Fritz...a cocker spaniel

A black cocker...think LUPO, owned by Kate and William!
Pleased...been a long time and pastel worked well for me with this.
The paper is actually white not grey...but if I edit it, the dog's whites get too sharp - unnaturally so.
enjoy

Christine's Garden

Pastel   10" x 14"

A new subject for me, a garden.   My inspiration was the garden (of course) and a photo taken just 4 days ago, capturing its glorious tumble of greenery and plants.  I kept going back and looking at it, wondering where the magic was - and how I might capture the sense of, well, freedom, the wonderful rampant vegetation.   And then I just went for it...

Below is the photo that inspired the above...

Toby Pounces

Toby Pounces   14" x 12"   Pastel Sketch

My preferred style, fast.   It usually serves me well for some reason.  NOT overthinking what I'm doing but going for the essence not the detail.   It reminds me of my weekly wordjumble challenge, 6 letters to be unscrambled to make a word.  My private challenge:  how fast can I do them?   This past week it was under 30 seconds for all 5 of the words.   How I do them I've no idea - I don't consciously practice and only do it once a week.   And thus Toby's "pounce" is solved, not in 30 seconds but under 5 mins which is pleasing.

Enjoy

.

"Kitten" Griffin

Pen & Wash    Bessie, GRIFFIN, Tarka, Melvin at 7 weeks   8" x 12"

(Photo & Kits:   France Bauduin)

Above is the main man (Griff) as a kitten, mixed up with his fellow litter mates in June 2012.  It was a challenge to see if I could do a clowder of kittens.   Not perfect but it captures the essence.

Colours?   Blacks ARE very blue, and photo exaggerates same.
Actual kit colours:  Bessie, black;  Griffin, gold tabby;  Tarka, dark grey tabby;  Melvin, black and white.

It amused me that in both litters there's only one girl, she's black, and both girls have similar names:  Bessie above and Bella from the current litter - names that were chosen by their new homes.

Enjoy!

Bella & Leo

Bella, all black, and Leo, a silver tabby      Pen & Wash    9" x 12"

(Thank you France for original photo!)

Portraits of two of the kits in post below, snuggling with Griff.

Potentially tres cute but wash didn't work.  My fault since not done on true w'color paper.   It looked cool before I added the color.   I did a bit too much detail on Leo, which you can't see now.   In reality I prefer pen to compliment outline - not outline every detail.    Hey, more lessons learned.    It can all be done again.

So that's now TWO in the 'waiting for a do-over' queue!

Enjoy!

Big Bro Griff - a work in progress

Pen & Watercolor   9" x 12" - 1st sketch

Pen & Colour Pencil    9" x 12" - 2nd sketch

Big Bro Griff with his siblings, Merlin, Bella, Leo and Nevil

(thanks to France Bauduin for the original photo and many others)

Griffin is 6 months, his siblings just 4 weeks.   Yes, they do share the same Mum and Dad.   Since the kits' birth, Griffin has been fascinated and mother Laila has always allowed him to come close and be a part of their growing up.   Now they're in the playful stage and the kits adore their gentle giant of a bro - obviously the feeling is mutual.   The kits all have homes waiting (im)patiently for them...and dear Griff will sorely miss them when they leave.

As for the sketches, easy to see neither is complete.  However they give a sense, I hope, of Griff's obvious contentment with the kittens.


N.B.  France & I became email "friends" a year go, and met this summer in Montreal while she was on vacation and visiting family.  She is an amazing artist specialising in cats plus incredibly generous with news and photos of the kittens and her permanent residents - being Griff, Laila, Spookie, Uni and Apollo - not forgetting Mark, her husband!

Enjoy!

By my Grandfather....

Pen & Ink   by  George Baldwyn Read 1937

As per title - and signature - this IS by my grandfather.   I dragged it out of a cupboard today to re-mat and suddenly wondered, "Is this why I'm doing pen and wash drawings?!"   If so, thank you!

If he was this good, he must have done others.  Sadly this is the only one I know of.   Anyway, now re-matted and will be up on my wall this week.

Enjoy!

PS The subject is a Dragoon from 1704, what he worked from is also unknown.

Boids

Spring is sprung, de grass is riz

I wonder where dem boidies is?

De little boids is on der wing...aint'd dat absoid

Der little wings is on de boid!

                                                                     (Aseasonal and with apologies)

Actually hanging out around "de boid bath" again.   I like upper right boid, it's head tipped back and beak open as it drinks...not chirruping.   Also slightly quizzical pose of bottom bird.

Ciao n Enjoy

For the birds...

Two guests at the birdbath

Coming in to land

All Together

There were actually a lot more but I haven't got around to doing

ALL of them on the same page - at the peak around eight birds.

Pen and Watercolor Wash

To enlarge artwork, CLICK on the picture

Birds enjoying a birdbath this past HOT summer.   Relief for them, fun to watch in a super secret garden...and now fun to work from.   Yes, the last one is a right mess - still the birds are cute...and the proportions of sparrow landing and starling are more in sync.

Soon again I hope.

Enjoy

Mother's Day - Again

"Mother Comfort"
Laila and Kitten at 4 days
Thanks to France for the photo

A superb home awaits this small bundle of black and white kitten.  Lucky boy!

Enjoy!