Eagle Eye

Alright, I started to draw this bird just a bit too large, and it didn't quite fit on the paper.  I don't think it really affects the picture.  I think it turned out really well.  The bird is sitting in the middle of some branches and obviously looking at something tasty.  I drew the outline of the bird, and the eye, and that was it.  Freehanded the rest. I really was having problems with the feathers on the wings and back.  but after layering the colors on, I think it came out nicely.  Hope you all enjoy the picture.

A Continuing Assault on Campus Buildings

I thought i would try something a little different today.  Bothe pictures today were done in watercolor crayon. It is sometimes hard to find a bench to sit on and paint, let alone a bench and table in an area where you want to paint.  So I thought it would be easier to take my watercolor crayons out and draw the pictures, then return to my office, wet them and outline them.  I have to admit there are some things I like about this approach.  I lose the opportunity for any detail at all, but gain speed and the ability to do this just about anywhere.  This picture is of the entrance to Cradall Gym.  The gym itself isn't used anymore and the University is trying to find a good way to utilize the space.  It is a huge building built in the old mission style.  This is the first crayon drawing I've done.

This picture is the corder of building 38.  I believe it is one of the Mathematics buildings.  The black in the center is a bank of doors that are just set back and very dark, even in real life.  I am working with a limited selection of colors which is why the bark mulch might look a little orange, and the bricks in the road a little too pink.

Hope you enjoy them both.

Around Campus

This first picture is of my building, but not an entrance for my department.  The wheel on the bicycle rack has been there for about a year and a half.  I don't know if its ever gonna be removed at this point.

This picture is of the very top of our library.  OK, its not the most exciting in the world, but it looks a lot better than the unfinished concrete box that it is.  The greenery in the bottom of the picture is from the tops of trees in front of the library.






This picture is the back side of the taco stand that I described wanting to paint in a previous post.  I still wanna do one from the front of the stand, but this one is nice too.

Montana de Oro

Here are a couple of pictures based upon one of the local state parks around here, Montana de Oro.  This first one is just an old pine tree that has been weather and slightly blown over.  There are some gentle grasses in the foreground and the ocean and dunes are visible behind the tree.

This second picture is a beach with one of the many rock features of Montna De Oro.  In person you can really see all the layering in the rocks.  This one has some nice vegetation growing on it.  Most of the fields around here are brown by this time of year and the green is pretty subdued,  the us the colors used in the background.

New Sketches

Two buildings from the Engineering complex here on campus.  I couldn't tell yo the names of them, but I can tell you they have some fun angles to try to paint.  I think these are really fun and I can't wait to get out and paint more of the campus.  While I was painting, a student happened along and stopped to look over my shoulder for a few minutes.  Truthfully, I was getting a little annoyed, when he said, "Those are looking pretty good" and went about his way.  

Hope you enjoy them too.

A Little Urban Sketching

Yesteday and today I decided to do a little urban sketching.  I suppose that is the new term for painting plein air.  Urban sketching sounds a bit less hoity toity.  I have been walking around campus trying to find places to sit in the shade and paint.  The shade part was crucial for me, and as I found out, was also the limiting factor in what I paint.  It turns out that nearly all the benches on campus are in direct sunlight at noon.  Who would have figured.  Anyway, in my hikes around campus, I found 3 places to paint.  They all seemed to fit onto one sheet, but the sheet is bigger than my scanner.  The first picture, Bench on Dexter Lawn, is actually on the bottom of the sheet.  You can see part of the Building 52 Plaza in the top right.

This is the picture that is above it.  This is Building 52 Plaza.  Or at least part of it.  I don't think I got this quite right, but you get the idea that it is a bench with mulch around it, and (absent detail) brick walkway in front of it.  I assume you all can tell it has a tree behind the bench?

This third picture is actually the first one I did.  I wanted to get the little taco stand next to this, on the left side of the tan building, but i didn't have a clear view from the bench I was on, so this got chosen by default.  Some different types of bushes and shrubs with a few rocks, and a wooden wall behind, just in front of the building.  I'm extremely happy with the way this turned out, I often have trouble working in different colors of greens.  The fact that you can see 4 distinct colors of green and a little shading in each is, for me, a triumph.

Fat Capped Chicadee

I hope its really cold and this litte guy has his feathers all ruffled to keep warm.  If not, he is a little portly.  I really feel I'm getting the hang of blending colors and can put them on and take them off as necessary.  I can see improvement in my paintings over the past few weeks.  I just need to keep at it.

Fireflies Again!?

This painting currently for sale.   - 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 - $15
Contact Michael for more details

Here is my entry for the June watercolor challenge: "Images of Summer."  As you can see, the sandals are now gone, the eye and eyebrow look better and there is more shading on the picture.  I think this one is miles ahead of the previous post.

I still reserve the right to go back and monkey with this one a bit.  I may put eyelashes on her, and I may put some more shading on her shorts (or skirt, or skorts, or whatever they are) and perhaps the front of her shirt.  I'm still debating, and won't touch it for a week or so to be sure.

Fireflies in a jar

For those of you who don't know, I am a member of a website that is just for artist.  That website holds competitions each month.  Competitions are broken down into different groups.  I attempt the watercolor challenge nearly every month, but I could just as easily get into the drawing, or acrylics, or oils competitions as well.

This month the challenge is to paint something that reminds you of summer.  I didn't and still don't wanna paint a beach scene or sailboats, or flowers.  I chose something that will always remind me of summer:  Fireflies.  I searched for pictures of fireflies until I found a picture I liked, and here is one attempt at painting it.  Its unfortunate that the original size of the picture is very small.  and detail is hard to glean from it, but as you can see it is a girl laying in the grass looking at fireflies in a jar.  I thought it was a great picture to paint.

To that end, here is attempt number two.  Attempt number one is ok, but it is small and very quickly done.  This one is much more detailed.  I am going to do at least one more of these as I am not completely happy with this one.  My biggest regret in this picture is putting sandals on the girl.  In the  next one she will be barefoot.  I do think I got some good shading on here, and I like the way I have done the hair.  If you click on the painting, you will be able to see it in more detail.

Drawn By Lindy, Painted By Michael

Lindy was so proud to draw this truck for me.  I drew one for him too, and we sat down together to paint them.  As you can see, this truck has an engine in the front and one in the back.

I've So Many Birds People are Calling me Hitchcock

7x9 watercolor. This painting for sale.

I've been working on these for a while, and it was finally time to finish them.  The top bird is of course a bluebird, and the bottom is, I believe, a house finch.  It seems as though I like to paint fat birds.  I look out the windows and rarely see birds as fat as the ones I paint.  Again, I am experimenting with making the border between the subject and background very dark.  I think on the finch painting it gives it a really interesting effect, though I think i did a better job with the green than the blue.

7x9 watercolor.  This painting currently for sale.

The scariest thing I have done in a long time is paint the pine branches in front of the finch.  I had to channel my inner Bob Ross and pretend that all was going to be ok if I did it.  And I think it turned out ok.  I had to do something to push the bird back into the painting just a little bit, and to paint in front is the best way to do it.  Now, I probably have a bit more confidence to do it again when I need to.

I love the way the background colors ran together in the bluebird painting  and love the way the blue spread out in the finch painting.  I am definitely gonna work harder to get both of those effects in future paintings.

As with all artwork on this site.  It is for sale unless otherwise noted.  Please contact Michael for details.

Beach House on the Moon (well, maybe the beach)

Watercolor 9 x 12.  This Painting for sale.

Trying to do the stylized method on this picture just like on yesterdays bird.  Putting the darkest part of the sky at the horizon and the darkest part of the ground at the horizon line is supposed to make whatever sits along that line really pop out.  It certainly did with the bird yesterday, today, not quite as much, but i probably didn't make the sky quite as dark as I should have.    I tried to blend and lighten the green as it came down the beach toward the viewer, the ad som mounding and beach grass.  Seeing this painting scanned in, it looks a little too grey for my taste.  I wish I could would have noticed it while i was painting.  I guess that will come with experience.    Also the outlining is purposely done very loosely.  I didn't want to do an exact outline of every shape.  This style gives you indications of where the lines should de, and allows your eye or mind to fill in what it thinks should be there.  Hope you enjoy.

Red (or greed) Again

Watercolor 7 1/2x9.  SOLD

Ok, so I had painted this picture, and actually thought it was not too good.  So, being the good watercolorist, decided to do something about it, and since my medium is watercolor, was able to do something fairly easily.

The first thing I did  was get most of the picture wet.  Then I began scrubbing off the old background.  I was able to get most of it off without too much trouble.  The only parts that didn't come off too well were the parts around the leaves.

Next I wanted to try out a new technique.  I actually tried it at lunch today on a different painting, and it work out really well.  (A little backstory.  We have a   faculty member here who is a professional watercolorist.  One of the things he does it make strong delineations around his subject.  Having a strong color and then blending to a light hue at the edge makes for a very dramatic painting.)  I tried his technique here and It worked out pretty good.  I couldn't make the light are too light because it would show the paint that I couldn't lift off.  but even so, the bird pops out of this painting, and looks 100X better than the previous one did.  I'm glad I took the time to do this.  Hope you all enjoy it.

New Birds

Watercolor 9x9 SOLD

Well, I'm working on my blending technique.  I think the first bird here, I did  a good job.  The second, not so much.  The background in the second got out of control a little fast.  But the picture I took it from was pretty similar to that.  I actually think I did justice to the real picture, I just think i neet to not be quit so literal.

House Finch  SOLD