

Death by Dinosaur
I imagine death by any sort of dinosaur is to be avoided. But I can't help thinking some dino-death scenario's would be worse than others. In Michael Crichton's book, Jurassic Park, the author depicts a scene (off camera, in movie) of small cat-sized carnivorous dinosaurs overpowering and devouring a human. This has stuck with me as perhaps the least preferred death by dinosaur. After all, you'd still be alive as the sheer numbers slowly suffocated you and ate you alive. (My


How do you layer in skin tones in watercolor?
That's the question. I've been to color theory classes, I've listened to the lectures, taken notes and understood visually what the teacher was trying to convey about using cool blues and purples to shadows to create depth and form. Until recently though I really hadn't started to applying it to my work. I'm not sure what the hesitancy was about. Perhaps its the skill required with watercolor to soften the edges as you layer? Maybe its the fact that one has to be patient and


ah @%&#$*! (see previous post about not planning ahead)
Sketchbook Lesson Another example of not planning ahead. The composition is just too crowded. I really got caught up in getting so many varieties of pitcher plants on the page and lost sight of good composition. I thought I might make the plants lighter in the background but apparently that wasn't in my abilities that day. #Sarracenia #nepenthes #watercolor #pitcherplants #composition #sketchbook #plants #carnivorousplants #venusflytrap


Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance
To borrow a phrase from the British Army, Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. One of things my art suffers from isn't always limitations of my ability. It's lack of planning ahead or thinking things through. For instance: Using markers, but forgetting the sketchbook is not marker paper. Result: Bleed through onto caribou I'd been working on. Solution: Did i forge ahead and make lemonade? Yes, Kinda, but still.... I could have had a flawless execution. It's just a sk


Stepping outside your comfort zone
Artists are often given the advice to 'try something new' when they are discovering their style or voice. MY advice is: If you're gong to try something new, don't try a bunch of something new. For instance, if you're working with unfamiliar subject matter; don't use materials you've never touched before. SAMPLE: I've worked with pencil, markers and ink all the time. It's one of my favorite go-tos. So when I took on the daunting task of rendering this lovely pice of French ar