Lincoln Park Zoo visit

I went to Lincoln Park Zoo recently to sketch. (Color on some of these was added at home.)

(various combinations of pencil, ink, watercolor and gouache.)

Stork standing over the nest

Kenya Crested Guineafowl

twisted tree in pen & ink

pen and ink & ink wash on Stonehenge kraft paper

I have seen this unique & twisted tree many times, and finally got around to drawing from it.

Art Museum drawing

Some drawings I made on visits to The Art Institute of Chicago and the Milwaukee Art Museum.

I am trying (on 3 of these) a modified trois crayon method like Watteau used. Caran d'Ache pencils on a new paper for me, Stonehenge Kraft.

after Benjamin-Constant Evening on the Seashore - Tangiers

after Peter Paul Rubens The Holy Family with Saints Elizabeth and John the Baptist

after Abraham Janssens Jupiter Rebuked by Venus

after some ancient statue I saw

plein air in fresh snow

oil on board

This one is from last December at Skokie Lagoons. We had our first significant snow that morning, but it warmed up enough as the day went on that it was all gone later. I was painting under a tree, and started getting large plops of snow on the board I was painting on. (About 20% of this was done at home, tweaking things.)

Field Museum outing 2/05/2016

I went back to The Field Museum last week, mostly staying in the bird area and working in a Strathmore Toned Tan sketchbook.

marker and gouache

Pheasant-Tailed Jacana and Parasitic Jaeger

colored pencil

Great Black-Backed Gull

marker

White-Tailed Deer

Field Museum outing 1/13/2016

I took advantage of a free day (for Illinois residents) and went to the Field Museum last week, with art supplies in hand. I worked as fast as I could, not stopping for lunch, and got 3 pieces done (or started).

marker in Strathmore toned tan sketchbook with white gouache

I have always marveled at the massive antlers of the Irish Deer skeleton they have on display.

(I added the gouache highlights at home)

watercolor and gouache

I started this in watercolors and struggled as I do not have 3 hands and did not bring any kind of easel, so I took it a good bit farther at home.

pencil in Strathmore toned tan sketchbook

This is either a Blackbock Antelope or an Indian Gazelle

Figure Drawing (at the zoo)

Yesterday I finally did something i've been meaning to do for a while. I went to the zoo and drew animals from life. I have been drawing a lot from photographs, but there's nothing like the challenge of drawing a living, moving creature in front of you (that doesn't know you want it to stay still). The ostrich was the hardest, as I liked one particular head position it went into, and I had to keep waiting until it did it again.

An alpaca that everyone kept identifying as a llama (understandably)