Kylo Ren, Star Wars pencil portrait

Star Wars is all the rage right now, so I thought I would try my skills at Kylo Ren, the new Star Wars villain. I won't put any spoilers in here, but just by looking at him, you can tell he will be villainous. He basically is all black, so I threw in some highlights to break up the solid blacks that would have been his mask. I used some of the movie posters that are out there for reference photos...it is interesting how the mask is slightly different in the posters.

I've got a secret...pencil sketch

This is a potrait piece of actress Katie Findlay. To give proper credit, it was taken from a freeze frame of the movie "The Bridge". I titled my drawing "I've got a secret" because of the smile and averted eyes. It has been a while since I have done a portrait, but I felt inspired. I used only a #2 pencil, my go-to medium when sketching...and a nice big pink erasure. :)

Untitled landscape

This landscape painting was originally inspired by a screensaver photo so I don't know who to give the photo credit to, or even a location that the picture was taken. It just captured my eye because it seemed so peaceful and serene.

I really focused on the shadows on the mountains, trying to keep a consistent color.  Payne's grey does a great job with this, creating a shadow but letting other colors shine through. I also used it in the clouds. I'm not sure about the dark strip of grass in the foreground, though. It feels out of place. I think I need to tone it down a bit so I blends more. 

I'm still not sure what I should title this piece...any suggestions?

Autumn along the river

It is finally feeling like fall weather here in Sacramento! Yesterday was a sunny but crisp morning in the 40's and normally I would not venture out in the cold this early (8 am on a Saturday) but my daughter had an appointment to go to, so after dropping her off, a headed down to the river near the Sunrise Blvd river access along the American River. I had most of my painting supplies with me but was only inspired enough to take a few pictures with my phone due to the cold. The leaves of the trees along the river are starting to turn their many colors, and the river, although very low due to a very dry year, was peacefully reflecting those colors. An egret, which was actually sitting in another spot along the river, seemed to be enjoying the early morning calm as much as I was, so it seemed fitting to place him in the painting.

Walk along the beach

At first glance, you might think I'm back to painting more scenes from Maui, but actually, this is based on a photo I took at Santa Cruz back in June. It was rainy today so I decided to look through my "art idea" file and see what project I should work on and this one struck me as a challenge! The photo was taken of a couple walking along the beach, but I thought it looked a lot like my wife and I (although I never wear my baseball caps backwards!). It is extremely rare that I put people into my landscapes, so this was a challenge for me, but at least their backs were toward me, so that made it a little easier. I had snapped the photo after they walked past me on the beach one morning. I wish the painting captured a little more movement in their walk but overall I think I portrayed the scene well.

Hummingbird study in watercolor

Hummingbirds are my wife's favorite bird and with a feeder right outside our window, we see them all of the  time.  Hummingbirds symbol enjoyment of life as well as being the only bird that can fly backwards. They are facinating creatures. This particular painting was inspired by a photo posted on the G+ community Group Watercolor Painting.

You rarely see the wings of a hummingbird in focus since they move so rapidly, but, as in this photo, if you have a fast enough shutter speed, it can be done. I made the colors in the flower  reflect in the hummingbird's feathers to create a continuity between them, but for some reason I really struggled with keeping a smooth background color.

The poisoned apple

This painting was based on a photo posted by the G+ community Group Watercolor Painting. I took some artistic license with it since the apple was originally green, and had LOTS of water drops on it. Since this was the first time attempting water drops, I decided to limit it to just a few, and I just prefer red apples. I painted the apple with a gradient wash to make an obvious light source, and once I had a beautiful red apple,

it was time to "poison" it with my attempt at water drops. Painting these drops feels so awkward with the darkest part near the light source and the lighter part away from it, but after searching images online, I think I have a handle on it. I rarely use it, but the highlight was created with a dab of Chinese White, right out of the tube. I just need to work on thewater drops being more smooth and round.  It's not really a Halloween themed painting, but if I call it a"poisoned apple", it just might be!