Category Archives: Animals

Sam: A Border Collie Dog Portrait in Oils

Posted on June 9, 2013 by

I wish I had a dog but since I don’t, at least I can paint them! This dog portrait in oil was commissioned by a woman as a gift to her father-in-law of his dog. I had to wait to … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Dog, Oil Painting | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Every Day in May 21-26: Laugh, Tote, Screw, Joy, Bought and a Map

Posted on May 30, 2013 by

I’m running out of days in May and pages in my sketchbook so here are two pages with 3 days each. First, “Something that makes you laugh” is watching my silly cat Fiona trying to catch a piece of cotton … Continue reading →

Posted in Cats, Every Day Matters, Ink and watercolor wash, Sketchbook Pages | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

EDiM 14-15: Draw a Figurine (Buddha & Poodle), Draw a Pencil

Posted on May 22, 2013 by

I thought the Buddha with the curly hair* was a nice match with this little poodle figurine  I sculpted years ago to be part of a chess set, with dogs on one side and cats on the other. The poodle … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog, Every Day Matters, Ink and watercolor wash, Pen and Ink, Sketchbook Pages | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Something Creepy and A Lock: Every Day in May 9-10

Posted on May 14, 2013 by

The creepiest things around my house are snails and slugs. They creep along, leaving their silvery trails of slime. Yuck. My gardeners warned me that the big Agapanthus plants left behind by the former owner of my home were snail … Continue reading →

Posted in Every Day Matters, Gardening, Ink and watercolor wash, Insects, Pen and Ink, Plants, Sketchbook Pages | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

EDiM 5-6: Draw A Scented Product (one to counteract another) and a Pine Tree

Posted on May 10, 2013 by

I had fun with May 6: “Draw a Scented Product.” I sketched two scented “products” — one man-made and one cat-made. The man-made is a lovely (and expensive) room perfume (Vanilla, Bourbon and Mandarin) that I fell in love with … Continue reading →

Posted in Art supplies, Cats, Ink and watercolor wash, Landscape, Pen and Ink, Product Review, Sketchbook Pages | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Every Day in May, Days 1-2: A Favorite Sound (Purrr) & Bubbles

Posted on May 7, 2013 by

What better way to improve drawing skills than to practice every day! I committed to the Every Day in May (Facebook, Flickr) challenge and have been really enjoying the practice, discipline and creativity the daily cues inspire. The first cue … Continue reading →

Posted in Cats, Every Day Matters, Ink and watercolor wash, Pen and Ink, Sketchbook Pages | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Crazy Chicks at Poulet: A Poultry Panorama

Posted on March 6, 2013 by

The night we sketched at Poulet, a mostly chicken café in north Berkeley, I was feeling out of practice with drawing. So instead of trying to sketch the architecture or people I just drew their collection of chickens displayed on … Continue reading →

Posted in Berkeley, Chickens, Ink and watercolor wash, Sketchbook Pages | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Electric Owls and Giant Rats: Pest Control at Pastime

Posted on March 2, 2013 by

When we made our annual sketching pilgrimage to Pastime Hardware on a cold winter evening I picked the Pest Control department. I was attracted by the big, ugly, inflated hanging rat and the artificial owls who seemed to be discussing … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, El Cerrito, Ink and watercolor wash, Life in general, Rat, Sketchbook Pages, Urban Sketchers | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Deep Fried Fish Lips

Posted on February 27, 2013 by

When I see my neighbors at my door holding a covered plate I get excited because they are fantastic cooks who often bring me treats. Except this delicacy was not from their kitchen; it was deep-fried take-out fish from 99 … Continue reading →

Posted in Fish, Food sketch, Ink and watercolor wash, Sketchbook Pages | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Pork Bung Gut (?) at 99 Ranch Market

Posted on February 21, 2013 by

We made our annual pre-Chinese New Year sketching visit to 99 Ranch Market and the Pacific East Mall (an Asian marketplace) with some new sketchers who joined us for our  monthly Urban Sketchers First Tuesdays sketch night. I headed first … Continue reading →

Posted in Fish, Food sketch, Ink and watercolor wash, People, Richmond, Sketchbook Pages | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Sketching in the Lamp Shop

Posted on January 30, 2013 by

Last night our sketch group visited Sue Johnson Lamps in Berkeley, a shop that has specialized in custom, artisan-made lamps and shades since the 1970′s. Sue generously held the store open late for us and even offered us tea and … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Birds, Elephant, Ink and watercolor wash, Sketchbook Pages, Urban Sketchers | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Cocoa: A Dog Portrait

Posted on January 27, 2013 by

When I was given the photo of Cocoa to paint from, I pointed out that her face was covered with mud or sand. I was asked if I could paint her without the dirt. I laughed, since I’d just finished … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Dog, Oil Painting | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments