Trout Flies

One of my childhood memories was of trout fishing in Colorado.  My parents owned a cabin in northern Colorado and we would spend time there and fished.  Occasionally, I sketch trout flies like these above.  I don't remember these flies's names but I know the bottom two are a Salmon egg fly and a midge fly.  I actually sketched these from memory while waiting in the theater to see the movie, Avatar.  I liked the sketches better than the movie.

Pintails

This is a Birthday card for the son-in-law, who is an avid duck hunter.   Today is his birthday and actor William Shatner's birthday, too.  Which in my mind makes for interesting comparisons.  These are two pintail ducks done in the style of artist Thomas Quinn.  I used watercolor pencils, which go on dry, but then can be wetted with a brush and the color acts like a watercolor.  So Happy Birthday, Spencer.

SeaGull

Happy Friday, have a simple pen and ink wash sketch of a SeaGull hovering for the catch of the day.  This seems like how I spend the work week as a wage slave.  Enjoy your weekend.

Tribute to Hopper - from way back, like 23 years ago.

I did this Acrylic painting when I was 15 years old in my first year High School art class.  This painting was originally done by the artist, Edward Hopper. I wanted to be Edward Hopper, he is most well known for his painting called NightHawks.  I liked the colors and the steam engine.  Hopper's painting is far superior to this but Hopper taught me about composition and color from his painting.  I gave this to my Grandfather as a present since he loves trains.   Copying from other artists is only ok to learn techniques from them.  This one will stay in the family since it is not an original.

White Throated Sparrow

More Bird Sketches, this is a colored pencil sketch of a White Throated Sparrow.  They are a common visitor to our yard in Maryland.  So next time you see the small gray bird, pay attention because there are little colorful varieties flitting about the countryside.

Cat Skull

Part of the drawing skill is to learn the anatomy of your subjects.  It is a life long pursuit, mastery of the skeleton, muscles and movements are the building blocks of art, much like cords on a guitar or the scales on a piano.  Daily practice is a must.  I strive for a daily dose of something even if I don't feel like it.  Much like this blog, daily discipline is needed to do it as much as possible and to show progress in the journey.  Oh yeah, above is a cat skull sketched with blue pencil.

Spring Time Dreaming

So what do you do on a snow day after a long, snowy winter? Paint a small oil of Spring Time and what you hope to see.  I sketched this scene from along the Interstate in Pennsylvania on a road trip to Indiana.  The pencil sketch and a white chalk and charcoal sketch.

So you can see the editing process, The two sketches are closer to what I saw and remembered.  The sketches are based on a very rough quick sketch done while the wife drove down the Interstate.  The scene passed too fast to capture with a photograph, but I captured the image in my head and transferred it to the sketchbook.  After digressing the image for awhile the flower pattern did not work and it bothered me.  So I edited the flowers into a more interesting pattern and composition.  This is the beauty of painting vs. photography.  I can use the basics from nature but I can edit to make better art.  Now I will wait and see if I like the painting enough to make a larger version.