Gus the Bulldog

Sorry it's been awhile. I've been creating a few new creative outlets for myself - I will share about those soon.

In the meantime, I am so excited to post my very favorite painting EVER. Yes, I love it THAT much.

My cousin, Rich, contacted me after having received a painting of his critter from his mom. You can see his pug, Vinnie, here. His buddy had to put down his sweet bulldog, Gus, and thought that a pet portrait would be a great way to remember him. The photos I received of Gus were epic. This dog had such personality and often looked pretty stoic. As sad as I am to hear about people losing their pets, I always feel honored to capture their spirit in a painting to remember them. So here it is, both the final project and the process.

Bird a Day #51

Yikes, I should know what this bird is! But it's a beautiful black bird with a very red orange beak. Saw him at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. 

More zoo and aquarium sketches.

So these critters don't qualify as "Bird a Day" but I wanted to share them anyway. Over the course of a long weekend, we explored both the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the San Francisco Zoo. What a neat experience getting to see new critters. I took lots of pics and got some drawing in.

Otters at Moss Landing and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. 

Reticulated Giraffes at the San Francisco Zoo.

Resting Kangaroo and Sleeping Koala at the SF Zoo.

Some sort of sheep at the Children's Petting Zoo at the SF Zoo.

Bird a Day #50

For #50 I decided to save this drawing. At the Monterey Bay Aquarium we got to get up close and personal with an Albatross. It was BEAUTIFUL. And even better than just being near it, was that it enjoyed being scratched on the head like a cat. So cute. I loved this bird and getting to see it in such a unique setting. Unfortunately this drawing is in the middle of the page and our scanner had a hard time catching it - but you get the gist.

Bird a Day #49

Yet another sketchbook page. The San Francisco Zoo was a fun day for me. I got to see some new creatures and got to draw a little bit. (it started raining and wet pages make for sloppy drawings) I did get to draw inside for a bit despite the rain. Here is the scarlet ibis for #49.

Bird a Day #48

Another sketchbook page. This time from the San Francisco Zoo. You just can't go wrong with African Penguins. They might be one of my favorites to draw. Such characters and personality.

Bird a Day #47

If you've been around this blog awhile, you will know that I once challenged myself to draw daily. Well, like most of my art, that took a hiatus. However, I have been wanting to try it again. So interspersed with other artwork I will re-start the bird a day. For #47 I'm posting a page from my sketchbook that I did recently. So maybe it could count for four? Just kidding. We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and saw puffins. I was floored. They are pretty cool creatures. Here are some drawings of them.

Peanut.

I've had the pleasure of painting critters for Joan three times now. She started as a friend of a dear friend, but has now become a friend of mine too. You may remember Max and Zoe. This is her new critter Peanut and what a character she is. I love seeing pictures of her and man, is she gorgeous! Thanks Karen for loving me enough to commission artwork for your dear friends and thanks Joan for being such a lovely person to paint for. You both are so encouraging!

Peanut.

Jellyfish.

A friend here commissioned me to create a jellyfish piece for a friend of hers. It was a fun challenge and definitely not something I normally do. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this critter. Yes, jellyfish can still be considered critters. 

Cara's Birthday.

This is quite an old piece as Cara's birthday was New Year's Eve but still never too late to post a piece. 

For Cara.

More Jack Russells.

Similar to my sisters, my in-laws have had jack russells most of their lives. They raised them and bred them and really just loved the critters. In the almost seven years I've known them, there were three critters that I got to know - Badger, Lexi, and Maggie. Unfortunately, over the past few years they have all had to be put down. They lived long healthy lives and brought A LOT of joy into our lives. I painted these guys for my mother in law's birthday and am happy to share them finally. 

Badger

Lexie

Maggie

A few new cards.

So I've been terrible about posting. But fortunately it is not because I haven't been creating. I've been doing a lot actually. I wanted to get some updates so I thought I would start with a few things I documented quickly on my phone. I know, I know, I should be scanning ALL of these. But sometimes the quickness of creating them doesn't allow for that. So here are some cards I created for various purposes. I've really enjoyed experimenting more and more with what watercolors can do.

Birthday card for Matt.

Birthday card for Lisa. 

(I wish I had a better pic of this)

Birthday card for Lisa.

(There are two fantastic Lisa's out here)

Card for a friend of a friend who lost this sweet critter.

The gorgeous Peanut for Joan's birthday, commissioned by Karen.

(There's an oil of this one coming soon)

Hope you enjoy! Look for more posts as I slowly get my act together. :)

Thomas, Patrick, and Abby

My sisters dogs are no strangers to this blog. I realized I had never done a piece with all three of her dogs in one picture. I decided to fix that and add to the growing collection of her pet portraits for Christmas. :)
(It isn't the best scan but this pushed the limit on the size my scanner can hold)

From left to right: Abby, Thomas and Patrick.

Hurley.

This sweet critter belonged to my friend, Joey and her family. Unfortunately, Hurley is no longer around, so Joey wanted a portrait for her dad for Christmas. I'm always honored to get to capture a loved pet for a gift. I also love getting to hear the stories when they are surprised with them. :)

Hurley, the dog.