Season of the Lynx

Greetings, my fine feathered friend!

Here is my latest colored pencil piece: "Season of the Lynx."  At first I tried to do a background of evergreens but it felt too dull compared to those vibrant yellow eyes.  So I tossed the reference photo aside and had fun :)  In order to achieve this effect I first laid down the darkest values--in this case two different types of green with orange layered over the top in some places.  Using an electric eraser I then lifted some of the color back off.  Then I added the light and medium-value colors over the lifted spots.  In the end I had a background I was happy with, and a very messy table ;) 

This experience was yet another reminder to trust in the inspiration I receive while working on any project.

Happy flying!

On the drawing board: tortoise

Greetings, my fine feathered friend!

I admit this tortoise commission has been "slow" to progress, but it is finally getting somewhere ;)  Hope to have the finished product very soon!

Until next time: happy flying!

Snow Leopard finished!

Greetings, my fine feathered friend!

Only a month into the new year and it is proving to be a very busy one for me!  I'm finally getting around to photographing the pieces I have finished.  This one is called "Snow Queen" and is rendered using graphite and Prismacolor pencils.  She is part of my "Eyes of the Wild" series.

Happy flying!

Red Panda & Pet Dog

Greetings, my fine feathered friend!

With the holidays passed I finally have time to post some of my projects.  Both of these were commissioned pieces in Prismacolor pencils.

Happy flying! 

Two finished commissions: lion & elephant

Greetings, my fine feathered friend!

It's been a busy month with several commission pieces on my drawing table.  Two of them are pictured above: "Young Elephant in Etosha" and "A Lion of Tanzania."  The reference photographs for both colored pencil pieces were taken by Summer Wilms.

Happy Flying!

African Elephant Ear Tutorial

Greetings, my fine feathered friend!

Probably the most memorable part of the African elephant is its large, fan-like ears.  The following is the process I used to create the baby elephant's ear in colored pencil.

Prismacolor Pencils used: black, French Grey 10%, French Grey 20%, French Grey 50%, French Grey 70%, Warm Grey 70% 

First stage: Using a black colored pencil put in the darkest shadows.

Layer French Grey 50% over the entire ear, varying the application to give the ear the illusion of shape.

Cover the ear in a layer of French Grey 20%.

Another layer of French Grey 50%.

Add French Grey 70% and Warm Grey 70% to the shadows.  That reddish color cast is due to the poor photo quality at this stage.

Add another layer of French Grey 50% over the entire ear.

Use French Grey 20% in the highlight areas, then add French Grey 10% to the brightest areas.  This creates the illusion of folds at the edge of the ear, and gives the three dimensional quality to the smooth parts of the ear.

Hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look :)

Until next time: Happy flying!

Snow Leopard Update: Color at last!

Greetings my fine feathered friend!

I'm a little behind in posting the updated photos of all the pieces I'm working on, but here is one stage of the snow leopard for you to enjoy.  As always, the eyes were my favorite part to color ;)

Later this week I will be posting a tutorial featuring one of my commissioned artworks so stay tuned for that. 

Happy flying!