Happy 2016, and Some Ink Work

On one hand I can't believe I let the entire month of December go by without one blog update, on the other hand it makes total sense. Thanksgiving was late in 2015, leaving just 4 weeks till Christmas. For me Thanksgiving was a wake up call, buy presents, get them wrapped and mailed, make travel reservations, figure out what I wanted to take, pack, then travel. It didn't leave me a lot of time for art or the blog. Then I spent 2 weeks in Chicago, a great place to visit but it wasn't feasible to try and make any blog updates while I was there. Though I did draw while in Chicago, that is mostly where the images in today's post were made. Then I had to travel home, and try to settle back into my life, taking care of plants, returning books to library, laundry, groceries, bills, etc. I am thankful to say that is all mostly done. So today I am belatedly turning my attention to the blog.

The above is sort of a doodle, but not entirely, I think I have it in the back of my brain to attempt to design some fabric. The above is a first attempt. I used 3 different sized technical pens then watercolor pencils to add a bit of color. The watercolor was activated with a damp brush. I am not happy with the colors, and while I think the patterns have possibilities it doesn't quite work. So expect to see some more of this type of work. Whether it will actually become a fabric design I don't know at this point, we will just have to see.

You may or may not be aware that there is currently a revival with coloring books, these are mostly aimed at adults who don't feel they can draw but love color, and are happy to spend the time and effort coloring others drawings. I thought it might be fun to design some works that could be downloaded and used by others as templates to color. The subjects are based on photographs I have made, and I have tried to create simplified outlines that can be filled in. I have yet to decide where to upload large images for download, probably in my Esty shop, so stay tuned.

Above are three mallard ducklings. the drawing and ink work are done, image scanned and it is time for me to do some coloring with this one. My drawing was done on Stonehenge paper and I inked them with my technical pens, size is 7 x 7 inches.

The flowers in the above drawing are purple headed sneezeweed and the reference photograph was one I used in my Flowers 2016 calendar. The background leaf pattern is just me being creative and doesn't really reflect the reference. Another drawing ready to be colored. I will be using colored pencils for these though I suppose I could use watercolor pencils or even watercolor. Something to think about.

I have one more drawing that needs to be inked then I need to work on a couple more of these. They have been both a challenge and fun to do.

The above photograph I made in Chicago, a bush with red berries in front of a window that was reflecting a tree and sky. I thought it was sort of fun so am posting it here.

I took the train to Chicago, and since I arrived at South Station with some time to spare I took my camera for a walk and made some Boston Photos prior to departing, so this is a December photograph of the Fort Point Channel with a view of the sheep statue and some Boston buildings as a backdrop, looking northeast. Wool was an important trade commodity for Colonial Boston. Wool produced here in the Colonies was shipped back to England to be woven into cloth. Early Colonists were prohibited from shipping 100% wool cloth between colonies or exporting it out of its place of manufacture. Of course the prohibition of shipping between colonies couldn't really be enforced. So spinning and weaving became important home industries for early american Woman and Children.

That is it for today, I want to take a moment to wish everyone reading a Happy Healthy 2016, may some of your dreams and/or wishes come true this next year, may you and yours enjoy good health, and be creative. Per usual comments are welcome. Oh, there are a few Chicago photographs on my Facebook page if you are interested in looking, link at the bottom of the blog.

June, flowers and butterflies

Haven't been doing a lot of drawing these past few weeks. But I have been busy taking a lot of nature walks in various parks, sanctuaries, and Boston, and making photographs. I have also been busy reading, mostly non-fiction but still interesting. A book on Japanese design concepts, a very short book on watercolor painting that was nevertheless packed with tips and useful information, a book on the Arts of China starting with prehistoric stone age crafts, and a book on Dragonflies. The dragonfly book is beautiful full of wonderful photographs with well written text that gives information about the lives of dragonflies without getting too technical. The title is Dragonflies by Pieter van Dokkum, published by Yale University Press if you want to check it out.

I recently splurged and purchased some new tubes of watercolor paint. The above is partly my experimenting with washes using my new paints. Course I didn't limit myself to just the new colors but added in some of my older ones as well.

Over the top of the watercolor wash I drew a flower using one of my technical pens. I was using an inexpensive water color paper so it wasn't perhaps the best choice for the washes. Still I had fun playing. I really need to do more watercolors, and the ink looks kind of cool overlaying the colors. The flower is loosely based on a photograph I made of a purple clematis flower.

Still the pens need to be exercised so I have been managing to do a few doodles, the one above is kind of like snail shells linked together drifting in space. 

On one of my walks I came across an American Toad both out in the daytime (not usual) and out in the open, again not usual. It was a fairly small one so I guess you could say it didn't know any better. It jumped onto a board that was lying in this open spot in the woods (an area where park trash tends to be collected, ie: old picnic tables) I spent a fair amount of time photographing it before I ignored it and it jumped away. No toads were harmed and I got some good photographs. 

Later that day I needed to do some pen exercising so drew the above. I am a bit annoyed with myself as I initially left one of the T's out of start, I have a tendency to leave out letters if I don't pencil in words before I start lettering, concentrating too hard on forming letters and not hard enough on spelling words I guess. Any way here is a race between a toad and a snail :), who do you think the winner will be? Pure fun, drawn with my technical pens, mostly the finer tips as they are the ones the clog the easiest. 

A few weeks back I was walking in a MA Audubon sanctuary, mostly woods with a pond, but they also have an open field in this location and after my woods walk I though I would check out the field, where to my surprise I found hundreds of blackish caterpillars crawling in the grass. There were enough of them that I was sort of creeped out and left after a very short time. Well I did manage to make a couple of photographs of them and I posted one of the photos to my Butterfly Facebook group asking if anyone had a guess as to what the caterpillar was for. A fellow member suggested it was a Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly caterpillar.

This past weekend I was down in the same area (Attleboro, MA) visiting the main MA Audubon site and thought before I left the city I needed to check the field. AH, yes, what did I find but some Baltimore Checkerspot Butterflies flying around the field. Above is one of my photos of one of these beauties. They aren't terribly large, smaller than an American Lady, though larger than the Pearl Crescents, but isn't it hansom with its white, orange and black colors. I will have to go back as the field still had Checkerspot caterpillars crawling around.

 I usually reserve this spot for landscapes or photos of native wild flowers but I really like this photo so even though the flower isn't a native species I am posting the photo. I believe this is Night Flowering Catchfly and I photographed it at Borderland State Park, though it may be Forking Catchfly another similar species, I wasn't paying enough attention to plant details to remember at this point and there isn't quite enough information in the photograph. Whatever here it is for your visual enjoyment.

That is it for today. I will try to not go so long between updates, but at this time of the year I tend to spend more time away from the computer and my drawing board. Per usual comments are welcome. Oh, one last comment, I have been posting more photographs to my facebook page including one of the toad that posed for me, link at the bottom of this page, you don't have to be a facebook member to view.

Watercolor and more pen and ink

Another plein air painting, this time just of a single flower, the flower is a Canadian May flower and I was visiting Borderland State Park in Easton when I was painting. I had a wonderful view of one of the ponds and actually took a break from painting to watch a Great Blue Heron do some fishing. They are such beautiful birds. Anyway looking at this now I realize that I don't have the values right, well the scan is a bit off so that is part of it, but I have the background and the leaves almost the same value, not a good thing even if true to life. Bother, well I just have to keep working at it.

I did do a bit of pencil sketching prior to painting, then I added just a few pen lines to this piece.

I was doodling the other day and these two, hmm, illustrations I guess I will call them for want of a better word came out of the pen. No real clue why, just felt like it. I drew the one on the left first and added the caption, then I thought about the 2nd one so just drew the "cat" with a paw under, fishing for something, added the caption, and finally the mouse head peaking around the corner.

Peaking around corners seems to be the theme of these two drawings, and they have a certain amount of whimsy to them. Guess I had to get in my whimsy allotment for the month of May.

Another of my pen exercises, using all of my Technical pen tips, told you I was going to revisit the stars in my last exercise, still not sure I am done with these.

A Pearl Crescent Butterfly that I photographed yesterday at Attleboro Springs in Attleboro, MA. I believe this is a male who was seeking a mate. He was just perched on that branch gently waving his wings up and down, spreading pheromones I would guess. Hope a lady friend eventually showed up to reward his efforts, and bravery, after all he was just sitting out in the open, not really a good idea for a butterfly that might be someones snack. Crescents are a small to mid sized butterfly, larger than the Azures and Elfins I have been photographing, but smaller than Painted Ladies or Monarchs, and much smaller than Swallowtails.

This is a rather nice photo, when they aren't looking for mates they tend to flit and flutter wings making it hard to get a spread wing photograph.

Photo above was made at Oak Knoll MA Audubon site that is just down the road from Attleboro Springs. This isn't the main house but a storage shed adjunct to the main structure. I was photographing the white dogwood to the left and realized that I really like this photo with the contrasting greens/blue sky/white flowers/building. It says spring to me, even though the dogwood is a bit past its prime it is still pretty.  Unlike my painting of the mayflower this photo has a good range of values, darks, lights and midtones.

That is it for today, per usual comments are welcome.

Butterflies and doodles

Because I prefer to not kill or capture butterflies but only photograph them, I realize that often I can only identify what I see in the field when I am home and reviewing photographs. I fear birds are the same for me, unless I have previously identified the bird and recognize it. But butterflies are even harder to field ID than birds are, so many are really very small and fly so quickly that the small indicators that are often used to identify them can be hard to see.

The butterfly that I drew in pen and ink above is an exception, this large black and yellow butterfly is very recognizable as a Tiger Swallowtail. The drawing was made from a reference photograph I made a couple of years ago. I don't usually try to draw the butterflies I photograph, but I really loved this photo so made an exception. For this drawing I used only my technical pens with no pencil drawing, so things may not be entirely accurate, but I think you can still recognize this beauty if you see one in the garden.

I have been spending a lot of time outside making photographs and not inside doing serious drawing so my next two images are just more of my pen "exercises" and really nothing more than doodles. Still I have fun exploring shapes, textures and fills when working on these. They are done because I need to use the pens and not let them sit, but that doesn't mean I can't have fun with them.

Both were done in one of my smaller sketchbooks using the 5 technical pens that I keep filled. For the one above I made the doodle on top first, them it seemed to me to be some kind of hat, so I drew the face in afterward. A bit of whimsy that I don't often post to the blog.

Speaking of butterflies that can only be identified when I review photographs the one above is of that type. This is an Eastern Pine Elfin, and is about 1 inch in size so the photograph shows it larger than it really is. You have to be very aware of what is flying around you to see and photograph one of these little guys. I am getting better at "seeing" the small ones though it has taken me a while to get to this point. This one was photographed on one of the paths at Borderland State Park in Easton, MA last week. They are actually considered fairly common though I had never photographed one before. Aren't its markings beautiful, while not as colorful as the Tiger Swallowtail I think it is just as pretty.

I don't usually post two close up photographs in the same update, but I really love this photo of a blooming wood anemone that I made at Daniel Webster on Sunday. The oak wood stand in the sanctuary had many pockets of these lovely spring wild flowers. White flowers can be hard to capture in a photograph, I feel this one is particularly good.

That is it for today, per usual comments are welcome.

Pen and Ink, and a visit to see Goya at MFA

I know it is November and #inktober is officially over, but I was creating pen and ink works prior to the event and I will continue to work with it now that it is over. Esp. as I cut several 6 inch squares of Bristol Board that I didn't end up using. I hate to waste paper so expect to see more of these small drawings in the weeks to come.

The one above I finished last night, Nov. 1st, so I may count it as part of the #inktober works. It is a pen drawing of an Anemone I photographed down on the Cape a couple of years ago. I did the inking of the flower using my 4x0 technical pen, the background is a combination of blue and green copic fineliners. I went for a simple crosshatch and I rather like how it looks like linen fabric behind the flower.

Last week to distract myself from the fact that I am not in Houston with friends admiring quilts I traveled into Boston to the MFA to see the Goya - Order and Disorder exhibit. All I can say is WOW, what wonderful prints and drawings that man made, and oh yes he painted some nice portraits also. But I hadn't realized that he was such a proficient printmaker, intaglio (etching, engraving, aquatint) and lithograph. And prior to either he created drawings, wonderful pen drawings with ink washes.

This show is unusual as they are displaying so many of his paper works, the type of work that is usually left out of a major show, or if not entirely left out at least only plays a minor role in the exhibit. I would say for this show at least half the items displayed are on paper.

OK back to the matter at hand which is explaining the above drawing. On my trip into Boston I first stopped at Dick Blicks to stock up on some more colored pens. Then I headed over to the MFA. But prior to entering the museum I took the time to eat some lunch (I bring it from home, much cheaper) sitting on one of the benches outside the museum. I also took the time to play with some of my new pens. So above is the sketch I made of some trees that line the Green Line Tracks that run in front of the museum. See the photograph toward the bottom of this post for the actual view. I didn't spend too long on this, it was a bit chilly and I wanted to get inside to see the exhibit.

The above drawing I made while resting in one of the rooms in the exhibit. I happened to be sitting in front of her/it so decided to take the time to draw it. This is Goya's famous portrait of the Duchess of Alba. She is pointing to the bottom of the painting where Goya's name is prominently displayed. The man liked to self advertise, painting himself into group portraits or as here having his name pointed out. Done in one of my .5.5 x 8.5 sketchbooks with a mechanical pencil.

I find I have only a certain amount of attention that I can pay in these major shows, after about an hour and a half or so I am saturated and not really taking in what I am seeing/reading. Lucky for me, I live close to Boston and can go back at least several more times so I can take in what I missed last week on another visit.

Photographs are not allowed in the exhibit, so I don't have any to share. The show will be in Boston until January 19, 2015. Anyone in the Metro Boston area should make the effort to come in and visit.

A view of the Green Line tracks with their line of landscaped trees, showing off fall colors. This was made from a bench that is in front of the MFA in Boston. Buildings across the way and in the background are part of some college/University.

First I want to say, this photograph is not upside down. I was photographing the yellowing maple leaves that were hanging over a stream when I realized what a perfect reflection was being made in the water below and photographed that also. So the wall, trees and sky are only reflections. We have had enough rain lately that the water level in the stream is back up to a more acceptable level, and though it looks still it was actually flowing at a pretty good clip.

That is it for today, per usual comments are welcome.

Doodles, sketches and #inktober

I fear I am slacking off again with the #inktober drawings. Though I did manage to finish the one above. It is a second look at a still life I set up of 2 apples and a pear, this time with a simpler background and I used colored inks for the fills. I had a bit of trouble getting the color of the pear approximately right, it was a Bosc pear and they are more brown then green or red, but the browns I have aren't quite the right shade so I added several different colors in an attempt to get it right.

Still I am not displeased with the results. The shapes end up relatively simple which I rather like. Hmm trying to remember the artist who liked to outline in black. Maybe I can channel Cezanne he did a lot of still life's as I recall, though of course he used paint not ink and in his later works wasn't using shadows.

I was at the library yesterday for a while and did the above pen sketch of a fellow patron sitting at one of the benches. Not great I should have used a pen with a broader tip, but still not too bad for a quick sketch.

While I was at the library I watch the 2nd Nature show about penguins which was filmed using penguin-cams. Models of penguins, eggs, and chicks which contained cameras which they used to film the breeding birds. While watching I tried to make some quick sketches of some of the actors. Top a Emperor Penguin chick, they have such distinctive markings, Then a couple of other penguins including a side view of an adult Emperor Penguin. Started drawing in pen and then moved to pencil as I needed to be able to erase and make corrections.

They are such strange looking birds, but the sketching was rather fun, and the filming is amazing, a must see program if you didn't catch it when it aired.

For something entirely different a pen doodle, done using various micron pens. Several different colors here, orange, red, purple and even a touch of green, and of course black. Just playing around with this one, sometimes these doodles become a more finished work, but this one while I like some of its features is I think a dead end otherwise.

I have been watching this bush/plant since spring when I photographed its frost damaged leaves to use for a watercolor project. Finally it is in bloom, Better late than never, though this plant needs to be pretty frost hearty blooming this late in the year. I believe this is a type of Shasta Daisy, though most of those I see in gardens bloom earlier in the summer, like in July. It might have been delayed in blooming by our dry summer, sill I hope it isn't killed off too quickly by the coming cold.

That is it for today, per usual comments are welcome.

More Ink, #inktober and other

 I admit it, I have been slacking off, well at least as far as doing one #inktober work a day. I also admit that I am not good with daily challenges, I don't like following routines too closely, and "must do's" definitely put me off.  That said I have not been totally ignoring the challenge I just haven't quite kept up. Above is my piece for October 13. I went back to the theme of fish, but this time drew two and used some of my colored pens for the ink work.

Per usual there are some things I would have done differently but on the whole I rather like this piece. The fish are based on some images of carp that I have in my Photo reference Library. though they aren't exact copies of any of them, the coloring is from my imagination.

Last Friday I was in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. my purposed in heading up that way was to visit some of the Harvard museums, The Peabody, and The Natural History. After wandering through the museums and around the Square (which I almost don't recognize) I walked down MA Ave. to Central square. There I visited the Dick Blick store they have opened in Cambridge. I wasn't really intending to buy anything I just wanted to see what they had on hand, when I saw the display of Coptic Markers and found the black .03 and .05 sized ones. I have been reading about them in the WetCanvas pen and ink forum so though I should buy a couple and give them a try. They also had a green marker in the .05 size, I liked the color so purchased that also.  

Long story shortened, I used the pens to create the above drawing, it is more or less just a doodle, but I rather like how it came out so I am considering it my pen work for Oct. 14 even though it was done in my sketchbook and not on the Bristol Board I have been using for all my other #inktober works.

I picked up a dried flower/seed head of Queen Anns Lace on my way to the bus depot last Friday, and tried my best to draw what it looked like. Two views, one a side view and one from the top down. I didn't try to draw it exactly but to do enough line work to give the impression of what it looked like. I think I was semi successful.

Above are two photographs from the Peabody museum. The top is a shrine they had set up on the 3rd floor where the space is devoted to Central/South American cultures. The shrine is for the Day of the Dead Celebrations (Dia de Muertos) so are the side panels shown in the 2nd photograph.  This holiday (Oct. 31 to Nov. 2) is celebrated in Mexico and other South/Central American countries. I am not sure if the display is permanent or because the Holiday is coming within a few weeks.

I have to say the artwork is both arresting and colorful.

As for the museums, I found them interesting and worth the visit, but I don't think I will be heading back to either soon. The Natural History museum has a lot of very dusty faded looking stuffed animals. Since most of the animals are probably getting on in age it isn't surprising, I had though I could make photographs of them to use as drawing references, but the fur/feathers are so faded that the images would have been useful only for shape/form. Though they do have other exhibits that are well thought out and set up (minerals, NE woods), if I had a child under say 14 it would be a wonderful museum to visit.

One last photograph, I think these yellow leaves belong to an Ash tree, it overhangs the stream that meanders through the center of Brockton. On my trips to and from the library I pass over this stream. The afternoon I made this photograph the sun was shinning on the leaves almost making them glow.

That is it for today, per usual comments are welcome.

Plants, more in Transit drawings and a MFA visit

Another week, another trip into Boston. Again I had to wait for the Bus, not quite as long a wait as last weeks but I did wait. This week I drew one of the buses pulled up in a bay near one of the marker stanchions. Not wonderful, but not too bad either. Graphite in my sketchbook, I am using a mechanical pencil with a B lead, it works OK, but I find it a bit frustrating as while it is a fairly thin lead (0.7mm) is also isn't as pointed as I can get my leads when I sharpen them and I miss having that sharp tip for details.

A fellow passenger on the Red Line into Boston. While in a way I am happy that most passengers occupy themselves with their smart phone/readers/tablets whatever, meaning they never notice I am drawing them. It does give me a skewed look at their faces (tilted down), which isn't always the view I would prefer to draw. Oh well, I will take what I can get.

I rather liked the cap and wish I had done a slightly better job of it.

Some of the rose bushes the city has planted along the edge of a parking lot are producing the largest rose hips I have seen. Anyway the above pen and ink drawing is of one of them portraying two different views, side view and top down. Just a quick sketch with one of my technical pens in my sketchbook.

A quick sketch of a small flower/plant that I picked on my walk to the bus station. I don't know what it is as I didn't recognize it, a light purple flower with more rays than petals. I don't think it is a wild flower, maybe some kind of herb escaped into the lawn.

At long last (it has been about a month) an update on the Mandala I am working on. I finally made some decisions about the outer ring, have the poppies drawn/inked in and have started coloring them. I have also started drawing the other decorations that will go into that ring but so far haven't started inking them. That job really needs to be finished soon as I can't start on the backgrounds until I have finished inking and erased my pencil lines. Still quite a bit of work to go, but I am making progress.

Above are two photographs from the MFA Bright Matter exhibit. The top is an installation work that was set in a room by itself, painting on mirrors that reflect the bright lights onto the walls casting shadows. The bottom two images are paintings/collages that are a contrasting pair.

The artist is Shinique Smith and she uses a lot of fabric in her art. She not only collages fabric into her paintings but creates soft sculptures with stuffed animals and clothing she has acquired. I have a feeling she is a frequent visitor to her local thrift/second hand stores.

I didn't expect to like her art, there is a lot of modern art that I think is really junk that is being called "ART" by some supposed "expert", but I did. I love her use of color and the curving lines that she tends to use appeal to me.

I did a lot of wandering around the MFA on this visit, trying to get to know the old wings and the new in relationship to each other. I think I saw most of the special exhibits even if I didn't take time to examine them on this visit. Course the museum is so large that I think it will take me quite a few more visits before I become totally familiar with what is where and can find my away around without getting a bit lost.

Last image today is of a Sugar Maple that is growing in my neighborhood. It is obviously changing colors, with these glorious reds and oranges. Coincidentally the colors here are repeats of the colors used in one of Shinique's paintings above, cool blue (sky) hot red orange (leaves) with dark branches instead of black lines.

I have a feeling the owners of the house/yard where this tree stands have no clue it is a sugar maple. I have to wonder if the original owners used to tap their tree in the spring.

I worry about these trees, here in MA we are getting toward the southern range of the Sugar Maple, they like cold winters and I worry that with global warming these trees with their beautiful fall color won't survive in my area.

Just a FYI the only thing I did to this photograph was to crop it, colors are pretty much as they are in real life, enjoy.

That is it for today, per usual comments are welcome.

More Watercolor and some colored pencil

Above is another plein air watercolor painting. I wasn't in the mood to spend a lot time at something so I chose what I thought would be a simple if not entirely quick subject, a blooming rose. Hmm, I suppose it would have been easier if in the middle of my session the petals hadn't started dropping off one by one. I didn't touch it, but there was a bit of a breeze and I guess that was enough.

Not sure how successful this is, but at least I tried. Next time I try a flower I need to see if I can find one that isn't pink.

After a trip to the Library yesterday I, per usual, wandered over to the nearby park. Wasn't in the mood to try another watercolor after my problems with the rose so ended up making a quick sketch of a youngish girl accompanied by an older woman. I have a feeling she was some sort of caregiver, but really don't know. They sat for a bit at one of picnic tables, long enough for me to manage the quick sketch.

I am using a mechanical pencil and I don't really like the lead. I have a feeling it might be a 2H as I don't seem to be able to get the darks as easily or as quickly as I would prefer. But I want to draw in pencil and don't want to haul a pencil sharpener with  me, so mechanical pencils are my best option. Maybe I can find a softer lead to replace what I have in the pencil. I will have to look the next time I out and about.

I wasn't totally pleased with it when I was working on it, but looking at it now I think the one tree isn't as poorly done as I had originally thought. Though it is really buildings that I should be trying to work on, as I am not terribly good with them, and I would like to include buildings in my watercolors at some point.

Above are some leaves and a flower stalk of the Linden Tree. The park where I made the above drawing has a couple of Linden trees, and somewhat to my surprise I also discovered there was one growing in the next door neighbors yard. Exactly how it got there I am not sure, since I am pretty sure it wasn't planted by the homeowner.

The ones in the park haven't quite started blooming by the one next door already has little yellow flowers. The leaves are a glossy green, and it is an attractively shaped tree. The main veins of the leaves are much lighter colored than the surrounding leaf.

Drawn first with pencil in my sketch book then color added by using colored pencil.

Above is an update on the stipple project, I didn't get a lot done but the structure of the leaf is starting to become apparent.

This last image is a close up photograph of a milkweed flower. They are really quite intricate. Above you can see not only a full front view but a side view of the flowers. Pink against green, it appears to be one of my favorite color combinations, at least for photographs.

That is it for today, per usual comments are welcome.

A Portrait, a Watercolor and Stipple Update

A fairly quick graphite drawing of a young girl wearing a hat from a photo reference posted to the WetCanvas Photo Library. Isn't she cute. I think it took me as long to get the hat the right size as it did to draw everything else. It started way to small to fit not only her head but anyone human. Thankfully I realized it and was able to correct it.

Next time I need to draw a hat on someone I will try to remember to draw the whole head first then add the hat over it. If I had done that the drawing would have been finished much faster.

Drawn in one of my sketchbooks with mostly a B lead.

Managed to get out to one of the parks this week with my newly finished watercolor sketchbook. There was a pair of mallards sitting in the grass, I started with the female then added the male. Unfortunately they moved before I finished painting the male and I decided to not try to do much more with him. He is starting his summer molt, so while his head is still green some brown feathers are starting to replace the white ones on his belly besides the some of the grey ones on his back. Mallard males in eclipse (brown feathers) can't fly so they need to find a home where they can find food and will be safe from predators.

The next challenge was to paint the background. Not sure how successfully I managed that. Ah well no one has said that painting outdoors is easy. Just have to keep at it. I did add a few pen lines to the finished dry painting to help define the male ducks bill, and the texture of the tree trunks.

I have always known but am still rediscovering that painting tree trunks that don't look like a total mess is hard, esp. when the tree is fairly close. Still haven't quite figured out how to handle them, but I think these aren't quite as bad as my previous attempts.

The above is a stem with some leaves and flowers of a Saint Johns Wort plant. This is another of those medicinal plants that early European settlers brought with them to the new world. It escaped from those early gardens and now can be found growing wild in meadows and waste areas. It is toxic to grazing animals so needs to be kept out of pastures. It is still used in herbal medicine.

Since traditionally the herb would be picked for celebrations around this time of year I thought it an appropriate image for today's Solstice.

My drawing was done first with pencil then inked with some brown ink and finally I added some colored pencil. The plants can be very bushy which I haven't totally managed to convey, but otherwise I am fairly pleased with this.

An update on how my stipple piece is coming along. Mainly more work in the upper right hand corner though I also started more work in other areas.

The reddish seed pods above are growing on a Redbud tree. Since it is still early days with these pods they are still quite flat with only hints of the seeds that will be developing inside. I find it interesting that the seed pods on the white blooming Redbud trees are just green with no hit of red.

I just like this photograph with hints of green against a blue sky.

That it is for today per usual comments are welcome.