Cholla Cactus Sketch

I am continuing the sketches of trees and cactus.  This is a sketch of the Cholla cactus.  They have wicked bad hair like spines which are very hard to remove.  In Haiti, they had Cholla trees as big as Saguaro cactus unlike the smaller ones in SouthWest United States.

Happy Anniversary - the late version

Friday was my wedding anniversary, the one for the Army to recognize I had a wife.  It was 22 years ago.  The wife likes Day of the Dead themed things so this is her card from me.  We had the Church wedding in May so I have two anniversaries and a ring day.  (The day I gave her her engagement ring).

Desert Cliff - Block-in

I helped a friend move today, so I was only able to block-in this Desert Cliff landscape.  It is going to need alot of work but its still a start.  More to follow tomorrow.

Bristle Cone Pine Tree

I have a sketch book I am filling with tree sketches.  I have about 60 done so far and most have been posted.  Most are not original but are a method of study and observation.  Today's sketch is black and grey art markers of a Bristle Cone Pine tree.  They are found near or at the timber line in the Mountains of the Rockies and the Sierras.  I have some pictures of some of these trees from my own travels and I am exploring ways to capture the trees essences and unique characteristics.

Rabbit Sketch

Long day today so I scanned this sketch of this long eared rabbit.  Enjoy!

Art Marker Trees

I worked on this the last two nights.  It is not an original design, but it was a good practice piece of design and artwork.  I used Coptic art markers in black and grey.

Devil's Tower - Block-in

Tonight I worked on this oil landscape of Devil's Tower in Wyoming.  This is the view you get as you drive to the Tower from the south.  I will tweak the sky, add details to the tower, and sort out the foreground to make it better and add more convincing depth to it.  Not a bad start for an hours worth of painting.