Limited Supplies - Shrike on a Branch

Life has been a bit busy to say the least. We're still working on getting into our new house. We helped our 13 year old baby girl Hedy over the rainbow bridge and we adopted a 4 month old puppy we’ve named Abby. I’ve also started teaching art classes at the local higher ed in our new home town…more on that later.

We’re waiting on utilities and the inside of the modular to be finished, but we’re getting there. If I said I can’t wait to be in a house again and build a new studio it would be an understatement! I’m ready to get messy and play with tangible art supplies again. It’s been over a year since I’ve been able to spend time creating in a studio space and most of my supplies have been in storage for nearly a year.  I’m ready to unpack and create!

With the urge growing stronger to work with tangible supplies, last week I pulled out my water-soluble graphite pencils and created another beautiful bird. One of my best friends is a field biologist and he very often sends me photos of  the wildlife he spots while in the field. Last week he sent me this Shrike, and the pose was perfect for drawing.

My preferred medium for birds has been colored pencils, but those are deep in the recess of the storage unit and I wasn’t willing to get my cardio in moving boxes to access them.  I settled on using the Derwent water-soluble graphite pencils I’d tucked in the cupboard of the fifth wheel.  Magic really happened with the use of them and a bit of water.  Enough so that I ordered the remainder of the colors available.  

I really love how this one turned out, even if I’m the only one who will notice the small details that are just a little off from the photo.  This one is destined to be a sticker design in the near future.  Im playing with the idea of a collection of feathered friends for one of the quarterly sticker drops.  Make sure you sign up for the newsletter to be in the know when new collections drop.