bluebird

I saw some birds flitting from tree to tree this morning--another reminder that spring is coming.

A Quiet obsession

Check out Susan Cain's newest blog post on Michael Schiller's Social Introverts Facebook Fan Page. "All they may need in order to find their own peace and healing is to understand that being an introvert is not supposed to hurt, and that it is possible to be both quiet and powerful."

Not boring, not different in a negative way, not aloof or unfriendly -- OK as is. http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/

blue whale

"All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick."

2 frogs

I found this image from the Nature Conservancy. I wanted the frogs to stand out more in color and detail than the flower (and the tip of the flower ended up looking like something unintended, so it needed to be cropped out). I put a light wash behind the frogs.

sean

My first foray into people

More owls

(The black and white was just done using iPhoto editing.)

Washes

I did my first background washes, brushing the paint and water mixture inward, especially helpful for pieces that don't have colorful focus points. The crane was more an experiment, as the bird sort of disappears within the background.

Filling with a crane

This is the largest watercolor that I have done (9"x14") and it was not without much self-doubt. The top one is the work-in-progress. One thing I like is how the watermarks make the crane look like it's glistening.

This is the more finished piece, though perhaps you might want more detail in the feathers and bolder colors.