Birds for Kathy's Cottage

These line drawings are for commissioned illustrations for a cottage in Michigan's lower peninsula.  The finished sizes will vary, with the pileated woodpecker being the focal point.

Do you hear wedding bells?

Janee is getting married and ordered this coloring page for the front of her wedding planner.  Her wedding is going to be fantastic!  I know I want to crash it.

Teaser:  It's almost time for the second edition of hellephant coloring pages!  Which hellephant adventures do you want to color?

Northern Spotted Owl Illustration

Here is the finished owl illustration.  I used the same background gradient from nautilus, only in reverse.  A nice flat tree line silhouette helps the owl pop forward in the composition.  

Northern Spotted Owl Pencil Drawing

I saw an article on the redwoods in National Geographic and it featured a lovely spotted owl.  She was so cute I had to sketch her out.

Ribbon Seals Finished Illustration

As the poles melt, we are finding out more than we've ever known about ice seals.  Ribbon seals are only one variety of ice seal. They are usually so remote that studying them in the wild has proved difficult.  With global warming, they are swimming further inland and further south and have even been seen on the northwest coast of the US.  

I've drawn this little family on an iceberg, surrounded by sea and sky.  I like to imagine it's quiet and peaceful when the weather is fair.

The pup could be confused with a harp seal pup, but when as the little pediped gets bigger, distinctive ribbons of white wrap around his rich black brown coat.

Hairy Frog Fish Finished Illustration

I was so engulfed in the Zen of illustration, that I forgot to save an in progress of the the color on these two.  Hairy frog fish move by gulping in water and propelling it out their gills.  They steady themselves with their little fin "feet".  Mostly they remain motionless on the bottom and camouflage perfectly in with coral and sponges.   The wave their lure enticingly and snap up prey with an amazing strike speed.  They will even try to eat fish much larger than themselves.  They change color as they age, going through a wide range of hues in their lifetimes.

Personally, I think their striation brings to mind the lion fish.  I wonder if they are relatives.