From the Sketchbook - Sheep painting

 More from my mixed media sketchbook!  This is an acrylic painting of one of my pet Katahdin sheep named Muffin.  I've done a couple other paintings of her in the past, my first one almost ten years ago!  Muffin is a special sheep and will be turning 14 years old next year.

For the background I applied a watercolor wash of a lighter teal then painted the pattern over top in acrylics using a stencil.

Random Project of the Week - Fun blue heron painting

 The idea for this sort of pop art style acrylic painting came to me back in August.  I was asked to create a piece of art that would go with a blue and gray room with shabby chic decor.  I chose a blue and gray bird (of course!) that is native to the area - a Great Blue Heron - and I used large, loose brush strokes throughout the piece.  I think the hint of orange on the heron complements the blue so well.

Below are the marker thumbnail sketches I drew a few months ago.

From the Sketchbook - Chicken chums

This acrylic study is a little smaller than 6" X 3 1/2" on mixed media paper.  I painted two of my pet hens who passed away a few years ago.  They were buddies and I just love this picture of the two of them relaxing in the grass.

Chickadee in acrylics

This acrylic painting of a Black-capped Chickadee is done on a 10" X 8" canvas board.  I painted part of this piece during an acrylic painting demo I gave recently.

 And here is "Fluffy," one of the Black-capped Chickadees we've tamed, checking out the painting.  It looks huge compared to a real chickadee!

Painterly portrait of McKinley

My latest pet portrait is of a much-loved spaniel named McKinley. Her portrait is done in a painterly style on a deep stretched canvas. It was commissioned as a gift for McKinley's owners.

From the Sketchbook - A couple bird studies

 Back to my normal subject matter!  The American Redstart was done in watercolor and outlined in pen, and the Eastern Bluebird was painted in acrylics.

I'm having so much fun with this mixed media sketchbook.  I love that I can keep my watercolor, acrylic, pencil, and pen studies all in one book.

From the Sketchbook - Giraffe cartoon

This was a very random just-before-bedtime sketch that I decided to make into a finished drawing. I have no idea what made me want to draw a giraffe, but I had a lot of fun doing it. I used Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pens.

 

Random Project of the Week - Tiger study (with new paints!)

I can't remember the last time I painted a tiger. It might have been a decade ago... 😲 Anyway, I used a reference photo I took at a zoo a few years ago to paint this 5" X 5" acrylic study. I used Golden Fluid Acrylics, a paint I'd never used before. Although I had heard these paints are opaque and have a great consistency, I was still surprised when I tried them myself. Looks like I might be switching to Golden in the future!

From the Sketchbook - Acrylic studies of my dogs

I got out a new mixed media sketchbook for these small acrylic studies. I was inspired by artist James Gurney who paints amazing sketches in gouache and watercolor (from life, which I struggle with, so I used reference photos).

The first painting is of my Boston Terrier, Dorie, warming up in the sun on a cold winter's day. The second (with my hand for scale) is of my rescue mutt, Luna, running with her frisbee in her mouth.

Portrait of Scooter

 Scooter's portrait is finished! The reference photo I worked from for this painting was fantastic. I just love the angle and Scooter's pose. This was a fun one to paint, especially glazing the warm browns on top of his fur.

Scooter's portrait update

I'm just about finished with the soft, out-of-focus areas, and now I'm starting to add the finer details to Scooter's face.

 

First stage of Scooter's portrait

New commissioned painting in progress! This unique little mixed-breed dog is Scooter. His portrait is being painted on a 20" X 16" canvas panel. The block-in is done and I'll start adding details to the background next.

Portrait of Henry the Dachshund

 Here is Henry's portrait all finished! This kind of portrait with the very shallow depth of field was new for me. I enjoyed learning how to paint soft edges with acrylics.

First stages of Henry's portrait

Here are the block-in stages of another commissioned 16" X 20" acrylic painting. This is Henry the Dachshund. He is Stella's buddy (the dog I painted earlier).

Portrait of Stella

  Stella's portrait is finished and ready for varnish!

Progress photos of the next portrait coming soon!

Stella's portrait update

I'm working on painting all the little details now and continuing to tweak the background as I go.

First stages of Stella's portrait

 I am nearly 10 hours into this large commissioned portrait of a pretty brindle mixed-breed dog named Stella. Almost everything is blocked in now and I've even started adding some fine details.

This is one of a set of two 16" X 20" paintings for Stella's owner. I couldn't have asked for better reference photographs for these pieces.

Two more watercolor cartoons

 I've painted a couple more watercolor dog cartoons to practice in my new style.
This is Baxter and Molly, two of the dogs I grew up with.

New watercolor cartoons

I am now offering custom cartoon portraits in a new style! My new Watercolor Animal Cartoons are painted in watercolors and outlined with Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pens.

These matching portraits of my two dogs, Luna and Dorie, are in the standard 6" X 9" size. I painted the moon behind Luna since that is what her name means, and behind Dorie is a hurricane (a pink cotton candy looking one 😁) because she was named after a hurricane.

Want me to paint a custom portrait of your pet?
Head on over to my Order Info page!

Acrylic portrait of Luna

 I've been working on this 10" X 10" painting for the past few months. This is my first acrylic portrait of my rescue mutt, Luna. I used a stencil to create a subtle damask pattern on the gradient background.

From the Sketchbook - Horned Larks in pencil

On a recent birding trip I was able to get up close to and photograph some Horned Larks that were foraging with a flock of Snow Buntings on a dairy farm. These are some graphite and colored pencil sketches I created using my photos as reference.

Acrylic painting of a Cedar Waxwing

I started this 5" X 7" painting with the intention of creating a quick painterly study, but soon felt the urge to tighten my brushstrokes and add all the little details. I think I have more fun with these smaller-sized paintings; I don't get overwhelmed as easily and I can finish them in a few hours.

I snapped the reference photo for this painting on a farm that has a large blueberry patch. The Cedar Waxwings were flying in so close to me as I was picking blueberries, it made for a great photo opportunity.

Random Project of the Week - Two bird sketches

I drew a couple birds this past week - a Great Blue Heron in colored pencil and a Bohemian Waxwing in watercolor, both outlined in pen. I discovered that I really like the look of loose outlines done with a small brown Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen, and it's fun to do, too!