groups of curved lines, straight lines, spheres, color blends. I couldn't do a reasonable job at any of them. It was humbling. Over a year of training at this nearly every day, and I can't do the...
Riley, smiling
Digital sketch of my dog, Riley, from a walk on a sunny day in a nearby park. He had a wonderful smile going I wanted to capture. Walking where other dogs have been is one of the rare circumstances where you can see his ears. He's a laid back, lazy fellow who loves nothing more than nosing around. And naps. And treats...
Voyager
Acrylic painting of my dog, Riley, done in Procreate on the iPad. I think it manages to capture his perpetually worried look. I think I did a good representing fur with the paints -- mostly dabbing with a wet brush and a touch of dry brushing in the finishing phase. The fleece of his jacket is less convincing, but it...
Ivory billed woodpecker
Painting of an ivory billed woodpecker, a species that recently went extinct. They were amazing-looking birds. There's a rash of sightings from people invested in disbelieving the fact they are gone. Painted in Krita, using a handful of textured brushes. I think the red crest looks good, and it does a reasonable job...