Hello Friend!

My husband and I had to travel to Detroit, Michigan recently.

I messaged my blogging friend, Patty Anne who I knew lived in the area for suggestions on good restaurants.

Not only did Patty Anne have some great food ideas, she rearranged her schedule so we could meet in person! I was thrilled!!

Hello friend!!

We met for dinner and each of us brought an art journal or two to share. We had a blast! I so LOVE Patty Anne’s art!! Seeing her creativity in person was an extra special treat!

And speaking of treats, she made me this sweet little birdy in watercolor:

She even tied it with a bow and added a couple of her special flowers!

I am so touched by her kindness.

We were having so much fun that we forgot to take a photo of us together which just means we have to get together again!

I have been practicing art in “Patty Anne’s style” so I can make her a little gift.

Thanks Patty Anne for such an enjoyable evening. Your friendship across the miles was the highlight of my trip!

Cheers to Blogging Friendships! 🙂

PS. I do hope you check out Patty Anne’s art if you aren’t familiar with it! She paints with JOY!

Safe!

Since Baseball season is underway, my husband is a big Seattle Mariners fan…

This weird bird came out of left field today…

And crossed home “plate” just in time to be called, Safe!

Baseball Home Plate Trivia:

Did you know that prior to 1899, any round object could serve as as home base?  (At times a dish even served as home base which may have led to its alternative name, “home plate.”

In the 1899/1900 season, home base changed its shape to a 12×12 inch square to match the other bases.

The pentagon shape that is used today was developed in the 1900/1901 season by Robert Keating.  The biggest advantage of this new shape was that it made the edges of the strike zone more visible to pitchers and umpires and therefore, improved the consistency of calling strikes.

Do you think this weird bird is a St Louis Cardinal or a Baltimore Oriole?

Hope you hit a grand slam this week!

Happy Weird Bird Wednesday!

Cheers! 🙂

The American Robin

I haven’t drawn a REAL bird in awhile so I decided to try the American Robin.  

I have been observing them outside my kitchen window snacking on dried red berries from my crabapple tree.

I started with a light pencil sketch on 140 lb cold press watercolor paper before I added a wash of color:

The robins have been fluffing up their feathers to keep themselves warm since we still have winter with more snow on the way! ;-(  Apparently, the robin’s body temperatures are 104 degrees Fahrenheit so by fluffing up their feathers they keep their bodies warm.

I finished my painting by adding details with watercolor pencils:

I will be adding this American Robin to my mixed media sketchbook.  I will show you my completed page next Monday.

When I see a Robin in winter, I will picture them a little differently now.  A sauna comes to mind… perhaps there is a future weird bird here! 🙂

Happy Friday!

Cheers! 🙂

P.S.  If you’d like to see a previous post I did on a Robin, you can find it here:  An American Robin   It is wonderful to look back and see how I am making progress in my drawing and watercolor skills!

The Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

When I saw Kathy’s photos of the gorgeous Rose-breasted Grosbeak, I knew I just had to paint it!

And since today is Draw A Bird Day, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take out my watercolors and give it a whirl!

I started with a pencil sketch first:

Added a base layer of watercolor:

And finished it with several more layers:

Check out Kathy’s blog at Backyard Bird Nerd if you haven’t already!  Her photos will make a bird lover out of you!

Cheers Friends!  🙂

A Brown-Headed Nuthatch

I like how this bird climbs headfirst down tree trunks.  I decided to try painting it in watercolor for Draw-A-Bird-Day, hosted by Laura at Create Art Everyday.  Be sure to check out her creative mixed media experiments on her blog – if you haven’t already!  🙂

I started with a quick pencil sketch before painting it with watercolor in my art journal.  I was limited on time so this sometimes helps me to fuss less – I’m happy with the results.

Happy Bird Day, Friends!!!  🙂

A Joyful Bird

I chose a Hummingbird for my “Draw A Bird” day.  A special thanks to Nina and Kerfe at Method Two Madness for hosting this month’s challenge.  Be sure to check out their blog as they will be compiling a list of participants who created a bird today.

Here is my Hummingbird in a fine black Sharpie and watercolor:

Did you know that a Hummingbird gets its name from the vibration of its wings as it hovers or flies?  Unlike any other bird, a Hummingbird can fly backward, forward and sideways.

Don’t forget to hum as you go about your day.  May the vibration bring you JOY!

Happy Creating!  🙂

Hooray, Hooray! Today Is Bird Day!

A blogger friend of mine, Create Art Everyday, created a monthly challenge to create a bird for tomorrow’s post on May 8th.  She had a wonderful tutorial on Monday on how to sketch a bird.  (If you click on her site, it will take you to her post).

I decided on a Scarlet Tanager for my bird:

The photo came from another blogger, Kathy Doremus, who claims she is a backyard bird nerd but I think she is an AMAZING and very GIFTED photographer!  (I found out about Kathy from Create Art Everyday on Monday).

I just love this blogging community!  🙂

I painted my above bird in watercolor with a little white gouache on the wings.  I messed up on getting the background perspective correct on the birdbath but I learned a ton in the process…

I also painted another Scarlet Tanager, splashing around in the birdbath:

This one I did in watercolor and color pencil.  I was trying to create a more painterly approach as I really like how this blogger, Sand Salt Moon, does her watercolors.   She makes it look easy!  🙂

I know we each have our own individual styles in art.  The more I practice, the more my style will emerge.  I just need to keep painting!

Happy Creating!

Dragon’s Breath

My husband and I went out to dinner the other night to a local German Restaurant.  My husband asked the waitress for a German beer recommendation.  She suggested a beer called, Dragon’s Breath!

This sparked my creative juices because I had just started another drawing and painting class with Val Webb.  And guess what?  I was painting a dragon!

Here is my dragon painted with gouache on hot press watercolor paper.  As you can see, he is part BIRD!

If you have never drawn anything that is fantasy, I suggest you give it a try!  Since it is totally from your imagination – it is very freeing to create.

I wasn’t totally satisfied with my dragon so I decided to add color pencils:

I like how the Prismacolor pencils really brightened it up!

Oh, and for those of you who are still thinking about the Dragon’s Breath Beer, here is a link that tells about it:

http://www.bayernbrewery.com/beer/dragons-breath.html

I can’t guarantee that it won’t give you dragon’s breath, however!

Cheers!

Raven or Crow?

I painted a rainbow bird yesterday.  I got to wondering if it was a raven or  a crow.  Do you know the difference?

According to Audubon.org –  “These two species, common ravens and American crows, overlap widely throughout North America, and they look quite similar. But with a bit of practice, you can tell them apart.

You probably know that ravens are larger, the size of a red-tailed hawk. Ravens often travel in pairs, while crows are seen in larger groups. Also, watch the bird’s tail as it flies overhead. The crow’s tail feathers are basically the same length, so when the bird spreads its tail, it opens like a fan. Ravens, however, have longer middle feathers in their tails, so their tail appears wedge-shaped when open.

Listen closely to the birds’ calls. Crows give a cawing sound. But ravens produce a lower croaking sound.”

So what do you think I painted?

A Pelican Named Trish

Last Fall, I created a Pelican in paper collage named Trish:

Recently, I created a Brown Pelican in ink and watercolor:

Did you know that unlike other pelicans, Brown Pelicans hunt by diving into water with wings partly folded in order to catch fish?

I like both of these pelicans, how about you?