I got a little emotional when I heard the Lahaina banyan tree would make it through the Maui fire. I found a reference and painted a watercolor of the new growth. I come from a Navy family and was born in Hawaii. Let me know if I got the transparency and shading right or if it is aesthetically pleasing.
I am amazed summer after summer seeing this tree and garden grow. I started this with a blue background and a black layer that I punched through, and from there, I painted layer by layer from the back to the front. I like the realism I got, but I kept to a painterly feel using oil brushes.
For these Grahams Up the Tree drawings I used a Pilot Custom 823 with FA nib. This pen is legendary. It has a very soft nib and a giant vacuum filled tank of ink so you can write and draw for days.
"At 6 o'clock the window squeaks and mum calls time" from Graham's Up the Tree. It must have been strange for mbpardy to see his his story interpreted through my illustrations... but page by page these characters came to life, with both of our contributions somehow adding up to something bigger.
I was working on nighttime or dark themes and trying to get more contrast than the last piece I made. I wanted to also work on atmospheric perspective and depth with the clouds. Overall, I am pretty happy with the outcome. This is from a reference picture my husband took from our backyard. Painted with Rebelle 6 Pro.
My first attempt at drawing a piece inspired by the art in my favorite childhood book series Scary Stories to tell in the dark. I am actually rather happy with this piece even though some details are a bit off. Comments and critique always welcome. ♡♡
"Billy gets there last, wiggles up a spot..." from the Graham's Up the Tree book. I grew to love these kids after drawing them so much. They sort of became real to me.
The 6ix -a fundraising auction piece for Toronto’s Yonge Street Mission (sold) ..called “the 6ix” …accredited to Drake’s/his name for Toronto- archival ink on paper 91/2. X 11
Graham's Up the Tree! ("and there's nowhere else he can go!") - my 4 year old ran around the house for weeks misquoting the story with his own interpretation of an Australian accent. Calling it out over, and over, and over again.
This is a simple watercolor and pen drawing of a witch hazel tree in winter bloom with an owl perched on top. I love the witch hazel shrub and am thinking of creating a picture book showcasing the plant throughout the seasons.
My favourite Lappish activity - moving with these traditional skis through the snow. Sometimes you might be crashing into trees or into each other and sometimes you might loose a binding and sink into the deep snow, but it’s always fun and exciting.