Cartoons of Ruby the Great

I was sketching Ms. Ruby from life last night, and she was moving a LOT. So I got these cute cartoon drawings rather than an actual portrait -- more based on Ruby than actually looking like her, but still so fun. 

Sizes of these are about 6 x 6" and 9 x 6.5". Pencils, micron pen, and watercolor on tan paper. They're available at $39 each or $75 for the pair, unframed.

Horse, Flowers, Owl -- Days 5 though 9

 

 Cocoa in Motion, about 3.5 x 8", for Day 5. Day 6 I chose to create something less tangible -- a new game with my own horse; Day 7, I went walking and came home with Stolen Lilacs, below.

Day 8 was probably technically Day 9, and is titled Sleepless in the Kitchen. A portrait of my little owl kitchen timer, done at *mumble* last night while I was entirely too awake.  This and the Lilacs are in the same small book, about 6.5 x 6".

Mercedes the Chihuahua (or: 45 minutes & a snapshot)

Just completed in about 45 minutes at the Saint Paul City Ballet.  I had that much time, and a snapshot for reference. These drawings aren't as detailed and accurate as my usual drawn portraits (which take around 4 hours), but have a lively, sketchy quality all their own.

Thanks to Georgia Amdahl for the opportunity to do this.

A Golden Named Buzz

 

He's such a sweetie. No time to write much about him today -- I am getting ready to head out for class tonight -- but he is well loved and is a therapy dog. 

The portrait is one of my standard 8 x 10" mixed media drawings on Rives BFK (100% cotton rag) paper. Pastel pencils, watercolors, soft pastels, and carbon pencils. 

Seeds in a tiny handmade book

Untitled, mixed media on Rives BFK Tan paper, about 5" x 3.5".

This is the first page of a hand-bound book my friend Tom Winterstein made for me. I took the book on my flight to Denver and back last week, began the drawing at 30,000 feet, and finished it in the studio Saturday afternoon.

I've been everywhere, man. Except online, it seems; but I'll correct that this week. I have photos from the training day at the Sandlot Brewery, and of a commissioned painting of geraniums, in progress.

Oh, and I have a class coming up at Michael's Arts and Crafts on Thursday. I'm at the Har Mar Michael's; you can find a link at the top of this blog where the schedule of classes (mine and everyone else's -- we have a lot of them) is available to download. :-)

Eagle

10.5 x 8.5" watercolor, pastel pencils, and pastel on Rives BFK Tan paper

He's a commission, to mark a military promotion, and is a surprise gift for the recipient. I'm very pleased with this one and excited about the next one on the easel, which is a red-tailed hawk I'm doing just because I want to.

I hope to help support the Raptor Center  (where I took the source photos for this drawing and the next one) by donating a drawing or two to their next fundraising auction; I'll post about that when I have more information.

Lovely Hannah

Here's the finished piece that you saw in progress last night. What's new: additional carbon pencil (black) shading and details, and layers of cream-colored chalk, terra-cotta colored pastel pencil, white pastel pencil, and touches of white pastel.

Hannah has such a soft, sweet face. She required a lot of time and care, and was worth every moment.

At 14 x 11" unmatted, this is larger than the 8 x 10" size that I'm most commonly asked for.

Bichon and a Dachshund

Sketches from owners' snapshots, both 8 x 10" mixed media on cotton rag paper.

Things on the Horizon?

Several days ago I got a call about an opportunity to be part of a nationwide community-level campaign for a product I happen to enjoy.

I won't know for another two or three weeks whether I've made the chosen team of artists for the Twin Cities, and until then, I won't be talking too much about this project or naming any names, but it feels really good to be in the running at all.

Meanwhile, I am making dog portraits like a madwoman, due to the rush of Christmas commissions! Here, in progress, is a 12" square drawing that'll be shipped to the UK on Tuesday. Yellow Lab puppies, so adorable. This is pastel and carbon pencil, watercolor, and pastel on Rives BFK Tan paper.

Millie the Glamour Dog

This is a commissioned drawing of one of the softest, sweetest dogs I have ever. Seen. Millie is a Cocker Spaniel/Longhaired Dachshund mix.

She has the most amazing eyelashes I have ever seen on a dog.

This drawing is 10 x 8", in pastel pencil, watercolor, and pastels on buff-colored cotton rag paper.

I often say that I fall a little in love with each animal I draw or paint, and that's true. Each one has something special. In Millie's case it's not just that she's so delicate and gorgeous, but that she has an expression of utter confidence in how much her people adore her.

Next up on the commission roster: a portrait in watercolor and pastel of Zug the Cat, for whom I will have to switch gears completely, because Zug was a bold, affectionate trickster in a black-and-white suit.

Catching Fall

These are both about 10 x 8", mixed media on tan Stonehenge paper, from life today in the studio.

I'm back! And so is Jack.

So, what with Art Crawl and having a cold and all that, I've been away from the blog a while. I am now baaaaack with new things to post, because while at Crawl, I painted seven little goldfish paintings, and then three more yesterday, so those are coming up shortly.

And here is the third of the three drawings I did of Jack. 10 x 8" like the others, carbon pencil, pastel pencil, white pastel, on my usual brown sketch book paper. I'll miss drawing Jack, dapper model that he is.

Shih-Tzu at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival

Sushi, drawn from life at the Renaissance Festival today. About 10" x 8" mixed media on paper.

This little dog was perched on top of the counter at one of the vendors' stalls at the Ren Fest, sweetly accepting all the attention she got from people walking in.  So I drew her. I mean, really, what else could I have done? It's not every day you get such a lovely little model, complete with the flower in her hair.

It's become habit for me to always have drawing supplies, and today I made five drawings while at the Festival. I hope I didn't annoy my friends too much. What I want now is to go back and do more, but it's a long way and a lot of money for beer food, so I doubt I will do it this year.

Drawing is 10 x 8" mixed media on cotton rag paper. Priced at just $45 for the drawing only, or $59 with mat to fit a standard 11 x 14" frame. I use a museum-quality Bainbridge mat in a soft cream color that really complements these drawings.  Includes a signed "pedigree" for the drawing, detailing how, where, and when it was made. A very nice gift for someone in your life who loves Shih Tzus.

Portrait of a Dog Named Ally

Ally, 8 x 10" mixed pencils and watercolor on Stonehenge cotton rag paper.

I fall kind of in love with every animal whose portrait I create. I can't help it. Paying that much attention to their expressions -- I start to sense their characters in the process.

Ally has such a softness about her that I chose to use watercolor washes to soften the edges of the drawing and lend a quiet atmosphere that matches her nature. She's so lovely. I just finished her and I can't wait to share her and her sweet, sweet face.

If you're wondering, I do most of these portraits from photos emailed to me by the owners. Prices start at just $79 for an 8 x 10" drawing like this one, which will easily fit a standard 11 x 14" photo frame. If you'd like one for the holidays, order soon; demand is increasing all the time.

I ship these all over the world. Ally, here, lives in Canada.

Jack Again, and another Upside Hound

Grar! (Jack and His Toy), 11 x 8", mixed pencils on paper

Brindle Belly Up, 8 x 11", mixed pencils on paper.

These are both commissions, drawn today while sitting in a Barnes & Noble café for a lot longer than I meant to be there.

Ghost Tree at Bruce Vento Park

Ghost Tree, about 10.5 x 8", mixed pencils on paper

If you've been thinking of taking lessons with me, be aware that it won't always, necessarily, mean being in the studio. Today was too beautiful for that, so I took my student out to Bruce Vento Park (a short hop from the studio building) to try out landscape drawing for the first time.

He had fun and so did I, and this piece, which began as a quick demo, turned into something I really like.

Bright Brush with Twine

Bright Brush with Twine, charcoal and pastel on newsprint, about 14 x 10"

This is the result of my promise to my students that, while we would of necessity be doing still life setups for drawing class, this would not mean "wine bottles and fruit."

Mark Balma at his Demo

Mark Balma at Minnetonka Center for the Arts on 8/3. I was taking notes, really I was. But the curves of his hat that caught my eye, so I used Mark for drawing practice. Hope he didn't mind.

Rabbit on 27th Avenue

27th Ave. Cottontail, 5.5 x 3.5" pen and watercolor. Click to enlarge.

Educational thing for today: photograph, above, versus scanned image, below. Neither is accurate. The highlights on the photo are too blue while the colors are entirely wrong on the scanned version.

Ah, the difficulties of photographing art.

I made this as a thank you for someone who'd helped me a lot recently, so the original is now in the mail (it was a small blank note card made of cotton rag paper, purchased at Wet Paint). I like the design well enough that if I can get the photos to look right, I'll include it in the note card line I'm developing.

Below, the original sketch -- much larger, about 7 x 10" -- from yesterday evening. I drew the rabbit from life as it foraged in a neighbor's yard.

I love this drawing but wonder if it will ever sell. Minnesotans are not, in general, big fans of rabbits, seeing them mostly as tiny furry engines of destruction. I can't blame them, but I'm still charmed. Guess I'm just a sucker that way.

Jack in His Favorite Chair

This was today, at Jim Sannerud's woodworking shop at ACVR Warehouse. Jack is the Official Woodshop Dog.

Jack's Favorite Chair, 10 x 7.5", carbon pencil and pastel pencil on paper

Drawing animals from life is challenging, because they do move. What I've learned is that they will often keep returning to the same few basic positions, so if I'm patient I can generally get what I want.

In this case, I simply had to capture those white paws hooked over the seat cushion. Fortunately, his feet were the things Jack moved the least; it was the head that kept shifting around.