Pen and ink, 12”x 9”.
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Tag Archives: Pen drawing
Acorn Woodpecker
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.
Dotspen Practice
I got a dotspen several weeks ago. I did this drawing back then just for fun and to get a feel for the pen. This is the perfect implement for an impatient stippler like me. It has two speeds slow and fast. I only use fast. In fact I wish it had a setting called faster!
Tasha By Gosh!
Tasha in pen and ink. Golden retriever portrait.
Our girl Tasha gave birth to ten beautiful pups today. It seemed like a good time to post her new portrait.
Kowanni, More Progress
Here an update for Kowanni the great horned owl. I’m planning to finish tonight!
I’ve added my previous progression pictures and the original photo of Kowanni for fun. Although, they aren’t very illustrative of my process other than I draw when I can. By the way, don’t you think Bliss is a great photo prop. She kind of doesn’t really like it. This is the look I get just before she gets up and leaves.
Inking the night!
I thought maybe a woody update would be cool, not sure it’s working. Bliss just wasn’t into it.
Jury duty sketching.
This is the real Kowanni. In case you missed my last post, he’s a resident of Shasta Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation. Actually I’m not sure if Kowanni is a him or her. Sadly, he’s not capable of hunting so will never be released. I want to portray Kowanni as he is meant to be.
Wild Wednesday … Eagles Nest?
This is week that the osprey customarily return to their nest in the electrical tower at the sawmill. I haven’t seen them yet. Usually the male shows up a week or two before the female. This year they will be in for a bit of a surprise. A little over a month ago a pair of eagles moved in. I’m not sure how this will go, but the eagle are a lot bigger than the osprey. I’d have to put my money on the eagles. Click on the gallery to enlarge to photos and get the dirt.
Nice looking birds.
He seems to have staked a claim here.
I keep waiting for them to gather sticks, but the haven’t. I not convinced their serious about nesting here.
These are all osprey pictures from previous years.
The osprey have inspired art from yours truly.
This has been an osprey nest literally for decades.
It’s a prime location for fishing birds with its grand overlook of the Sacramento river.
It hasn’t been without struggle. last season it rained so much the nest grew a garden before the birds arrived. They had to weed it.
When the summer heat get over about 106 the parents shade the chicks.
More art.
Two years ago the male osprey was struck be a helicopter blade and died. he was trying to defend the nest from the helicopter that was inspecting the tower.
The osprey have raised many generations.
The osprey probably won’t be too happy with the new residents.
Stay tuned to see how this turns out.
Below are a few of the osprey posts over the years.
https://wordpress.com/post/theforesterartist.com/948
https://wordpress.com/post/theforesterartist.com/1056
https://wordpress.com/post/theforesterartist.com/1090
https://wordpress.com/post/theforesterartist.com/1703
https://wordpress.com/post/theforesterartist.com/2659
https://wordpress.com/post/theforesterartist.com/4017
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe in pen and ink.
I’ve been practicing pen and ink portraits lately. I find them uniquely challenging. Some I’ll post and some I won’t, but this one of Marilyn Monroe I decide to post. I’m fairly happy with it, but I didn’t nail it. I didn’t quite capture her essence the way I wanted. I liked the photo reference for the high contrast, which is conducive to pen and ink. Subtle shading is trickier than with pencil or paint. I have a tendency to overwork the piece. It’s been a pretty steep learning curve. Comments and critiques are appreciated.
I realize this isn’t as wildlifey or woodsy as what I normally do, but it’s good to mix things up. Besides, there’s people in the woods too. Although, I’ve never run into Marilyn in the woods, but that would make a heck of a blog post!
Wild Wednesday … Gander
Canada Goose Gander in pen and ink.
One legged geese.
Bliss can’t go to the pond with taking a leisurely swim.
Wild Wednesday … Goose Goose!
A pair of Canada Geese in pen and ink.
This was drawn from a pair of geese on the mill pond. Canada geese are great subjects for pen and ink. They’re already black and white.
Canada geese can be found on the mill site constantly.
This gaggle spotted Sailor and Bliss over on shore. They decided to come over and cause trouble for my goldens, who were minding their own business. Typical rabble rousing degenerate geese!
You had to know this would happen.
Sailor couldn’t take it anymore and swam out to say hello. What’s a boy to do.
Well this isn’t going well.
What we have here is a failure to communicate.
Wild Wednesday … Bear Skull
Bear Skull in pen and ink.
This skull intrigued me with its bleached bone and hard shadows. I wondered what happened to cause it to be here. It was wild and dirty, and crying out to be drawn. So draw it I did!
The bear skull sitting on the running board of an older D6 Cat.
On our way into camp we often stop in a particular landing to give everyone a break from the ride. A D6 Cat tractor was parked there for several months. A local logger had been using it for road repair and erosion control work. During one stop at the landing we found a bear skull. It wasn’t a large skull, probably from a young bear or a sow.
The Cat was parked in the landing for a few months. The skull is sitting on the floor in the entrance. Can you see it?
I couldn’t resist placing the skull in the tractor for the loggers to find. It sat there for weeks undisturbed. Until one day, while we were coming through, it had disappeared. Somebody or something must have taken a fancy to it and packed it off. When I first saw the skull I wondered what it’s story was, but it seems that it’s story may not be done. I wonder where it is now.
One of the locals. A relative perhaps?
THE FORESTER ARTIST 