One fish, sketch fish

Some fish that didn't end up getting used on a recent project.

Sketchbook: A Simple Black Cat

Bunny hop

It's just that sort of day. A couple more in this series here.

Alien Boy

Trying to work out the look of an alien character. And not have it look too creepy...

More poppies

Still painting wildflowers, this time for a garden blog banner update.

April Flowers

I keep forgetting to take my phone when I walk the dog and miss capturing photos of the wildflowers along the trail (poppies backlit by the morning sun and shady masses of dayflowers). So, the past couple of days I've tried to fix in my mind, Frederick style, how I would paint them in watercolor.

Lena, noooo!

A day in the life with a spicy kitty who knows how to inspire action. Below is the back door trim where she hangs from.

Web Update & Conference Prep

Finally brought my portfolio site up to date! Feels so good to get that off the list. And here are a few scenes from today, getting ready for the SCBWI-Houston conference. Painting some graphics for the info page of my site. Trying to get the right order on the portfolio.

Rain Cloud, part 2

Using my ink accident as a starting point for an illustration.

Just a little black raincloud

Walked away from my work table this afternoon without capping a small container of Higgins black ink (barely diluted). Add a windy day and open window, and I've got permanent art on my table where it pooled up under a piece of plexiglass. There's a flash flood warning for tonight; maybe it's a sign. And I will have to start a new practice of reading the ink spills.

Getting along with Gouache

Sketching some of my usual tools with my new favorite medium.

Playing with gouache

Gouache is a medium that I've always wanted to try out but have never quite known how to begin. I mean, even spelling it is an adventure. But I feel comfortable using watercolor, and I figured that gouache was like watercolor with the ability to go opaque. Yesterday afternoon I got to play with some colors (thanks, Marsha!), and it was a little weird. I kept expecting it to do watercolor-y things like create nice color bleeds when put on damp areas (it mostly stayed where I put it, and I had to drag a wet brush through to mix the color on the page), or dry lighter (it dries darker). It's also very easy to start out super thick, and get loads of opaque texture, which can be cool if you're expecting it. One really nice thing is how easy it is the thin out/lift dried color on the page (much easier than traditional watercolor). I'm just realizing how watercolor-geek this is sounding...

Below are some close-ups from my sketchbook (actually just a 10"X7" piece of hot press paper, on which I crammed way too much). The primary blue/marigold orange are looking a little harsh this morning, but they seemed like a good combo at the time.

In the studio: Lena vs. Brontosaurus

So, the air plant & dinosaur holder were a birthday gift (and so awesome). My kitty took it as a challenge, but at least it got her off my paints. Happy weekend! ***No plastic dinosaurs or epiphytes were harmed in the filming of this.

Flight of the whooping crane

Just nice to start out 2012 with a fresh, clean banner at the top of my blog. I've got so many unfocused pictures of whooping cranes and other waterbirds from our Christmas outing. They may not be great for sharing, but they're excellent sketching material.

Whooping Crane Christmas

This year my mother had an inspired idea to deal with the slow time between the morning gift exchange and Christmas dinner: a whooping crane tour. We bundled up and drove out to Rockport, Texas, and despite some initial hesitation when we learned we'd be on the boat for 3+ hours (the wind made it nose-freezingly-brisk, and my 14-month old nephew was with us), we boarded the Skimmer and headed out into the gray day. It was amazing. Our guide, Captain Jay, was genuinely excited about pointing out birds and sharing information, not just for the cranes, but for a peregrine falcon, a 37-year-old kite (a regular), and so many others. As for the whooping cranes, they're beautiful. And endangered. It's so strange to think that only 400 or so exist in the wild, and the majority of those winter half an hour from where I grew up. We saw two family groups (mother, father, juvenile), and a couple of adult groups. The shot above was one of the last of the day, when the sun finally broke through the clouds. Above: group of three adults, who did everything in sync Above: this couple was the closest the boat got to observe, and one is banded and wearing some sort of transmitter. I also love that the other has an orange eye, instead of the normal golden. The mother and juvenile are part of the same family unit as the bird on the left in the photo above; he's the male, chasing off some interlopers. More of the same family group. Apparently the drought raised the salinity of the water, which in turn affected the cranes' main food source: blue crabs. Instead, the birds are having to spend much more time foraging for food with less protein. I have many photos of birds with their heads in the grass. And there are lots of other non-crane bird shots, but I'll save that for the next post.

My cat's nemesis

You may think my cat looks like the tough one, all pirate-eyed in the morning light; but, in fact, this black and white, ink-lipped kitty has got several pounds on her and a lot more territorial prowess. In the past month, I've had to break up several fights/chases, always with B&W chasing my Lena. The 'bad kitty's markings are great, though, and more fun to paint than all-black. Don't tell Lena! My cat is the bossy one inside the house, regardless of size. Poor 80-lb Lloyd!

Winter fruit

The jewel tones of winter citrus and persimmons and pomegranates always make me want to break out my paints. I've been going back in my watercolor sketches with pencil to add some darks; still working that out. I actually like the photograph of the persimmon better than the scan because it shows those different textures. The etrog is something I've never seen or bought before, but the description at the grocery mentioned that it was used in a Jewish holiday and could perfume a room for weeks...very intriguing. It smells like citrus meets rose.

A cloudy landscape

A watercolor sketch from this afternoon and another "painting" project this week, one of the furniture sealant variety (two more coats to go!). Funny how they've both got the same colors.

Heirloom beans

Okay, another watercolor sketch for my goal this month (painting a day for the rest of November). Soaked heirloom beans (these were for veggie chili) just lend themselves to watercolor, so many beautiful shades...

Back in the studio with watercolor

Just getting the feel for painting again after a hiatus. The dill and radish were leftover from today's lunch. Quinacridone Rose, which I almost never use, went into both the rose and radish sketches.