Betsy on the Nest

 

Sketching Betsy on the community nest - all of our hens lay their eggs in one nest each day!!  She's one of our sweetest chickens, one of two calico princesses we have.  I don't know if all chickens do this, but ours have fun the very beginning.  Only three times has an egg missed the family plot. Two were randomly in the henhouse and one in the middle of the run!  Both of the times they were in the henhouse, the nest was fill off 7 eggs already. And if one of the hens is still on that nest, they don't mind at all when I reach underneath them to pull each egg out. I'm so happy we started on this chicken adventure. Painting number 4784 in 4784 days. 

Nesting Cardinals

Pen and ink has such a timeless feel on whatever I use it on.  The cardinals are frequent visitors and I often find their nests while tending my garden.  I love to watch and draw their antics any time of year.  My new Inkvent Calendar has arrived, so I will soon be opening a new bottle of ink each day to try in December. I'm so excited to see what unveils!  Painting number 4715 in 4715 days. 

Weaving her Nest

 The second day's prompt from Inktober is "weave", so I'm sketching Betsy on the best, which she's woven for herself.  We have 11 chickens, and they all Leo in the same nest, until today!  Five eggs ended up in this nest, and two on the nest farthest from this one! It's the first time we've gotten 7 eggs in one day! So exciting!  And Betsy is a favorite, who is the first to jump on my lap, and loves being showered with attention!  She's a Calico Princess - and she certainly lives up to the name!  I plan to fill 31 pages of this new sketch book with Inktober prompts involving my chickens!  Painting number 4648 in 4648 days. 

Cardinal Family

We often have cardinals nesting on the grounds, sometimes even by the front porch. When they are so close, I just can't resist painting them as they tend their little ones!  I've chosen pen and ink for this study on handmade paper - and I like the vintage feel of it!  Maybe I should do more of these studies in black and white.  Painting number 5087 in 5087 days. 

Carolina Wren

 We have a pair of wrens that nest here several times a year.  The male makes multiple nests in any conceivable container, and his mate chooses her favorite.  It's a bit like hide and seek, just to discover their newest abode. Once, they even sneaked into the house - and I had to herd them back outside from their lofty perches!  I'm using a new TWSBI fountain pen filled with Diamine's Nutcracker to match the pen.  I've used a lot of it in the ink work, along with a couple of others.  This was so much fun, I think I'll paint more of my feathered friends!  Painting number 5183 in 5183 days. 

Cardinal Nest

We have had cardinals nesting here for years - and it is always a joy to find their nest in the spring!  They fly off and chirp when we get too close, so I must stay back to observe them.  After missing my ink on yesterday's watercolor painting, I felt like only ink for today!  Though I may do something like this in watercolor, too.  Seems I am jumping from one medium to the next this month! Painting number 2702 in 2702 days.

Robin Nesting

Robin Nesting
Watercolor on paper, 9x6

This sweet robin is nesting in one of our trees, and today, I am capturing him with watercolor on 140lb cold pressed block.  I love painting on the blocks, and rarely use the single sheets of paper.  I think it is because I prefer a rigid surface - like my masonite and wood for my oils and acrylics, and the block holds it’s shape perfectly without any need to tape or clip down the paper (which is something I don’t like at all).  I feel a little rusty with this one, like I need to “brush up” on my watercolor bird painting......maybe I’ll do a few more birds until I feel comfortable again.  Painting number 1188 in as many days.

The Robin's Nest

The Robin's Nest
Oil on panel, 14x11
sold

Last summer, while pruning back a stubborn mulberry bush, I found this little nest tucked deep within the branches.  Much to my surprise - there were three tiny blue eggs inside!  I had not seen any robins nearby as I worked, and I couldn't believe the nest was in such close proximity to where the cats had frolicked daily.  When I decided to paint this, I thought it would be easy subject matter - knocked out quickly.  Wrong!  That sweet little nest of sticks was certainly a challenge!  Getting enough paint on was key - and then the pulling  strokes hither and yon, completed the nest.  I am channeling my inner spring with this 397th painting in as many days :)