illustration
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Tuesday, September 29th, 2020
Mountain Goats near Sandpoint, Idaho – early summer, so mama is molting. 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper
Longhorns, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Monday, September 21st, 2020
Longhorns, Scottsbluff, Nebraska -18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper.
This is a compilation of scenery by the monument area and cows on a farm that were closer to town. On this hot summer day, the longhorn were bothered by the flies. I sat by the road and watched them for quite a while because the way they sport those horns is fascinating, and the horns-size on the bull seem kind of impossible. Another newborn calf, a white one, was nearby in the long grass.
Post-dated note: Accepted in the J. Mane Gallery’s Fins, Feathers and Fur 2020 exhibition.
Asian Elephant, Laos
Wednesday, August 26th, 2020
Asian Elephant at Tad Sai Waterfall, Luang Prabang, Laos – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on watercolor paper. Received Honorable Mention, Fins Feathers & Fur 2020, J Mane Gallery
Muscovy Ducklings
Saturday, August 8th, 2020
Muscovy Ducklings, 18H x 24W inches graphite on paper. Photo inspiration, credit and thanks goes to Kala, whose website is Kaptured by Kala.
Mom and Dad’s Hands
Monday, July 27th, 2020
Mom and Dad’s Hands, 16H x 20W inches graphite on paper. Excerpt from Paul Simon’s “I Don’t Believe” on the album, ‘Surprise’:
“I don’t believe A heart can be filled to the brim Then vanish like mist As though life were a whim”.
Fins, Feathers and Fur 2020: Cockatiels
Friday, July 17th, 2020
Cockatiels, Jurong Bird Park, Singapore 12H x 9W inches graphite on paper, white double mat and white 18H x 15W inches frame with crackle finish. Check out the Jurong Bird Park website.
Showcased in the J. Mane Gallery’s Fins, Feathers and Fur 2020 exhibition.
Dutch Creek Hoodoos
Sunday, March 8th, 2020
Dutch Creek Hoodoos, BC Canada – 18H x 24W inches graphite, soft pastel and markers on 140 lb cold pressed watercolor paper
Brooke
Friday, July 12th, 2019
Brooke, 11 x 14 inches graphite on paper
Brooke Isabelle
Wednesday, September 6th, 2017
Brooke Isabelle, my neice’s daughter born last week, 11 x 14 inches graphite on paper. She looks like a cherub in the photo used as reference, so I subtly impled wings in the background.
Hannah
Thursday, June 1st, 2017
Hannah, 11 x 14 inches graphite on paper. This was a special commission for a good friend. I no longer offer to do portraits – pets, absolutely – but while I love drawing people, the work and long periods of in-between study I require take too long to warrant what I’d need to charge. There are other artists who specialize in only portraits and do nothing else.
The photo was a very small file, only 500 pixels wide, plus the feet were not in the frame, so initially I thought it impossible to work from, but started anyway. All works on paper begin with taped edges, leaving an inch of border which helps when it comes to framing, especially if composition is off a bit. I scribble in the main shapes lightly, gradually building up areas with lines and then shading as confidence grows. As marks, once placed, are difficult to erase, the face details are drawn in more gradually than the rest of the composition.
I remember that my friend used to call her grand-daughter Hannah Banana, so I snuck some banana shapes onto the blanket – that will be a surprise for her when she sees this. I smudge the graphite and use erasers quite a bit, a good technique for subtler details like the background and blanket pattern. Eraser sticks, 2 different sizes, are perfect because they are held and used like a pencil.