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

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.

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 

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

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 

Underwater Amazon illustration

My newest commission. Manatees and mangrove trees in the Amazon. The over/under scenes are very fun to imagine and design.

Luna Moth Watercolor Illustration

As promised, here is my watercolor of the Luna Moth I saw in Maine. It was quite fun to paint and such a nice shade of green I don't get to use too often. I love the fern antennae.
A little series of colorful moths would be fun, don't you think? 

Luna Moth Print in my shop

Lobster Buoys Watercolor Painting

Lobster Buoys
11x14" - watercolor and gouache

My newest painting, an illustration of lobster buoys. It was a lot of fun finding the different types of buoys to include and choosing all the colors. Two of these I bought in Maine at a roadside antique store - the large yellow and black one and the narrow orange and green. The are both wooden buoys likely over 100 years old, and hand hewn/carved.

In Maine i learned buoys like the large yellow and black one were hung off of the boat and were color coded with the boat's lobster buoys. Supposedly the harbor master was then able to look through binoculars and make sure boats didn't steal from someone else's lobster traps.

I painted this with a combination of watercolor and gouache. Gouache is a new medium for me. I bought my first set of gouache paints a couple months ago. It's pretty similar to watercolors and i think I've picked it up pretty well, but I see it has it's own tricks and subtleties. I hadn't originally planned on using gouache in this illustration, but it did a good job of portraying the layers of peeling paint. It's useful, I think I may use it more in the future.

Can't wait to make another trip to Maine in a month. It's given me a lot of inspiration this past year.

As usual, prints are in my Etsy shop
Buoy Print

Pirate Ship Illustration

I just added a new 11x14" print in my Etsy Shop. It's a fun illustration with a pirate ship and all sorts of sea animals.

My sister in law is an interior designer and I drew this for a kid's pirate room she is putting together, I will post more about that later - hopefully with some cool pictures.

Pirate Ship Illustration Print on Etsy

Here are some details.

Flags, sails, and a jolly roger

 The sea creatures include lots of fish, whale flukes, sharks, jellyfish, an octopus and turtle!

New owls

I'll have a fun new illustration for Studio Tuesday up tomorrow, but in the meantime... i've put up a couple new owl illustrations at my owl project website. This nighttime desert scene with an Elf Owl, Saguaros, and large Agaves was especially fun to paint.
Check out the other new owls at 100owls.com!

In other news I finally began using twitter. You can follow me here:
twitter.com/dswatercolor

Salamander art

Spent the last couple days reading about and drawing salamanders. I've always been fascinated by them. It's fun to go looking for them under rocks and logs.
Here's what I came up with. Titled Salamander Hunt

I know a lot more about Salamanders than i did a few days ago. These are loosely based on an assortment of North American salamanders. Actually the patterns are all pretty accurate, but I took some artistic liberty with some colors. I just wanted to make a fun salamander print rather than an ID type thing.

A couple prints in my shop
5x7 Salamander Art Print
8x10 Salamanders Print

Also, I don't recommend eating cold pasta and reading about salamanders. It's somewhat disconcerting.

African animal series

I've finished the last of a little series of African plains animals. Elephants, zebras, and giraffes. It was a fun challenge drawing a completely new set of animals and habitat.

Narwhal illustration

Another Arctic illustration. Narwhals under pack ice.

Arctic Fox watercolor illustration

Drew an Arctic Fox last night. Not sure if I will include it in the series, but still pleased how it turned out.

Killer Whale illustration

This is the first of a little series of Arctic animal illustrations.
A killer whale and fish in an icy ocean, complete with snow and icebergs.

Up in my shop: Killer Whale illustration
The whole series will be available to buy in one set when I'm finished!

Zebras illustration

This is a 5x7" illustration commission I finished up about a week ago.

The zebras were tough to figure out how to transform into my style, although it looks obvious after seeing it. The baobab trees in the background were much easier to draw - and fun. They are an odd looking tree, but suit this minimal style well i think.

Below is a pre-watercolored scan of it.