The Bird Is The Word

Ugly Duckling Turns Into A Mediocre Swan

I don’t like this piece so much, but I wanted to share because I really like the concept and I’ve seen it used in amazing ways.

The idea is to take black and white paper, and cut and arrange it in any order. Then you draw black and white feathers on it. A white feather on the black paper is drawn in white chalk. A black feather on the black paper is outlined in white chalk. A black feather on the white paper is drawn in charcoal, but the white feather on the white paper is outlined in black charcoal. It gives a really cool image of feathers falling and crossing the borders between white and black.

I imagined having a white paper swan on a black background. The feathers would be falling down and on the middle of the swan a lone feather touches “water,” leaving water ripples. Neat, right? It would have been if I had actually pulled it off. Not sure what went wrong, but the feathers seem force-placed and not at all floating or falling down. Also I re-did the water ripples a bunch of times and they still don’t look as realistic as I wanted. Moar practice!

Enjoying the spring in the PNW. I even saw baby bunnies!

What nature have you most enjoyed seeing this spring? Bugs? Birds? Flowers?

Snow Geese

This was my very first art I did for environmental and conservation statements and education. It was really fun to try a half-color and half-black-and-white piece. It was done with carbon dust and colored pencil. Read the full story on my Patreon!

Want a free print of my watercolor art?

I feel it is very important to exercise our right to vote. I am not going to make any statement on who you should vote for, but if you vote, I will give you a print for FREE of my watercolor animals. What do you need to do?

1. Vote

2. Take a picture or update your social media or whatever with your "I Voted!" sticker OR hold the ballot stub, hold a sign, whatever you need to do. :) Just something to show you voted.

3. PM or email (NixAnimalia@gmail.com) your photo or link me to your social media update along with your 1 choice of print and your mailing address. (I will delete your photo and not use it for anything outside of proof you voted). Please pick only from these pictures on this post.

4. Get your print in the mail!

Feel free to share this. If I give free prints out to the entire nation because everyone voted, that will make me a very happy person. :)

Neat!!!

🌿 Who is the Central American Tigrina? This tiny wild cat (Leopardus tigrinus centralis) might be a subspecies… or a full species of its own. Some studies even link it closer to ocelots than to its supposed cousins. Mysterious, elusive, and stunningly spotted, it prowls the forests of Central America — quietly vanishing before we’ve even figured out exactly who it is. 🐾✨

Enough introductions, let’s do this!

Let's start this off with a photo completion picture. I didn't get any pictures of the process. But basically I cut a picture in half and with pencil drew the part I had removed.

I had wanted to draw the rest of the otter (it’s back legs and tail) to look like it was 3D and coming off the page and leaving water marks on the page. However I ran out of time, and I didn’t feel my skills were quite up to that level. Still, can’t get better if you don’t try, right?

Also in the real picture half that I cut, the otter had a yellow stain on his mouth making him look all frowny when converted to black and white. So I drew in a bit more of a smile. Because artist.

YakitisSacked

This was another entry into my portfolio to help me get into school (which I did! Yay again!) I took this picture at a zoo. I sadly can’t remember which one - either San Diego or Phoenix I think...

I loved all the different textures of hair this yak had. He was also pretty cute sleeping away in the sunshine. I don’t think I captured the hair texture as well as I would have liked. Practice! Practice! Practice!

Ready...set...DRAW!

“Map and Measure” which is fancy art speak for “this part looks like crap but is necessary before I can get all the details on.”

I start with the nose. Not for any strategic artistic reason. But because animals have THE CUTEST NOSES ON THE FACE OF THIS PLANET.

The head has a body. A yak has a shape. A girl has a name.

All done! The white hairs against the black hairs is done with a battery operated eraser. Seriously - this eraser rotates very fast and you can make really white lines with it. :D

Pencil and Watercolor

I found out that an art style you can do is drawing a pencil drawing...and then use watercolor to give it a splash of color. How fun! :D It is pretty neat. I’m not as practiced with watercolor as I am with colored pencil, but the color does go on faster. I made these for my co-workers as I left my mouse handling job to do art instead.

I gave this one to my vet friends who taught me SO MUCH. I got to trim little mouse toes when they got itchy skin to keep them from scratching it. I also learned how to trim mouse teeth!! Mouse teeth grow constantly and if they have malocclusion (where their teeth don’t line up right), they can grow out of control and be deadly to the mice. So we trim the bad ones to keep them healthy and happy. :) I also learned how to put ointment and eyedrops in their eyes. Basically what vets to with other animals...only on a teeny tiny scale. Between the mouse’s legs in the picture is the BASE OF THE TAIL. >.>

This was for my supervisor. He loooooved skulls. I thought having a scene out of “Hamlet” I mean “Hamouse” would be good. ;) ‘Alas poor Yorick, I ate him well.’ To a mouse, your buddy’s death is an excellent source of protein sometimes. Because mouse. We don’t talk about that side of their behavior. Instead, did I tell you mice have cute widdle noses? Cause they do!

This was for my project coordinator. She was so sweet, she was basically the mom to all of us. She is all about love, friendship, and positive thinking. :) The world definitely needs more people like her!

This was for a couple of people I worked with and we got pretty close. When I gave this to them, one said “Ha! We got the CUTE one of baby mice. Not the ugly ones with needles and skulls.” ;D They made me laugh so much! I will miss them all!

Lions and Portfolios

I was trying to get into school for Scientific Illustration (which I did! Yay!), but at the time I needed to build up my portfolio. My art teacher recommended that I draw something super eye catching. After spending quite awhile finding something that would look good in black and white, I found this. It was an incredible photo taken by National Geographic. Sadly the antelope did not make it. But if you look at this picture and imagine...it did. ;)

I never like the beginning of my drawings. I think they always look like crap. I’m a “finished art” person. Unless someone does a simplistic drawing - I love those. That takes a very special other set of skills to pull off.

I ended up flicking some white paint at it to give some water droplets. I also had fun jabbing my pencil at this a bunch for the black dots. The original image was of a lion and an antelope chance meeting at a watering hole. Mud, dirt, water flying...IT WAS A FIREFIGHT!

Haha this face. This is the face of an antelope who tells the god of death “not today.”

Social Media

I love social media. I want to have a presence in many. Below is my plan, but I’ve already noticed it changing a bit. For example, Instagram is becoming random pictures about art and flowers :P and ...I still have trouble with Twitter.

Still, I am on all of these and I try to keep everything varied a bit, so you don't see the exact same thing each time:

Facebook and Google Plus - You will see my finished work with some step by step photos and brief descriptions

Twitter - Random happenings an animal artist might encounter

Instagram - Finished pieces with pretty filters. Also animal (flower) inspiration pics.

Tumblr - In depth description with step by step pictures of the whole process. The best social media...amirite?