Illustration: The Hungry Bass (v2)

This is my drawing of a Largemouth Bass. It was a long cold winter, but now it is Spring and he is very hungry.

Please also check out my latest short video where I attend a Fishing Show and share my Top 5 Picks for kayaking and fishing. And let me know what you think. https://youtu.be/MBc4oGDfgU4

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super pets

At the end of every year, I draw my little cartoon, turning it into a holiday card. I share it with friends and family, in hopes to bring a smile, but I feel like I am the only one left who sends cards. Writing and sending physical cards is a dying art.

Over the holiday, I went to the Postal Museum in Washington DC. I remember when collecting stamps was a cool thing to do. I collected them as a youth and I still do. I definitely recommend you check the museum out if you are in the area. And maybe try stamp collecting yourself (or with your child). It’s a great way to learn about history and the world. There are so many subjects such as nature (flowers, birds, national parks), pop culture (Elvis, Wonder Woman), and important figures (JFK, Amelia Earhart). It was nice to reminisce, at the museum, how important writing and sending physical letters were, before everything went digital.

Anyway, back to my card writing, over time, my cartoon has become less Christmasy and more of a way to flesh out my characters through stories. It makes me happy to share something creative and then at least I receive words of appreciation, not by a card, but by a text message. Oh well. It’s better than nothing I suppose.

This year, my cartoon comes with a special message.
Happy 2018 Everybody!

illustration: everglades wildlife

drawing: everglades wildlife

I spent some time in the Florida, documenting various wildlife with photography and drawing. I was most anxious to see an alligator in the flesh… err, in the scales, rather. It would have been a shame to go all the way to Florida and not see gators. Well, the Everglades has an abundance of these smiling massive reptiles, basking in the sun. They are practically posing for you.

Still, alligators are not the only exotic animals to see. Visitors from everywhere come here to experience world-class bird watching. I come here more to fish watch and reptile watch. My next priority after seeing gators was to spot turtles. Again, this National Park did not disappoint. I saw dinosaur-sized turtles.

Here is my sketch (a work in progress) which is a snapshot of an Everglades scene. It includes mangroves, a soft-shelled turtle and of course, a gator. The proximity of this many animals in one area is really not unheard of, in the Glades.

sketch: walrus

sketch: jack rabbit

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.