Northern Bobwhite

This is a colored pencil sketch of the Northern Bobwhite.  They are little ground dwelling birds.  They are mostly known as a game bird of the south.  Though all the time I lived in North Carolina and Georgia, I never saw one.  It was not until I moved to Maryland did I see one.

Brown Pelican

This is a Brown Pelican colored pencil sketch.  I saw these in New Orleans and out in California.  In this instance, the body looked more black to me than the brown so that is how I captured it.  Part of being an artist is to set aside your preconceptions and actually see colors and shapes instead of assuming the brown bird would show up as brown.  You have to train yourself to see the shapes between the wings and legs i.e the negative spaces.  I use these sketches to practice and to work out these relationships.  Plus it works as a meditation for me.

Downy Woodpecker

This is another woodpecker,  This is the Downy Woodpecker.  We saw these in Utah and in Maryland.  They are a nice spring/summer visitor, except when they knock on the house.

Northern Flicker

I am continuing with the bird theme.  This is a colored pencil drawing of a Northern Flicker feeding its young.  I have seen these in Maryland, Colorado, and Utah.  It is a common and interesting bird.  Birds are the easiest wildlife to observe and I like these little dinosaurs.

Mourning Dove

I love the quiet coo of the Mourning Dove in the morning,especially the summer mornings before the heat builds on a clear day.  The dove can be found around the world, in different species but all related.

Happy New Years!

So Happy NewYears! This is the New Year's Red-Tailed Hawk.  I hope 2014 is better than 2013.  2013 sucked.  I plan to draw more, paint more, and write more on these blog posts.

Mallard Duck

This is a colored pencil drawing of a Male Mallard Duck.  I like to keep a record of all the birds I see and ID.  I then try to draw all of them.  This is one of the most common ducks out there in the uS and Europe.