Stunned Towhee

We were living in WV at the time out in Farmington after we bought the only other house on the hill where Ron and Cristy lived.  We had a couple of feeders out back and during a certain time of day, birds would by accident fly into the window seeing reflections of trees.

This little guy hit hard and we went out to see if he was OK.  At first he didn't move but we could tell he was still alive.  I checked to see if a wing was broke or if he acted like he broke his neck but didn't appear either was the case.  As I sat out with him on the back porch, he started moving staying in a sitting position.  He moved his head around so I knew his neck was OK.  I stroked the back of his head and neck and then just sat there watching him as he kept a close eye on me.  Finally after about 20 to 30 minutes, I stood up and he flew off.  

Procreate using BJD Standard Inker for the line drawing and the eye.  Used Painting/Watercolor brush tool for the rest of the drawing and Airbrush/Soft for the shadow.  When smudging and erasing, I used the same brush tools as I used for putting down color.

With this one, I worked the line drawing for guidance only.  Decided not to include that layer in the final results as I didn't want a Pen and ink/wash look.

Honeybell Oranges

One of the sweetest oranges we've ever tasted and by far the juiciest is the Honeybell.  It's surprising the time of the year they are ready to harvest starting around the end of December / beginning of January.  And even after a couple freeze warnings we've had, they are still going strong.  What is left remain inside the tree canopy and they are huge and very orange.  

We have several neighbors we share these with so not to go to waste.  One lady uses them in her fruit cakes, which is the best we have ever had.  Terry bags several for Madison's bus driver and neighbors who are unable to come pick their own, Terry will bag and take to them. 

Honeybells are a cross hybrid of tangerine and grapefruit.  They are very easy to peel and only have minimum seeds.   The one tree we have is very productive and here soon fruit will be replaced with an abundance of flowers.

QoR Watercolors / TWSBI 580ALR w/Lexington Grey ink / 6x8 Journal with old stock of Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper.

Son's Cat - Kiddo

Thought I would attempt Kiddo again hoping to get closer to capturing her likeness.  It's not exact but I'm closer than I've been able to get in prior attempts.

A white cat for me is rather difficult to sketch especially trying to add shadow without taking away from the white.  

Kiddo is a mix of some sort with Siamese.  Her eyes are different from what we're used to seeing in cats with a solid black most of the time versus the diamond slit.  Her tail is black and white like a racoon's tail while the rest of her is pure white except for a few markings on the top of her head and face.

She's always been very high spirited while at the same time a very loving cat.  My son will at times refer to her as being a bit "crazy" due to how she for some reason will tear through the house as if her tail was on fire or some unseen creature chasing her.  And it always seemed like a certain time of the evening when she would do this.

She's 17 years old and has been with us since a kitten ... born August 1, 2004.

UPDATE 02/17/21:  After viewing on screen, there was something nagging at me that just didn't look right.  After studying the results, it hit me the eyes just didn't cut it for me.  I didn't like the hard edges of the pupils and they needed to be enlarged fitting the eye socket better.

Now I'm happier with the results.

Practice Blending - Dogwood

One of my all-time favorite trees has always been the Dogwood.  I absolutely LOVE the flowers and such a beautiful sight to see welcoming Spring....at least living up North.  We haven't seen them here in Florida and not sure they can be grown here.

I was going through my photos and those I've taken of our dogwood trees (growing wild on the hill we used to live on in West Virginia) grabbed my attention.  I thought they would make a great subject to practice blending and softening hard edges.

Choosing a brown color, I used an Inking brush tool to sketch simple lines.  Then used the Smudge brush tool to pull color from the lines and blend out.

Had this been done using pencil on paper, I would have worked the same way using a tortillon or paper stump.

Initial line drawing before smudging/blending:

February Monthly Theme Continued - Fishing

To continue with my monthly theme "Hobbies - Materials/Supplies", I worked this page with fishing in mind.  A recreational activity I sorely miss but find it difficult to participate in....at least in the way I prefer to fish.

Fishing from a kayak is my top choice as I can maneuver in places a boat cannot get to, plus, I can go where I want to go at any given time.  Unlike if sharing a boat with someone.

Going out in a kayak living in Florida is a bit more unsettling for me.  While living up north, we didn't have alligators to worry about sharing the waters with.  Even with the added stability and security of a sit-on-top kayak, that constant concern seeing a gator was always on my mind.  Made it a bit difficult to really relax and enjoy being out on the water.  But for the first several years living in Florida, I would go out with Terry and Travis.  Unfortunately, the issues I face with back and leg make it even less enjoyable going out, so I haven't been fishing in the last couple of years.

TWSBI 580ALR / Lexy Grey ink, Journal with Fabriano Artistico (old stock), QoR watercolors.

Sketched in ink 02/07/21 and added color 02/10/21

Flowers - Pen and Ink

Here is my pen and ink for the month using the TWSBI 580 ALR with Lexy Grey ink.  Sketched in journal made with Fabriano Artistico (old stock) paper.

This flower stalk was in an arrangement Sis surprised Terry and I with when we went to visit her and Dusty back in 2012.  They managed a RV park in Rockport, TX, that also had cabins one could rent.  They always made sure the cabin next to where they were set up was available for us to rent.  Walking inside we were greeted with a flower arrangement sitting on a table.  

Bird Sketching

A couple other goals I've set myself for the year are working at least one digital, one graphite, and one fountain pen ink sketch per month.  

While watching (actually listening to) TV, I worked these birds in two different mediums.

This ink sketch is using Procreate = Technical ink tool.  A practice using hatching and cross hatching to achieve my values.

For a graphite sketch, I worked this hummingbird from a photo taken back in 2011 when we lived in West Virginia.  

Worked in Alpha journal I have designated for graphite only drawings.  Used my Pentel Graphgear 1000 mechanical pencil, size .7

Monthly Themes 2021 - A Yearly Personal Goal

Finally, I have decided on a few art goals for 2021.  One is to work a monthly theme.  The idea is to create a minimum of three to six illustrations or sketches in my journal that would fit the theme throughout the month.  Unlike a daily challenge, this might be a little easier to accomplish....especially during those down times when the motivation is lacking.

I sat down and listed a page full of theme ideas (so far 19 ideas).  My plan is to have Terry or even ask Alexa to choose a number between 1 and 19 (or how ever many I end up with as I continue adding to the list) and then match the numbered item on my list.  For February, Alexa chose #7 which is Hobbies - Materials/Supplies.

Although I hadn't come up with this until recent, if January had a theme, it would probably be flowers since that was the primary subject I leaned towards sketching after my son gifted me with flowers.

What I like about this particular theme is the wide range it covers providing quite a number of sketching subjects.  

Although I have gone over and above the minimum early in the month, I still have several other hobbies I can sketch about between now and the 28th of February.