My 2024 calendar is here!

  After months of sketching, drawing, and painting, my first calendar is finally done and available for purchase!  I had so much fun creating the 12 watercolor bird illustrations for this calendar. I intentionally chose some species that are perhaps not the first that come to mind when one thinks of New England. I painted each of the species in the habitat and season I associate them with.

 

 

Below are the original 12 paintings.

 

BIRDTOBER 2023 artwork

Here are the rest of my drawings, paintings, and sketches for this year's BIRDTOBER art challenge.  This year, like last year, I couldn't complete the challenge, but I am glad it gave me some motivation to draw more.

 

1. Spark bird: Eastern Phoebe

Ink and colored pencils

 

2. Duck, duck, or goose: Snow Goose

Watercolor 

3. Long-legged: Greater Yellowlegs and Lesser Yellowlegs

Graphite pencil, watercolor, and acrylic paint pen

4. Backyard bird: Tufted Titmouse

Ink

 

 

7. Wren: Marsh Wren

Ink, watercolor, and graphite pencil

9. Yumm bugs! (Insectivore): Common Nighthawks

Acrylics

 

10. Courtship: Black-capped Chickadees

Ink and colored pencils

BIRDTOBER 2023 - Day 8

The prompt for day 8 of BIRDTOBER was "Last bird you saw."  The last birds I saw on the 8th were my chickens when I locked them in the coop for the night. 😁 So I drew this portrait of one of my Light Brahma hens in colored pencils on toned paper.

BIRDTOBER 2023 - Day 6

 BIRDTOBER has begun!  BIRDTOBER is an art challenge hosted by @kaylafiskbirds in which artists draw a bird from a list of prompts every day in October.

 This is my painting for day 6.  The prompt was "camouflage" and I chose to paint a Ruffed Grouse in acrylics.  Ruffed Grouse always seem to see you before you see them!

Rough Collie painterly portrait

This is Rudy, a gorgeous tricolor Rough Collie I painted in acrylics on a small wooden panel.  This was my second and last entry for the 2023 Trekell Art Supplies Pet Portrait Competition.  I have to give credit to Rudy's owner who suggested I paint the background purple - I think it goes so well with the orange in Rudy's fur.

Portrait of Dorie on wood panel

I just finished this acrylic painting of my Boston Terrier, Dorie, for Trekell Art Supplies's 2023 Pet Portrait Competition.  The competition requires artists to use a special shaped birch panel as the support.  This was my first time painting on an artist-quality wooden panel and I absolutely loved it.  Blending was easier than on canvas and I felt I had more control over the paint.  Why hadn't I tried it sooner?!

 

Painterly portrait of Luna

I'm back!  I have been busy with several projects and I am just now getting around to posting this piece I painted back in 2022.  In February 2022 I painted a painterly portrait of my Boston Terrier, Dorie, and I decided to paint a matching portrait of my other dog, Luna, to hang with it.

I captured Luna in her signature resting position, with her paws crossed and ears up and alert.