Category Archives: Wildlife

Acorn Woodpecker

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Pen and ink, 9”x12”.

Acorn woodpeckers cache away acorns in granaries. This way they feed on them all year. They peck holes in trees, utility poles, buildings, or other wooden items and stuff the acorns into the holes. They’ll even find a cavity in a tree or other things and fill it with acorns. I used to have a tractor that they filled the exhaust stack with acorns and when I started it up, it shot acorns out the stack like anti-aircraft shells. They are industrious and cantankerous birds! They seem to bicker with each other quite a lot. They are one of the most common birds on our property. I have a love hate relationship with them.

These small woodpeckers are extremely common around our place. How common you ask?
They’ve turned our house into a acorn granary! There are still a few yummy acorns left in the wall to eat. 😋

Doing A Little Fishing

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I played around with some different fish styles for a fish book project. Here’s the catch of the day.

This one is mixed media pen and ink/watercolor.

The next is mixed media also.

The last one is straight watercolor.

I did these some time back and plan to do something totally different. I thought they’d be fun to post together. Do you have a favorite?

Douglas Squirrel, Pen and Ink.

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I timed my process on this piece.

I was ask once on a webinar how long did it take to do a pen and ink. I wasn’t sure. I rarely take time to complete a piece in one sitting. The process for me is usually broken down into segments done when I have time to draw. This time I wrote down my time as I completed different segments. Here’s how it broke out.

Pencil work took 20 minutes.
Brush pen work 10 minutes. The .3 to .8 ink pen took 20 minutes. The brush pen was a Kuretake 50. I highly recomend this pen.
The fine line of the squirrel work was 1 hour and 45 minutes. The fine line work on the limb was another 2 hours. A .05 pen was used for the fine lines. Staedtler Pigment liners were used for the line work.
The black background shading was done in 1 hour 15 minutes. I used the brush pen and a Copic Wide 110. I spent 10 minutes of finishing work.

The final time was 6 hours and 15 minutes. It was done over approximately 10 sessions averaging 37 minutes each. I drew during lunch breaks, while waiting a doctor appointments, sitting at road construction and in the evening at home. It was not efficient and I probably could have done it in 4 hours without interuption. I draw when I can.

Here’s Doug in his natural habitat.

Douglas Squirrels, (Tamiasciurus douglasii) are small squirrels. They’re smaller than gray squirrels and larger than chipmunks. John Muir described them thus, “He is, without exception, the wildest animal I ever saw,—a fiery, sputtering little bolt of life, luxuriating in quick oxygen and the woods’ best juices.” I think of them as the security alarm of the forest. When one is disturbed it sounds it’s loud chirping alarm and it doesn’t care whether it’s alarming on a person, deer or bear. Once they start, they won’t stop until you leave.

This is his home sweet home.