Mushrooms, mushrooms!

For some reason, I was in a mood to paint mushrooms the other day. Perhaps it's all the rain we've had here. They are sprouting up everywhere on the damp forest floor.

Here are two that I've done. Not sure what kind they are, but so fun to paint!

This mushroom is sold!

"Pink Mushroom" - for sale in my Original Art Shop

Northern Cardinal

There is a cardinal nest right outside my kitchen door in the burning bush. Usually these birds don't nest so close to the house. They nest in the evergreens along the driveway.

But the overgrown field next door is being cleared for pasture and there is too much activity there, so I suppose the burning bush was the next best thing. It's also close to the crabapple tree where the male can keep a close eye on things. I snapped a photo of him this morning. 

The female is incubating the eggs and the male brings her food from time to time. He does not fly directly to the nest as that might attract too much attention with his bright red coat. Instead, he flies to a branch well below the nest and surreptitiously hops from one branch to the next until he is out of sight completely and at the nest which is hidden in the upper dense foliage.

He's so pretty, perhaps I'll do a painting of him, the female and the nest. Idea?

Orange Tabby Cat - Watercolor demonstration

Orange tabby cats must be well-loved pets. This is the second in a row that I've painted. I'll show the steps I took to paint this memorial portrait. (If you don't see the rest of this post, look for the Read More link below)

Tabby Cat Pet Portrait Watercolor Demonstration

Woody, the model for this portrait, was a beautiful orange tabby cat with amazing green eyes. His owners requested the portrait in honor of his memory. I'll show you how I painted his portrait.

I begin with selecting a few of the photos that seem to be a good representation of the animal. You can see three of them at the left. I will work from those.
I draw the image first on drawing paper until I'm satisfied with it, then transfer to watercolor paper.
Once that is done, I wash in a soft background and start adding shadows to the shadow side of the face and body.