Pelican In Paradise

 11 1/2  X  8 3/4 inches

This appears to be another subject I come back to.  This is done mainly with prismacolors.  I also used a few Coloursoft pencils and some white pastel in the background.  It is done on Colourfix paper, a greyish color called "elephant".  The photo was taken on Isla Ispiritu Santo, an island just off  the coast from the city.  He was easy to photograph because he liked being around our camp. He often rested quite near us.

Pelican Two Hour Watercolor

This is a watercolor sketch done for the Wet Canvas Weekend Drawing Event.  Pelicans are very common in Baja California Sur.  We have the Brown Pelicans all year round and the American White Pelican in winter.  Watching them fish is amazing.  They dive with complete abandon into the water to catch fish.

UPDATE: Queen of the Night

The stamens are just about in.  They still need some value adjustment.  Before I started them, they seemed quite daunting.....but working very slowly, they gradually emerged. It really is all about lights and darks....negative and positive. 

Queen of the Night

 9 X 12 Inches

Selenicereus grandiflorus is a night blooming cactus.  Each bloom appears for one night each year.

It blooms at night because the plant must wait until the temperatures reach a certain level for the pollinators to come out. One of the main pollinators is the Spinx Moth.  If the flower is successfully pollinated, the plant will produce a bright scarlet fruit. From what I have read, this fruit is edible. The reference photo was taken in my garden. This plant only produced one bud  this year, and it was unfortunately not pollinated.  I had really wanted to see and taste the fruit.

This is done on rose gray Colourfix Paper. I am using thinner.  I have found that it helps to give the white petals the waxy look they have in  life and smooth the background where I want  no texture. The stamens are quite challenging as there are so many.  This was my main concern before starting.  So far so good.  As I get further down the stamens increase in number and then they will need to be grouped and drawing the negative space will be the secret.  I will keep you posted.

My Favorite Form THE SPHERE

5 x 8 inches

This is a theme I come back to over and over again.  I love the sphere. Marbles or (Canicas in Spanish) are the perfect sphere.  They never fail to amaze me with their reflections, shadows and transparency.  This is done on black Stonehenge paper with Prismacolors.  The secret of working on black paper is to lay a base of white wherever you are going to use lighter colors.  I applied the white layers slowly and evenly, not using too much pressure, as many more layers were to come.  After layering some color on the marbles, I used citrus thinner to mix and smooth the color. Then, I continued to put on more layers of color. The background is done without the use of thinner.

Beyond Her Years

Marouscha made me think about painting children, so I thought of this painting which was done a while ago.

I really like painting children.  Their faces are challenging in their simplicity.  When drawing or painting them less is always more.  Many young faces also speak volumes about their lives. This child sold gum to help support her family.  There is definitely both wisdom and sadness in this little face as well as pride.