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.