Ox Beetle Finished

That is one shiny little bug.  I got around to a second session with this painting and finished it off, adding a more saturated red to the side of the beetle, enhancing the cool reflected light on top, and adding the details, such as the hairs on its underside and the motes of light around the highlights on its exoskeleton.

This ox beetle was painted using Holbein Acryla Gouache, which is extremely enjoyable to work with.  It seems to be a good gouache for beginners (like me) because it's cheaper than other brands, handling is easy, and because it is made with a clear acryl resin rather than a cloudy acrylic emulsion, the color it is freshly applied as wet paint carries through consistently to when it dries.  Give it a whirl if you have the chance.

Apologies for the color dissonance, my camera and my scanner never completely agree on hue and value, even with Photoshop acting as mediator.

Ox Beetle WIP

Working on a painting of an ox beetle this week.  Located generally in the eastern United States, they live in pine forests, and subsist on decaying tree roots.  This particular specimen here is a male, as evinced by the horns growing off its "shoulder plate".

Ink Clouds

I love clouds as a subject for art.  They have an endless array of colors, shapes, appearances, and associations.  A sky for every landscape is how I like to think of it.  However, I haven't been so good at drawing and painting clouds; I look at a sunset or a late afternoon cloudscape, and I am simultaneously awed by it, and saddened by my inability to depict it perfectly.

It's something I am going to get past this coming year.  Starting now, with this humble little ink sketch.

Midwestern Evening

This is a watercolor from a photo I took while on the way to Mesa Verde.  I was going to do it in gouache, but the first layer turned out so well I thought "you know, let's just roll with it."  I am glad I did go with watercolor.  Gouache is easier to hide mistakes with, but watercolor really has that inner glow to it.