I have decided to join the group, Wilderness Painters of Chicago! It is a group of artists that meet at different locations once a month in the Chicago area, to do a little “en plein air” (in the open air) painting. How exciting!
Anybody can join, there are no fees, and the people are super friendly. Hot dog!

My first outing with the group was yesterday. We met at Elawa Farm in Lake Forest, IL. What a beautiful place! A little bit of a road trip for me, but not too bad. I really need to practice my en pein air painting and wean myself away from being locked in the studio (my dining room) painting from a flat photo.

Here is what I chose to paint. I had many options: creek, forest, wetlands, building, garden, bridge, but I chose the savanna (field with few trees). You know how much I love the structure and character of a tree!

So let’s get going and learn how to paint a savanna with an oak tree in pastel paints!

Step 1: I am using a white  Pastelbord by Ampersand Art. I like to create a very wet underwash using watercolor paints before I apply pastels and the Pastelbord is perfect because it will never warp. With a piece of charcoal, make a loose sketch of the horizon line, tree and field. Next start with the sky. I use cerulean blue and painted diagonal strokes. For the furthest row of trees, I mixed indigo blue and a touch of sap green. The tree is a mixture of alizarin and indigo. I am not worried about getting the exact shape. That will come later with pastels. The field is a big mess of sap green, ocher, and alizarin. Remember, the pastel will cover most of this so I’m not stressed out about being perfect.

By the way, I LOVE drip marks. I love to not cover up the drip marks so that I can give the painting another bit of dimension…however you will see in the end I got carried away and covered these lovely marks. I will remember next time not to do so, painting is a process of learning. I will not develop as an artist if I do not recognize mistakes and remember not to repeat them. I will not know what my mistakes are unless I practice my painting on a regular basis. Practice, practice, practice…

Here is what my layout looked like. I have to thank my good friend Sharon, for letting me borrow her field easel. I don’t even have one!

Step 2: Let your watercolor wash completely dry. Now we are going to apply the pastels. I started with the tree using a sky blue for “tree holes”. A tree holes is the negative space of the tree, where you see the sky in between branches and leaves. Next I used the darkest unison blue pastel I had for the trunk, branches and deepest shadowed leaves.

Step 3: In this step I used the darkest unison green pastel I had and made leaves on the tree. I also used the same dark blue as in the trunk for the shadow of the oak tree. Maybe I should have used a dark purple…I’m not sure.
The one thing I learned about using pastels is that certain brands can get darker than others. I also have Rembrandt pastels, the majority of my pastel supply, but the darkest color is not really dark when you use it. Unisons get really dark and that’s what I need for contrast.

Step 4: Add a little highlight to the oak tree and work on the field. It is really hard for me to tell you why every color is in every spot. With a kaleidoscope of colors in a field, I grab what color I see and if I’m wrong I just work with it. If I try to be exact, I will pull all of my hair out until I am bald. I choose to keep my hair and not worry about the the small stuff.
From now on, I am using Rembrandt pastels. I see a lot of reds in my field scene so I work with it. There is also a tiny bit of a wetland spot in the foreground.

Step 5: Highlight the oak tree trunk, remember the morning sun is coming from the east (right side). Highlight the red grasses using a lighter red/yellow pastel.  All of the lightest colors are coming from the right side. We are almost done.

Here is the final layout. I love comparing the real thing to the painting on the spot. You can’t do that from your dining room table!

Step 6 final: Right now I am noticing a lot of purple/Burgundy weeds popping up. They are beautiful. When I have more time I will research what they are exactly. For now, I added just a few to the foreground.

Using watercolor as a wash and pastel paints on top, it makes it really easy to create an effortless 3D painting in a matter of a few hours.

Speaking of hours in the sun…I am supporting a really fashionable farmer’s tan right now!

I enjoyed my first road trip with the Wilderness Painters of Chicago and look forward to the next month outing! Why don’t you join us? Just keep checking their web site for the next date and location!

I hope you enjoyed this step by step en plein air painting of how to paint an oak tree in a savanna!

Pine Tree by Work - Watercolor Sketch

I park in front of this tree every single day at work. It is one of several professionally manicured  landscaped pines. Professionally landscaped…reminds me of a golf course. Uggh. I much prefer the rugged woods, natural and wild. I have omitted several business buildings in the background, by the way, who wants to see an industrial park? Not me.
Never the less, wildlife abound. I have spotted robins, house sparrows, cardinals, juncos (in winter), and the ever happy goldfinches, resting in this very tree. Not only do the birds love it, but a family of rabbits do as well. How cute the babies (3) are in the morning hopping excitedly by mom under this tree, not even concerned that I pulled up in my car. They make my day at work almost bearable.

Anyhow, on this day the atmosphere is changing…rain is coming. I love a rainy day…I don’t even know why. Sometimes, when we have several days of sun in a row, I feel crabby.  In contrast, I admit, to normal weather reactions. The rain, mist, and or storms comfort me. What is it about a disturbance in the air?

Something wonderful.

I love my backyard. It’s my little oasis, a place to escape to and run away from the world. I run away often.
I sometimes just sit on the dirt in my garden and watch the bumble bees and birds. Here is a photo from over the weekend:

If I am real still, the male american goldfinch will visit the feeder even though I am only 6 feet away! The female is more timid, sitting on the telephone wires, yelling at the male for taking such a risk. Does the male recognize me? Or is the goldfinch just comfortable with humans? I wonder…

Backyard Birds Watercolor Sketch

I want to remember the garden and my birds just how it looked over the weekend. In early spring, things look a little bare. In late summer, things start to dry out, but this day was perfect!
In this sketch I have lavender growing in the foreground, carpet flower in mid, and purple coneflower just beginning to bloom in the background. On the finch feeder, a male house finch sits on the left and a male american goldfinch sits to the right. Sometimes the goldfinches will rest on the purple  coneflower stem(I love when they do that) and the stem barely moves and does not even bend. Light as a feather, I guess. Later in the summer when the coneflower is ripe, the female especially loves to eat seeds from the head.

I escape from the world and watch the wildlife in my garden, every chance I can get.

Before we begin, let me show you what else I found in the Teason Woods, part of Chicago’s  Cook County Forest Preserves.

Starting on the yellow trail heading west, I immediately encountered a scarlet tanager:

here is another view:

Isn’t he sooooo beautiful? I just love him. So bright and tropical looking! I did not hear him at all, but did see his red flash against the tree tops. At first I thought it was a cardinal, but was pleasantly surprised to discover it was our summer visitor, Mr. Scarlet Tanager.

You know, I’m saving the best for last….

On the yellow tail when I finally reached the stream here is what it looked like:

There is a secret under the bridge….I’ll tell you what it is…it’s a phoebe nest!
With babies!

What a find! How precious. What a lucky ducky I am! I am zooming in on this photo, I didn’t want to get too close. I believe there were 4 babies. Unfortunately I could see mites on the baby’s mouth. What does that mean? Does that mean they will be okay or will the mites hinder their growth or possibly death? If a dedicated smart birder knows this answer, please let us know.

We love them so much, we want to paint them…so here we go:

Step 1: Make a sketch in pencil and a background wash with a blue watercolor paint. Nice and loose..don’t worry about it too much.

Step 2: To paint the nest, first start with yellow ocher, paint the middle. While wet, add some red around the yellow and then blue to the outside of the nest. Do this while everything is wet, so that they all melt together. Finally add some green to represent the moss that is used by the phoebe to construct the nest. That’s the fun part, drop it in like dots. If the background is still wet, the dots will spread and create moss patches.

Step 3: While the birds are a little harder, they are not impossible. First, protect the delicate beaks with masking fluid (it looks orange on my picture). Next, I will lay down my lightest colors first. Let them dry.

Step 4: Lay in some darker colors on the babies. I used a mixture of indigo blue and brown.

Step 5: In this step I just added a little more definition to the birdies, using dark indigo colors. I also added some twigs in the nest using blues and browns, reds too! Make them super thin using a rigger brush.

Step 6 Final: In this step, I removed the masking fluid from the beaks, and painted them yellow. When everything was dry, I took a #01 micron pen and added ink. I love that step the best…it really makes everything come into place!

Don’t you love the little birdie sleeping in the background the best! He could care less that I was there. The rest were unafraid, only because they are too little to have the experience to know fear. They just quietly looked at me as if to say…what in the world is that big thing?

I did not touch them or get too close…but left them how they were.

“Baby Eastern Phoebe Nest”
original watercolor

image size: 4.5×6.5
off white mat dimensions: 8×10
no frame

$30

click here to purchase, it will bring you to my page of available watercolors for sale.

I hope you enjoyed our hike at Teason Woods and our watercolor step by step instruction of how to paint the baby eastern phoebe nest!

Hidden Pond Sketch - Hickory Hills, IL

No, this isn’t a crazy green mess. This sketch contains a hidden pond, matter of fact, that is the name of the place I sketched it from: Hidden Pond Woods - Hickory Hills, IL. A nice tiny little get-a-way with a tiny little pond. Can you find it? We visited this place at the end of last year and on another occasion made a sketch from the car window.

Things look much different in July then they did in December!
Anyway, on this day the pond is green with algae. It is surrounded by cattail leaves that are swaying with the breeze. It is a cool 64°F, unseasonably cool and cloudy evening. I can hear a woodpecker in the distance drumming on a tree. I also hear many nuthatches but can only see one (white-breasted) hopping down an oak trunk. Several robins hop on the ground turning over leaves and pulling up worms.
Very peaceful.

Oh boy! Let’s go for a walk at the Orland Grasslands, part of Chicago’s Cook County Forest Preserves. I wonder what we will find…

This day was overcast, warm and humid. One great thing about an overcast day is that all of the colors seem to pop out. Green grass is greener and wildflowers are brighter.

Right away I spotted this little guy. I think he is a yellow sulfur butterfly (UPDATE: identified by Doug with Gossamer Tapestry, it is a False Crocus Geometer [Xanthotype urticaria]). He was low to the ground, quickly flying from grass blade to grass blade. He only stopped for a second and I quickly took his picture.

Next, I found this gem in the dirt. Isn’t he beautiful? This is the 6 spotted tiger beetle. Can you see all 6 spots? I just love his metallic green color.

The further we walked, the wetter it got, so we didn’t go too far.
I think this picture will make a really neat painting. I love how the landscape tells a story of earlier rains which came through and soaked the ground. Speaking of rain….

The sky is looking a little mean right now! The atmosphere is getting heavy and I think it is time to go. Just 2 hours after I took this photo, an incredible quick thunderstorm rolled in bringing  70 MPH winds and it knocked out my power for a good 24 hours!

Don’t fool with nature!

OK, so my obsession is nature. When I find something I’m not familiar with I sketch it and then I diligently seek out information on it. I cannot rest until I learn. So when I found this (and I never think it is unique or rare, I just don’t know what it is…), I tried to find the answer myself.

Here is how I identify things I’m not familiar with:

• type a detailed description in google images
• find the closest one that resembles it
• re-research that particular subject (name) to verify
• look in all of my field books for that species
• bingo

English Plantain watercolor sketch

This is a weed growing in my yard which I will not let my Son mow over. I’m pretty sure it is an English Plantain , a common weed. This morning there was a sweat bee exploring the head of one with the most petal shoots.

Everybody can learn in this fashion! It doesn’t take a 40K college bill to educate yourself (in America, we have to go bankrupt trying to get an education). If you see something and you want to learn about it…do a little free research. If you are determined enough…nothing can stop you. Find ways to make it happen. If you are passionate enough nothing is going to stop you!

english plantain watercolor close-up

So after not knowing what the heck this was, with a little free research I discovered it is an English Plantain weed, which is “alien” according to my Peterson Wildflower Guide, which means it is “Foreign, but successfully established in our area by man, or as an escape.”

Welcome my little alien, to my yard! Even though you are common now and many scientists already know who you are…I just discovered you today! I really like you too!

This morning I walked out of my house to go to work and just look who greeted me with a good morning surprise!

It’s a plume moth! I think it is a Cnaemidophorus Rhododactylus Plume Moth, but if you can’t pronounce it like myself, than don’t worry about it!

Well, I was so excited that he came for a visit…and I never think anything is by chance…but a scheduled blessing (yeah, it happens), that I decided to study him the best way I know how…sketch him!!!

plume moth sketch - watercolor

It’s amazing how intimately you can learn something if you just try to draw it. Even if you think you can not draw, but love science, just try sketching your subject. You will have to look over every inch very slowly. Talk to yourself in you head, for example ask yourself: “Where are his darkest/lightest features, what markings or spots characterizes this species from another, where is the light coming from, where is the shadow casting, what is that shadow color…blue? purple?” You will be amazed at how well you become acquainted. The next time you encounter your subject, maybe years later, your memory will recall the information thanks to the few minutes you spent drawing!

Let's Go Fishing Sketch, Centennial Park - Tinley Pk, IL

I did this sketch a few weeks ago and forgot all about it. It is from a sunny afternoon at Centennial Park of Tinley Park, IL. This man shown here is enjoying some fishing beside the willow trees. He did not know I was a few feet away sketching him during his chosen past time.

This sketch reminds me of my Grandpa Rich, who is my most favorite fisherman ever. Today my Grandpa is in his 90’s and in ill health. He is the reason for my love of nature. He took me hiking, camping and fishing just about every year of my childhood.

On my first fishing experience when I was very, very small, my Grandfather took me to a Missouri state park lake. I caught a bass (I think) and he made such a grand deal over it, I felt proud. As we drove towards the exit of the park however, I looked at my fish in the cooler at started to cry. I was thinking of the fish’s feelings and didn’t want him to be in pain or on my dinner plate. My Grandpa suddenly stopped the car in the middle of the street and asked what was wrong. At first I wasn’t going to tell him because I thought I would disappoint him but then I confessed. Instead of telling me I was “silly” or yelling, he quietly took the cooler, left the car in the middle of the street and walked to the lake to release him. That is why my Grandpa Rich is my favorite fisherman.

The next few years I “got over it” and was not opposed to fishing but I never ever forgot what Grandpa Rich did that day. He didn’t reason with me or tell me I was ridiculous (which I was), he just considered my feelings before his own and that’s how he lives his life today always considering others before himself. How powerful grandparents can be in the lives of their grandchildren, look at me I’m remembering this story 30 years later!

Look what greeted me in the parking lot of Walmart!

Isn’t he beautiful??? He/She is a Halloween Pennant Dragonfly, named for its festive Halloween colors (yellow, orange, brown). He flew right over my head and landed on this car antenna.

I was in the store for about 45 minutes, when I returned to my car he was back again on the same car. Man, he really likes that antenna! Maybe we will have to do a sketch of him!