Green Frog

Jeremiah was a bullfrog. Was a good friend of mine. This fella is not a bullfrog, but he sure is handsome!

I took the reference photo at my friend Nancy Down's destination garden in Langdon, NH. She has a small pond in her garden that was lined with tadpoles. This frog was perched on a rock on the edge of the pool. He didn't budge as I photographed him from every angle. I don't know what it is with frogs, but they become relaxed around me. I find them quite easy to photograph.

I have finally gotten around to drawing this frog in pastels. The drawing is rendered in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum. It is 8 x 10" in size.

Red Spotted Newt

The idea of drawing a newt has been on my mind since the summer of 2009. I tend to want to draw wildlife that I have an attachment to, and newts certainly have a special place in my heart. When we were little, my brother and I would walk along the dirt roads in Alstead hunting for newts. We would carry a plastic bucket & slowly check the roads for the orange beauties after a rainstorm. Newts always seem to come out after it rains.

I have to admit that I did not take the reference photo for this drawing. I did try to photograph newts during the summer, but I could never zoom close enough to capture the perfect picture. In my head, I kept seeing the newt face-on, crawling on rocks. So, I scoured morguefile.com and found reference that ended up fulfilling the composition in my head. Photoshop helped me fuse background and subject photos together to create the best reference.

The drawing is rendered in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum. It is 8 x 10" in size.

The Brightest Bulbs

I hope that everyone had relaxing holidays. I've been offline for a while, spending time with my hubby and family. Now that the holidays have passed, I can post some of my commissions that were presented as gifts!

I'll start with this pastel portrait that was given as a gift to my in-laws for Christmas. This particular piece has meaning to them, as they belong to a hunting and fishing club in Pennsylvania. The club has a few tame rabbits that wander the grounds and children are offered 5 dollars teasingly if they can catch one. The rabbits are released if they are caught, of course. I thought it would be fun if I captured three of the rabbits in a portrait. I think that the club owners owe my in-laws 15 dollars!

This drawing is 11x14" in size and drawn in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum.