“Blackbird Study” on May 28, 2010
Today, though it is sad, I did a watercolor study of a blackbird female that died after flying into our patio window. Just as other naturalists before me have done, I took advantage of having a real bird in front…
Mary McAndrew
Painting + Illustration
Mary McAndrew
Painting + Illustration
Category Lessons + How To
Posts that teach you how to draw and paint or tips to improve your techniques.
Groundhog (Woodchuck) Painting Commission 1-12-10
This watercolor was commissioned by a lady for her husband’s 80th birthday! He loves groundhogs (just like me) and she really liked the groundhogs I had sketched on my blog this past summer, so she asked me to do a…
Miniature Great Grey Owl Painting 6-5-09
My finished miniature watercolor painting of a Great Grey Owl, measuring a mere 2″x2″! Be sure to check it out in my Owl Gallery too. It’s an owl named “Aspen” that I photographed at the Keilder Water Bird of Prey…
“Peregrine Falcon” watercolor
This is a watercolor study I did to as a demonstration for my fall Nature Sketching and Painting Indoor class that just finished up. I used it to show the stages it took to make a simple study, step by…
“Green Hooded Woman” tiny watercolor 11-14-08
Well, late last night, I just had to play with my new little watercolor field kit I put together. I love making up new kit ideas to carry my art stuff around in. A picture of it all packed up,…
“Harris Hawk” oil (work in progress) 11-2008
I thought I’d put up some pictures of the Harris Hawk oil painting I’m trying to find time to work on. I started this a year or so ago! The underpainting shown below, has been sitting around in my studio…
“Cooper’s Hawk” 2-21-08
I was inspired on Tuesday (19th) to paint a Cooper’s Hawk when I saw one (or a Sharp Shinned Hawk) swoop over my bird feeder. I talked about it in my post on the 19th. So I did this small…
Inktense Color Pencil test 1-27-08
I just bought a complete set of “Inktense Color Pencils” from Derwendt. I did some tests with them to get familiar with what they do when dry or wet. The inktense pencils are water-soluble but when they dry are permanent.…
Coffee Experiment on Watercolor Paper 1-20-08
The other day I did some experimenting with watercolor paper and instant coffee. I had seen this used for a background for classical drawings. Now that I’ve tried it I can see that a bit of practice and light-handed use…
Color Pencil- Pink and Green Leaves
This is from my trip to the Buffalo Botanical Gardens on Jan. 11, 2008. I’m working from a photo of a stem with pink and green leaves, I still have to find out what kind of plant it is. It’s…