illustration: bass and dragonfly

I caught (and released) my first largemouth bass of the year. So I am celebrating with this drawing of a fish “saying hello” to a dragonfly. Just like this bass, I jumped for joy.

illustration: lobster

 

Happy 2012 all! This is my first post of the new year, and I need to “claw” my way back into the routine. So on that note…

I’ve been anxious to add a lobster to my collection of crustacean art ever since my trip along the coast of Maine, past summer. After having done three different kinds of crabs, the lobster deserves some recognition too. I did this painting in watercolor on an oversized pad.

Feel free to check out my art for sale, including sea life, at my store.

Did you notice that this lobster is not red? Lobsters turn red only after they’ve been cooked, ready to be served on a plate.

Here is an easy recipe, if you’re just cooking the tail:

- Chop the tail in half, lengthwise.

- Add butter or peanut oil, sea salt and pepper on the meat.

- Place the two parts meat-side down on the grill for 4 to 5 minutes.

- Then flip them shell-side down for 3 minutes until the meat appears opaque and firm.

- Finally, top with a squeeze of lemon, and garnish with parsley.

Placing the lobster on a bed of angel hair pasta, aglio e olio style would be a nice compliment to the dish.

Yum. I should start a food blog.

painted turtle

The clocks move an hour forward this weekend, and that means Spring is almost here.  (One more week to go.)  In honor of the return of warmer weather, I create a watercolour. It’s the first critter to emerge from hibernation, a Painted Turtle, now basking in the sun, peacefully in a remote pond.

painting: three trilobites

Trilobites were prehistoric anthropods that existed in the waters during early the Cambrian age (525 million years ago) to the Permian age (250 million years ago). Mainly, bottom-feeders, their diet consisted of plankton.

My watercolor painting illustrates three trilobites passing each other in the shallow ocean floor. Naturally, the only evidence of their activity appears in fossil form, but I wanted to depict them as alive. After all, the trilobite species reigned on the Earth for hundreds of millions of years.

painting: cicada

On the same theme as my last post, here is another creepy crawler insect, the cicada. With July approaching, summertime is when we hear the droning of these critters in the trees. That is because cicadas are eagerly seeking for a mate, after having spent 17 years underground. They may be big in size and overwhelming in numbers, but don’t worry. Cicadas are harmless.

sketch: cat sleeping

I got an iPad, on release day, eager to try it as a new way of creating art. There are already several drawing apps to choose from, such as Brushes. I’ve tried Brushes for the iPhone, but this time, I decided to try out Sketchbook Pro. For my first exercise, I do quick sketch of my cat, sleeping. I am quite happy with the intuitive feel of drawing directly on a screen, as opposed to a Bamboo tablet method. This is definitely the way of the future. I only wish the iPad was invented earlier. For another exercise, I would love to use a stylus to achieve an even more accurate stroke.

illustration: tyrannosaurus vs stegosaurus

My illustration of a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex battling a smaller, yet powerfully armored Stegosaurus.  T-Rex was one of the largest land carnivores of the Cretaceous period, 65 million years ago. The Stegosaurus is not interested in the T- Rex, being that it is an herbivore.  By necessity and adaptation, it used its distinct plates and spikes as a defense mechanism.  The vertical spinal plating also controlled the Stegosaur’s body heat.  Both dinosaurs were common in western North America.

painting: rainbow trout

I took up fishing about 5 years ago. And I’m still not very good at it. I’ve only caught an average of 3 fish per season. I’d catch a Yellow Perch or a Stone Bass, and feel like an accomplished male, then release it. But the real reward in the sport is in those large, very smart, finicky fish several feet deep under the canoe – the Trout. So this year, I attended an event at the local sporting goods store promoting fly fishing. All of a sudden, my casual hobby has turned into a formula for rocket scientists. And very expensive. Over $250 for a fly fish rod? Anyway, I think the only way I can capture a trout is with my paintbrush. So, here is a watercolor of a Rainbow Trout.

illustration: before the toss

Indian Wells recently ended with Jelena Jankovic winning on the women’s side, beating the talented 19-year-old Danish, Caroline Wozniacki. I am pleased in Jankovic’s victory, for she had been ranked #1 in the world, and yet never won a championship.

As for her countrywoman, Ivanovic, she is unable to live up to her win since the French Open, a couple of years ago. The problem is her inconsistent serve.

I am building a series of tennis panels in hopes to illustrate how a serve in tennis. The artwork I created (above) is of course, the first step – the preparation stance.

I am looking forward to the next Grand slam event which is Roland Garros, aka The French Open. The dates for that tournament are from May 23 – June 6, 2010.

Are there any tennis fans in this side of the blogosphere? Who are you a fan of to win the next major?

illustration: no signal (v2)

Houston, we have a problem. The Shuttle program is shutting down. This drawing, originally, was to be a simple cartoon, but I liked how the drawing turned out, so I pushed it to be more complete, painting it digitally in Photoshop. As a kid, I marveled at the art for sci-fi such as in Star Wars. So, for that as my inspiration, plus the basic structure of the Shuttle, I worked extra on the concept design for the spaceship, including windows for passengers and sleeker aerodynamics. One day, perhaps, a ship will be used as human transportation between planets. Unfortunately, this is the last year for NASA’s Shuttle program. So the dream of mankind traveling in space will have to wait further into the future. The following list details the last flights for the Shuttle:

2010 Space Shuttle Launches

February 7
Space Shuttle: Endeavour
Site: Kennedy Space Center
Time: 4:39 a.m. EST

March 18
Space Shuttle: Discovery
Site: Kennedy Space Center
Time: 1:34 p.m. EDT

May 14
Space Shuttle: Atlantis
Site: Kennedy Space Center
Time: 2:28 p.m. EDT

July 29
Space Shuttle: Endeavour
Site: Kennedy Space Center
Time: 7:51 a.m. EDT

September 16
Space Shuttle: Discovery
Site: Kennedy Space Center
Time: 11:57 a.m. EDT

Note: date and times may vary due to weather and launch conditions.
Please refer to the official NASA site for more details.

Do you agree with the government ending the space shuttle program?