On another note - We found the grand-daddy of all Centipedes in our house the other night! SCREAM!! I say 'grand-daddy' because, according to the website I researched, they are supposed grow between 5cm - 10cm.......this one was at least 18cm! My son woke me around midnight as he has spotted it crawling across the tiles. After much drama, we managed to get it out of the house and thrown over the back fence into the bushland from where it must have ventured out. I am now paranoid that we may get another in the house. They are venomous and give a very painful bite. I love having the bushland directly behind our back fence because it's relaxing and we get the melodious sound of the birds every morning, however, I have never seen so many varieties of insects since moving here. The harmless ones I don't mind but the venomous ones such as centipedes, I do.
Great eyes. You are so amazingly talented! Are you all self taught or did you go to school?? My daughter is a good artist, and is just starting college...what do you suggest for teaching? I think she will go into digital/graphic arts, or video game design.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Julie! Yes, I started painting over 14 years ago...in the very beginning, I learned some very basic folk art strokes and that ignited my passion for art. I then taught myself with the help of books. I have only really focused on my sketching since joining the Every Day Matters group last year. I feel the improvement in my drawing skills helps in my paintings also. I don't think your daughter could go wrong with digital/graphic arts and it's good that she's getting into it at a young age. All the best to her ~ :)
ReplyDeleteWow, I wish I could sketch like that! I'm very envious :) I know I should practice & sketch more, but I always seem to end up with a brush in my hand!
ReplyDeleteI'm not an insect fan, so I can relate to your feelings . . . I like the bush too with the lovely sound of birds in the morning & afternoon.
Hope you're having a good week, apart from the centipede. Thanks for dropping by my blog tonight,
love
Maria
Excellent sketches. The first one has a very soft gaze. The eagles eye is glass-like.
ReplyDeleteOf course I can tell the difference, but I AM struck by how similar the attitude of their eyebrows is. Your son will obviously have no trouble giving the 'stern and withering' gaze someday when he has kids of his own! lol! Beautifully rendered Serena
ReplyDeleteGreat Eyes, both your sons and the eagles. I love your story of the cenntipede. We actually bought a millipede as a pet! Twice a year the LA museum has a bug fair and they sell all sorts of disqusting bugs both dead in picture frames and alive for pets. My daughter loves them, this is the most boring pet I have ever owned, 12inches long and spend the day curled up and some of the evening eating her rotten fruit! Not the kind of pet you can go jogging with.
ReplyDeleteStriking Eyes!!! and each so different. And WOW, I hope no other critters venture inside - or at least sketch them too :)
ReplyDeleteI hate Centipedes. They creep me out. That is a huge Centipede 0.0
ReplyDeleteThose eyes are lovely. You did a fabulous job with the eagle's eye and the little swirly things in the iris (I don't know what they are called).
Wow, great eyes but that eagle's eye is awesome!
ReplyDeletei am impressed with the eye sketches, i would have been totally freaked out by a huge cenitiped! and for an added bonus, i did find the kingfisher!
ReplyDeleteAs always, a beautiful series of drawings.
ReplyDelete...and the kingfisher on the fence(!): we also have kingfishers in our midst-here in Georgia USA. (You must have water nearby.) They are delightfully feisty birds-if only by the sound of their distinctive 'call'.
Hi Serena, thanks so much for stopping by and saying hi...I'm so glad to "meet" you.
ReplyDeleteYour artistict talent is just amazing...I'm so glad I've found you and will be back again for a good look around!
Yikes on the centipede - there would such a commotion in our house that you would hear it all the way to your country!
ReplyDeleteYour eye drawings are beautiful - the softness of the child and the sharpness of the eagle - both essences captured perfectly!!
Serena, I love the eyes. When drawing an animal I always start with the eyes as I feel that if the eyes are right everything else will probably work out well. Can I borrow these?:)
ReplyDeleteVery well done eyes!
Watch out for the bugs!:)
These are wonderful eyes....both are terrific and very intricate! I also enjoyed seeing your other art work (sewing, knitting, and art journals). I agree with you about bugs!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, Serena, those eyes are soooo realistic. What kind of pencils did you use, and what kind of notebook?
ReplyDeletefabulous eyes! good job!
ReplyDeleteThank you, everyone, for the wonderful feedback.
ReplyDeletejuj, my son can indeed give the 'eagle' glare when it suits him. lol
Desiree, I don't think you can get millipedes as pets here. They certainly would make for an interesting pet even if they are a little boring. Not that I would want one, of course ~ ;)
weebug & Rock - Yes, we do have a creek nearby and this Kingfisher currently has some babies inside what appears to be an abandoned termite nest high in one of the trees right behind our back fence. They are a beautiful bird and I love their blue-green colours.
Kathy, I shrieked so much at seeing the centipede that I was worried I would wake my other son up but, surprisingly, he slept soundly in his bed throughout all the commotion.
Joanie - For this sketch I used Derwent Graphite pencils in soft...3b & 6b. The paper is just a standard A5 sketchbook (110gsm).
Boyd, I tend to always start with the eyes when drawing an animal too.
Thank you Ricë and Kate...I appreciate that you returned my visit.
Hey Serena,
ReplyDeleteGreat job of the eye drawings... I love working on eyes, they are to me, the most important feature of anything,get those right and the rest flows. As for your centipede, keep it....On a trip to Barbados many years ago,I stepped out of the shower to find a dead one, legs sticking straight up, and me with my foot in mid air trying to swivel around to a space on the floor, far far away from the dead thing...lol They call them 40 leggers there....lol....Ro
Thanks, Ro. YIKES on your centipede experience!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU for not posting a picture of the centipede!!! LOL I'm screaming with you all the way from NYC.
ReplyDelete