Studio Tuesday Blog

Another new card for the 2016 holiday and Christmas season! I added to my collection of Northern Lights cards - this one with a polar bear on the tundra. Happy with how the aurora lights in this one turned out. Its fun to experiment with new shapes and ways to depict it, but it's not the easiest thing to paint. This took a lot of layers to build up the color and luminosity, probably about 10 to 15 layers of watercolor in the sky. Cards are available as singles and boxes of 10. Printed on sturdy card stock. A blank inside for your message - a whimsical animal Christmas card or note card for other occasions.Save Save

A moose in a little pine forest with falling snow. I really enjoy coming up with little scenes that spark the imagination, of both kids and adults I hope! Fun details in this one include short little pine trees under the moose and a gap in the trees - revealing a hint of water and the far shoreline. A soft Winter color palette with a range of different greens.One of several new illustrations I've done recently for the upcoming holidays. Every year I illustrate a few new Christmas cards, it's always a lot of fun to think up new snowy Winter scenes and the animals that live in them. Prints, cards, and card sets now available in the shop!   SaveSave

A compilation of some past underwater and ocean illustrations. These were all commissioned drawing from the past couple years.At the top, a large humpback whale swims through an ocean filled with other sea creatures. Cownose Rays at the bottom, a spotted eagle ray, sea turtle, and lots of colorful fish! This was an 11x14" drawing. Made with India ink and watercolor, as were the following illustrations. I use India Ink because it is waterproof and holds up under all the layers of watercolor. A whimsical under the sea illustration of a reef type habitat. With a few little octopuses, a sea turtle, crab, hermit crab, starfish, anemones, jellyfish, fan coral, and a sea horse. 8x10 inches.An octopus and nautilus - drawn for a cephalopod lover! A fun illustration of a North Atlantic ocean. A tugboat pulls a large freighter ship - and underneath the water a variety of sea animals. Blue Crab, blue mussels, starfish, urchins, a skate, a shark and pilot fish, a tuna, and mackerels. This was a more recent commission (2016) and I ended up drawing more specific fish than a lot of my previous drawings. 11x14 inches.A smaller 5x7" drawing with a sailboat and an underwater scene full of sea animals.A whale and sea turtle, 8x10 inches.I have a lot of fun with these underwater ones. I've been getting some good inspiration lately from going to the National Aquarium with my son. Exciting to draw some new animals and ocean habitats - it's always interesting to translate a new species into a few simple lines.SaveSave

The Basics Weasels are small mammals with long slender bodies and necks, short legs, a small head, sharp teeth and claws. They have keen senses and are quick, agile, skilled hunters.Their small size and body shape allow them to follow mice and other prey right into their burrows.Weasels are one of the few animals that will kill more than it can eat. It will store the extra in burrows and will eat this excess if it can't find fresh food.The weasel's body shape is efficient for hunting, but isn't the best for conserving energy or staying warm, which is why they will always kill prey if able (even if they just ate). Their metabolism is so high they can eat up to a 1/3 of their body weight in a day.Weasels mostly eat mice and other small rodents, but will also eat eggs, berries, birds, and animals much larger than themselves like rabbits. North American Weasel Species From left to right: Least weasel, Long-tailed weasel, and Short-tailed weaselThese are the three weasel species that live in North America (they are found on other continents as well).Least WeaselThe smallest weasel. Brown above, white underneath, Short all brown tail Size: About 6-9 inches (males larger than females)Range: Throughout much of the northern hemisphere: North America, Europe, and AsiaShort-tailed WeaselAlso called a Stoat or Ermine. Brown with white underneath / white feet. Black tip on tail.Size: About 7-12 inches (males roughly twice the size of females)Range: Northern hemisphere in North America, Europe, North Africa, and AsiaLong-tailed WeaselBrown with white or tan underneath. Long tail with black tip.Size: About 11-16 inches (males larger than females)Range: Americas: from southern Canada, US, and Mexico through Central America into parts of northern South America. Weasels in Winter All North American weasels turn white in northern ranges. The white Winter coat helps them camouflage in the snow from both prey and predators. Weasels in the southern ranges stay brown all year long.The change is color is triggered by length of day (not temperature).The short-tailed and long-tailed weasels keep the black tip on their tail during the Winter. It can help them distract and escape from predators. Hawks and other predators will focus on and try to grab the black tip, making it easier for the weasel to get away.Weasels don't hibernate, they will hunt above and under the snow during the Winter.Above: Ermine / Short-tailed weasel has a brown coat in the spring, summer, and fall. It turns white in the winter (tail tip stays black). More Fun Facts Baby weasels are called kits or kittens.Weasels stomp their feet when annoyed. (Skunks do the same as a warning before spraying.)Weasels exhibit a behavior known by some as the "weasel war dance". They excitedly dash around, flop, and jump about. It's not exactly clear why they do this. They could be distracting their prey until they are close enough, or maybe they are just really excited.The weasel family (Mustelids) are a large and diverse group that includes over 50 species. It includes otters, minks, pine martens, fishers, wolverines, ferrets, polecats, and badgers. It formerly included skunks, but new testing puts them in their own separate family. Although mongooses have a similar body shape they are not closely related to weasels. A few other members of the weasel family. Left to right: Pine Marten, River Otter, Sea Otter, Mink Sources: Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Britannica, Montana Field Guide, wildlifeofct.com, Field Guide to Wildlife Habitats by Janine Benyus, IUCN Redlist, Wilson and Reeder's Mammal Species of the WorldOriginally published October 10, 2016, Updated March 4, 2018SaveSave

This is my take on the classic illustrated whale poster. A selection of whales and other small cetaceans drawn in my simplified illustration style. Labeled with common names in handwritten text. Included in this chart are the fin whale, narwhal, killer whale, humpback whale, bottlenose dolphin, bowhead whale, beluga whale, minke whale, blue whale, gray whale, and right whale. Which is your favorite? I especially had fun with the gray whale and its mottled coloring. Humpbacks are always fun to draw too with their big flippers and ribbed bellies.A fun whale print for the little animal lover's room or a whimsical addition to an ocean inspired nursery! Prints available in 8x10", 11x14" and 16x20". Buy Whales Illustrated Chart - Kids Room Art Print

This is an illustration i drew in 2012 of the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay. This is one of my personal favorites. Probably because I have a soft spot for the Bay from growing up and living in Maryland. But I also had a lot of fun drawing the angles and odd architecture. This is a screwpile lighthouse and is one of several that were built in the Chesapeake.The scene also includes a low summer sun, sailboats in the distant water, and just a few of the animals found in the bay - gulls, jellyfish and of course a blue crab. Soft teal and purplish hues contrast with the scarlet roof of the lighthouse.Above, an 11x14" framed print. I had this one hanging in my boy's nursery for a while. I like a thin black frame for this one because it complements the black inked lines. White frames always look good as well for a bright, clean look.Prints in various sizes are available in the shop here:Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Print