Ibis, #WorldWatercolorMonth

A few years ago while visiting Sanibel Island in Florida, I saw my very first ibis.  I know that is not a tremendous milestone, but I was thrilled to observe this beautiful white bird up close and personal as he stood next to me on the beach.  Oh, such striking blue eyes they have!  The ibis uses his long, curved bill to search for insects, snails, or small fish in the surf, and they also like to eat larger things like crabs, crayfish, and snakes.  I was able to snap a reference photo as he stood with his neck crouched down, one foot in the air, and resting for a bit.

 

Ibis in watercolor

I admire artists who use unconventional colors to represent white objects and wanted to give that technique a try.  The shadows were easiest to represent with the purples and blues, and I gave him a little sun-kissed glow and reflections from the colors of the beach.  After studying many such paintings I am still not sure how well I pulled it off, but I kind of like this little rainbow ibis.  TGIF, and have a great weekend!

World Watercolor Month is half over! Remember, we are raising awareness for the Dreaming Zebra Foundation and the Art Room Aid project sponsored by Dick Blick with hopes of bringing art supplies and teaching to children who otherwise would not have exposure to the enriching world of art. Please consider a donation today!

Carolina Anole #NatureDoodlewash

This quick, little lizard made many appearances on our deck at the beach this year.  He is a Carolina Anole and was mostly a bright green color when we saw him, although he can sometimes have a gray-brownish hue.  Most fascinating was his bright red throat, also called a dewlap, which would inflate and deflate like a big red balloon as he skittered across the deck.  Evidently he displays the dewlap in order to attract a female and also to give warning to other anoles that might be invading his territory.

Carolina Anole

I wonder if he was warning another lizard or maybe us as he constantly flashed his read alert signal, not that we tried to get too close to him.  My motto has always been to let a lizard have his own space, although he is a lot of fun to watch from a distance, and he made a perfect subject for a #NatureDoodlewash.

 

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National Cherry Cheesecake Day #doodlewashaday

Another unofficial national holiday is celebrated this day each year – National Cherry Cheesecake Day.  I’m not sure where the official celebration is or who is in charge, but I’m all in favor of celebrating the little things in life.

It also happens to be National Picnic Day, so I suggest having a picnic, whether at the park or on a blanket on your family room floor (we did this occasionally when the kids were little and it was rainy or cold outside), and of course serve some cherry cheesecake.  Above all, celebrate the little things and have a great weekend!

Paint Along, Day 4

Day 4 was a little challenging for me because I tried to paint looser than I usually do, but sometimes it just seems like a mess to me.  I mixed all the greens myself rather than using premixed paint.  Like Day 3, I felt like the scene needed a little help, so I mixed the Quinacridone Rose with the French Ultramarine Blue to make a purple color that would be cohesive with the rest of the painting, and I loosely scattered the ground flowers with this purple.

Paint Along, Day 4

The yellow in the center probably should have been darker, and the color on the path could have been darker too.  Learning, learning, learning! This is an okay little painting but I am really eager to get started on Day 5.  Fingers crossed that I will finish the class on a high note!

Paint Along, Day 3

Today’s mountain and lake scene went just okay for me, but I’m not convinced that I pulled it off very well.  In this scene I used only three colors, French Ultramarine Blue, New Gamboge, and Quinacridone Rose, but it seems a little lackluster to me.

Paint Along, Day 3

Also, I’m not sure why the upper right looks so overexposed here – it is painted with the same intensity as the rest of the sky.  Maybe I should do a little more homework and try different color combinations on this one – and take a better photo!  Happy Wednesday!