My 2024 calendar is here!

  After months of sketching, drawing, and painting, my first calendar is finally finished!  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.

 

 

 

Thanks to everyone who purchased a copy!!

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?!