Back to work on the owl.

Another deadline looms and I'll be working tonight on the owl painting.

Watch for updates...

News about Blackie the crow and his family.


I fed the crows lunch on the driveway today, and sat down to watch them with my cat. A small red-tailed hawk showed no fear and started dive bombing the crows, trying to catch one to eat. It was so small that only one of the crows tried to chase it away, the others would only duck. It would start calling from a tree before the attacks, maybe something it should re-think in it's strategy. Crows are amazingly intelligent and would clue in to the fact that it was nearby. I think the hawk has been staying close to the compost pile where there are chipmunks and squirrels.

Blackie has grown almost all of his new, waterproof, feathers and I can't tell him from the rest of the crows. Only when he is hungry and does his baby call, with flapping feathers, or walks right over to me without fear do I know it is him.

The crows still eat 3 times a day, but some are calling for mates. It's the time of year for last years babies to find a mate and then they migrate south with them. Only Blackie's parents stay for the winter with the new babies. Why should they leave when they get fed every day?

One of Blackie's brothers didn't survive the summer. The neighbour saw a dead crow and with the Re-tailed hawks around, a juvenille bald eagle, Northern Goshawks, Great Horned Owls, I'm surprised I have any crows. Survival of the fittest always applies to the animals living around my house.

I noticed the first sign of a red fox this morning. It left me a present....YUCK! It must have walked over from the golf course and checked the compost pile. The golfers must be slacking off now that there is frost in the morning. No more ham sandwiches for the foxes until next year. I wonder how many kits there are? It was a miserable summer to raise little ones.

Oh well, I guess I'll digest supper and get to work painting. Night time is always the best time to paint. :)

Pam

Another Brittany Spaniel pup.

This is Dakota, a Brittany Spaniel pup from a litter at "Sharptail Brittany's".

Step 1:

After loosely drawing in the outline, I painted the background with india ink. I work at my computer desk for these smaller works and that leaves my big easel free to work on a second painting at the same time.

Step 2:

I covered the black ink with black coloured pencil and merged the layers with odourless paint thinner. Now I am adding colour to the pup with colour pencil. The shapes will get corrected as I continue.

Step 3:

Adding a collage colour pencil marble to the picture. I just have to decide on a placement.

I think I like the second placement better. It gives the illusion that you are lying on the floor with the puppy looking past the marble.

Step 4:

A change.... I've had a request to change the marble to a ball which is more appropriate for a puppy, so here is the start.


I need to spray it with fixative and let it dry before I continue.

Step 5: Finishing with the colour pencils, I will switch media again, to watercolour this time. There is an isolation layer on the paper so the different mediums don't mix. Here is a preview of how the frame will look.

The ball will be brighter red.

Step 6:
The first coat of watercolour on the ball and a little on the pup. I want the ball to dry so I can continue.



Step 7: Working on the pup now.

I'm done, step 8:

I finished the pup, gave the background a slight texture, signed my name on the ball and varnished it.


Pam

Northern Saw-whet Owl

I have started the first of 2 painting donations for The Owl Foundation for this fall.

The photo reference is by Gary Irwin.

Step 2: EEEEK, just a week left to finish this.



Step 1:

I stretched the canvas on a 24" x 36" frame and primed it. Although this is a small owl in real life, he is 15" on the canvas.

I added a coat of dark browns, blues and reds as a base colour. That took a while to dry.

Last night I painted the outline of the Saw-whet owl and the tree stump.

This will be painted fairly quickly so it can dry and be shipped by mid-September.


Pam