Sketching from "Nature" - "Woodpeckers" and "The Egg"

I of course like the episodes of "Nature" that cover the big famous Charismatic Megafauna (and I happen have an episode like that coming up for you later).  But I LOVE the episodes that focus on the little guys; especially animals I think I know by heart.  The delightfully entitled "Woodpeckers, the Hole Story" is just such an episode.  Turns out our little treekeeper dinosaur friends are at least as important architects of the ecosystem as beavers and termites.

 

I'm pairing this episode with "Sir Attenborough and the Egg, Nature's Greatest Invention".  This was an incredibly good episode.

Sketching from "Nature: Season of the Ospreys"

This was a really good episode. Almost as good as "My Life as a Turkey". Almost.

Hummingbirds!

Before they migrate to more favorable and flowery climes, I'll share my sketches of these wonderful Dinosaur Fairies:





This next drawing is based on a series of photos by Dan Ripplinger. Now, I *knew* this about Hummingbirds, but damn if it isn't jarring to see it. O_o

Young Loons and Hawks

We had a lot of young Common Loons born this year on the Lake.  I was lucky to be able to observe and sketch them going about their business:







Here are studies of an adult Loon as well as a stressed out Chipping Sparrow mom:



And finally, a real treat. We had young Broad-Winged Hawks fledging right in our backyard! We came to call them the "Hawkward Teens", and it was a wonderful thing to get to watch them grow up.

The Birds of Easter

Had a lovely Easter Dinner with my Aunt and Uncle, who live near a forest and have a bird feeder up all season.  I had the good sense to bring my little Zen Art Sketchbook mentioned in the last post and basically filled the last few pages.  Behold!

Turkey Time!

Sometimes you're just stumped for things to draw.  And then sometimes a flock of wild turkeys walks through your yard.  This handsome boy stuck around for a bit, displaying to his ladies, long enough for me to paint his portrait.

Inktober's Over. Time for Draw Dinovember!

We'll start with more "Over the Garden Wall" fanart. Yes, the truncated version shown last night was terrific, cutting mush less than I expected.



It turns out there are a few Dinovember variants going on.  There's the original Dinovember/What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night, which has kind of exploded into it's own thing. And then, mostly due to confusion, there's Draw Dinovember, which isn't as big a deal -- yet.  We can change that, though.  You've got a whole incredibly diverse group of animals to draw with no restrictions or challenges other than "you gotta draw a dinosaur."  Get to it!

Inktober Day 22 - First Junco!

I set up my bird feeding station a few days ago and all it took was a rainy, soggy morning for the birds to find it.  It hasn't snowed yet, but we've had some snowbirds.

Inktober Day 7 - Birds and Bears

Also a squirrel.  It's a whole Sketchbook page full of randomness:

"Jungle Eagle" Sketches

It's a new year, and over at Flickr, I started the customary yearly Sketch of the Day folder.  These are the first drawings I uploaded to that folder.  I'd wanted to watch the "Nature" episode "Jungle Eagle", about a team of biologists who go through a lot to record the life-cycle of a family of Harpies in Venezuela, for years but I always managed to miss it.  Thankfully, it and a bunch of other episodes of "Nature" have appeared on Netflix Instant.

These are all ballpoint pens on recycled Sketchbook paper.  A warning to all Tyrannosaurs I draw from now on: this is going to be my modern-day model/inspiration for you.  That crest!!!

Sketches From "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill"

Here are sketches I drew while watching "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" again.  (And crying at the end again.)