New Blog and Website

I've just redesigned my studio tuesday website and will be hosting my blog there.

You can find my new blog here:
http://studiotuesday.com/blog/

Come check it out and follow for new work and weekly updates!

You can paste this address into your google reader or blogger reading list to keep following.
http://studiotuesday.com/blog/

Thanks,
david

January Dog watercolors

This is some of the custom work i've done this past month, a couple dog watercolor portraits. I like how this little white dog below turned out. He looks a lot like Snowy from the Tintin comics.

It's been bitter cold recently, and it's been nice to stay inside and work on these. Both of these were fun paintings. Dog eyes are fun to paint, and both of these little dogs have very expressive eyes.

I've uploaded a good amount of new pet portraits from the last couple months to my dswatercolors.com gallery. Lots of new cats and dogs. You can check them out here: Pet commission gallery

A muddy walk

A lot of rain and snow recently. My walk in the woods the other day was very muddy - fun but exhausting. Lots of birds out and animal prints in the mud. Below, a raccoon track.

Maine boathouse landscape

A new watercolor and ink illustration. This one is of a little boathouse on Vinalhaven island off the coast of Maine. We took the ferry out to the island very early, and hit some dense patches of fog, which was very pretty. Large tidal areas and little spits of land full of pines. Lots of lobster fishing here, a good percentage of the island's population are lobstermen.

It's fun drawing complex subjects in this style. Landscapes are an interesting challenge. This one is 11x14", on the larger side for me.


Prints in the shop: Boathouse illustration

Below: Detail of the boathouse and the unique weather vane.

Barn Owl Art

I'm starting to get back into the swing of things after a bit of a break after the busy Holiday season. Lots to paint and draw. For now here is a new owl illustration. A Barn Owl portrait for my 100 owls project.

For prints check out my 100 owls shop.

Winter walk and birds

Managed to get out on a little walk before the rain. A grey, but balmy morning. Lots of birds out. Below, a Junco in a White Pine.  

Also saw this little mohawked duck diving for fish, a female Hooded Merganser.

Northern Lights Illustration

A new illustration of the Northern Lights and an Arctic Fox. I tend to work pretty fast, but was one of those pieces that stayed in the studio for a while. It took a bit of work to get the sky looking right.

The Northern Lights remind me of Christmas, so the idea was always for this one to be a Christmas Card.

Northern Lights Christmas Cards
Northern Lights Print

Exploring a foggy Maine island

Some images from my trip to Maine this year. These are from Hog Island in the Muscongus Bay. We stayed at the Audubon camp on the island for several days.

Beautiful fog the first couple days. Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Eiders, Loons, and Guillemots.

As usual, spent lots of time exploring the beaches and tidal zones.

Lobster boat from Bremen going out to work.
Below - moss, lichen, and old man's beard everywhere.

We also found wild Orchids. I've wanted to see them in the wild since I became interested in plants, so seeing these was a highlight. I didn't even know they grew this far north.

Owl illustrations

Yesterday I spent the day drawing owls. So I added a couple new things to the 100 Owls Shop.

The first is a Barn Owl print. This one has a field full of haystacks and a starry sky. Haystacks are quite fun to draw.

The other is a Snowy Owl Christmas card. It's simple and fun, a Snowy Owl and falling snow.

Egrets at the Wetlands Institute, NJ

From my New Jersery Trip. This is at the Wetlands Institute. Lots of Egrets this year.

A Snowy Egret with his "yellow galoshes".

Sea Turtle drawing

Every so often, since I started drawing these animals, someone will ask if I have any sea turtle illustrations. So this one has been a long time coming, partly for that reason but also because I think they are such neat animals. Not the easiest creature to draw though, this one took a lot of sketching.
I was very pleased finishing this one up, but my wife thought something was missing (she usually has the final look over stuff). I agreed (though reluctantly, since it is always nerve wracking to add stuff at that point). After some contemplating the palm trees became a little last minute addition.

Sea Turtle
Ink and Watercolor
Sea Turtle art print 5x7 

Birding: American Oystercatchers

Just got back from my week at the beach. We saw a lot more American Oystercatchers this year. Now I know where to look for them. Here are a couple of them at a tidal pool. They really stand out in the mixed flocks of shorebirds.

American Oystercatchers
Stone Harbor, NJ

Animal illustration

Deciding on some different animals to illustrate. Any thoughts? You can vote at my facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/studiotuesday

Firefly illustration

Just experimenting with a little firefly illustration. I love when they come out in the evenings, one of the best parts of summer.

Fireflies illustration
watercolor, ink, guoache

A summer walk

Went tromping around some meadows with the binoculars yesterday evening. Didn't see too many birds, but there were a lot of butterflies. Yellow Swallowtails, Black Swallowtails, Monarchs, and many smaller ones I don't know the names of. I will have to get a nice butterfly guide sometime.

An Eastern Towhee singing from the top of a cedar was the birding highlight. Also some goldfinches, a Pheobe, and Turkey Vultures soaring overhead. I guess it will be another month till the warblers come though.

Black Cat Watercolor Painting

I painted this watercolor portrait of my cat, Tintin, last week. I don't think Tintin is a typical black cat. His fluffy, shorter than average tail sticks straight up most of the time. He loves to eat lettuce. He knows his own name and, like any good cat, enjoys finding amusing places to nap. He also likes to do (hilarious) somersaults and slowly amble around like a miniature bear.

American Oystercatcher - shore bird art

I guess this illustration might be coming a bit late in the year, but I'm just getting in the mood for the beach. I'm taking a late summer vacation at the beach in a few weeks. I love going to the shore late in the summer. It's a nice time of year there and there are a lot of neat birds around. I always get in the mood to go birding when I am out there.
This is a illustration I finished up yesterday of an American Oystercatcher. It is a larger shorebird and has a bright orange beak and eye ring. I drew this one at the shore line with starfish and sea urchins, where you often see them wading for oysters and mussels and such.

The inspiration for the illustration. A tidal marsh at Stone Harbor where I've seen Oystercatchers, Herons, Terns, Sandpipers, Plovers, and other shorebirds.

A mixed flock of different Terns and shorebirds.
I haven't done much bird watching this year. Can't wait to get out the binoculars and leave for the shore!

As usual, you can find prints in the shop:
American Oystercatcher 5x7 Print

Elephant Seals - Animal Illustration

Been busy with commissions and illustration work. Here is a recent animal commission of Elephants Seals. It's a larger 11x14" illustration.

Make sure to click for the larger size, I think it makes all the difference on this one.

Also a new illustration for my 100 owls project. 3 owlets in a tree. You can read about it on the 100 owls website.

Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Art

A Chesapeake Bay illustration seemed overdue, since i do live nearby. This is Thomas Point Shoal Light, near Annapolis. It is a screwpile, a quintessential Chesapeake lighthouse. Accompanied by some other common Bay sights... sailboats, gulls, jellyfish and a crab.

watercolor and ink. 2012
8x10 lighthouse print

Starfish watercolor

Just a fun starfish illustration.

Original starfish illustration watercolor and gouache. 2012