Art by Gwen

My professional training is all related to engineering and science, and that's all I was interested in as a kid. I made very few art projects that were magnetically attached to the family fridge. I didn't develop even the slightest interest until I was in my thirties.

A friend, John Mountain, imparted all he knew from his Drawing 101 class in college in half hour lesson. I practiced a bit and decided I could draw a thing and it would look like the thing it was supposed to represent. And, I dropped the art hobby again for another fifteen years.

My daughter likes to draw, so I enrolled her and I in a drawing class together. And what do you know, I became interested in drawing again.

So, here's my work. It's kind of cool to see it improve over time.

Red Finches

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 31 October 2022 31 October 2022

Bird, blue

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 31 October 2022 31 October 2022

Red Finch

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 31 October 2022 31 October 2022

Spots

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 31 October 2022 31 October 2022

Ferret

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 31 October 2022 31 October 2022

Sun Conure

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 31 October 2022 31 October 2022

Two Bluejays

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 31 October 2022 31 October 2022

Emu No. 2

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 19 November 2018 19 November 2018

Snow Owl

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 12 November 2018 12 November 2018

It's a bird, not a plane.

Blue flower

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 10 November 2018 10 November 2018

Blue flower. The referene photo I used is on pixabay.

Three columbines

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 10 November 2018 10 November 2018

This is a second stab at my earlier attempt at three columbines.

Second Giraffe

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 07 November 2018 07 November 2018

My favorite artist, Lisa Clough, made a video on pencil painting a giraffe. here's my attempt.

Mana Wrym

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 30 January 2018 30 January 2018

Energetic beings.

Shiny Newt

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 13 November 2017 13 November 2017

I used to freelance under the name "Shiny Newts."

Second Koala

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 31 October 2017 31 October 2017

Trying the same picture for the funny animals theme.

Leaf insect

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 07 October 2017 07 October 2017

"Mom, look!"

Giraffe

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 07 October 2017 07 October 2017

I like the bizarre perspective of this giraffe.

Transparent bugs

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 14 September 2017 14 September 2017

I think buys with transparent wings look funny.

Emus look funny

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 11 September 2017 11 September 2017

I'm starting a series of "animals that look funny" pictures. Well, emus definately look funny.

Bee drinks

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 04 September 2017 04 September 2017

The bee likes the nectar. I like purple and yellow together.

Apollo poses

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 29 August 2017 29 August 2017

Apollo tried to sniff the camera.

Sparky tunnels

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 18 August 2017 18 August 2017

Sparky tunnels.

Jeanne peeks

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 07 August 2017 07 August 2017

Jeanne pops her head up.

Casper's hungry

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 22 June 2017 22 June 2017

Casper's always hungry.

Blue Columbines

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 12 May 2017 12 May 2017

Again, with the blue columbines.

Blue jesters

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 28 April 2017 28 April 2017

Colorado's state flower is a joke.

Butterfly tulips

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 10 April 2017 10 April 2017

Tulips are tasty.

Lavender butterfly

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 09 April 2017 09 April 2017

Butterfly on lavender.

Monarch butterfly

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 04 April 2017 04 April 2017

Sandpaper sucks so far.

Contrasting tulips

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 31 March 2017 31 March 2017

March's challenge.

Abstract face

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 30 March 2017 30 March 2017

Where did this come from?

Beauregard

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 17 March 2017 17 March 2017

Beauregard, a stray ferret on drafting film.

Horse bridle

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 16 March 2017 16 March 2017

Life drawings are good; not-life drawings, not so much.

Heart flamingos

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 10 March 2017 10 March 2017

Hearts. I just wanted to draw a heart.

Two birds

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 10 March 2017 10 March 2017

Birds and feathers are still my nemesis.

Bird

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 22 February 2017 22 February 2017

Feathers are tough.

Purple flower

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 18 February 2017 18 February 2017

I'll have to concentrate on learning flowers soon.

Sea turtle

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 16 February 2017 16 February 2017

Finshed and done. I finished it. That's about all I can say.

Feathers

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 08 February 2017 08 February 2017

Feathers are next. I need to learn how to draw feathers.

Sunflowers

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 04 February 2017 04 February 2017

This was an experiment with Canson mi-tentes paper. It's colored.

I either didn't use a reference flower or I used hundreds. I mean, they're sunflowers.

Lilac breasted roller

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 25 January 2017 25 January 2017

This picture sucks for two reasons. Firstly, I'm bad at birds. I think I've learned how to do fur pretty well, but feathers are not yet my thing. So, guess what? I'll be doing a lot of birds for a while.

Shiny pencils

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 24 January 2017 24 January 2017

New toys!

Dolphin

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 16 January 2017 16 January 2017

This was an experiment with Brush & Pencil products. Even with the seller's help, I still didn't get the stuff to work correctly. I'm told it takes a bit of practice, and I know I made several pilot errors. The idea behind the products is very cool, and I want the products to work. So, I'll try again another time.

Second abstract

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 15 January 2017 15 January 2017

The first abstract didn't relate to the real world at all, so I tried another one. I like the first one better, I think.

My first abstract

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 13 January 2017 13 January 2017

Abstract, January 2017 Monthly Challenge

The monthly challenge for the colored pencil group I'm in is "Abstract." Abstracts make my brain hurt.

There's no original to compare to this time.

Casper's trophy

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 09 January 2017 09 January 2017

Happy dog.

Squirlock

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 05 January 2017 05 January 2017

This is Squirlock. I asked the family what to do with a squirrel and the husband suggested the pipe and a kid suggested a Sherlock Holmes hat.

The original picture was posted as the January 2017 monthly art challenge at Colored Pencil Magazine.

Sunflower

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 19 December 2016 19 December 2016

I've been wanting to try Brush & Pencil's powder blender for a while. I have, in fact, tried it, but it didn't work. More research clued me in that the paper is a big deal. So, I finally got the right paper, UART 600, archival sanded paper. I picked a sunflower because it's a fairly easy thing to draw. As I played with the blender, it still didn't work right for me. I also tried the texture fixative, and if you look closely at the picture, that didn't work out all that great for me either.

Watercolor Sunset

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 18 December 2016 18 December 2016

This is an experiment with watercolors. I used my new NeoColor II crayons. There is no original photo for this.

Raptor

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 17 December 2016 17 December 2016

I experimented with doing a watercolor background. i got new watercolor pencils called NeoColor II. I like the watercolors. I msked out the bird with masking fluid, did the background, removed the masking fluid, and then did the bird with Polychromos pencils. I'm not sure about this mixing media idea.

Bird

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 08 December 2016 08 December 2016

Blue jay on limb in colored pencil with gray background

Here's a bird. This was my first experiment using orange to gray up blue. The original, a wikipedia commons photo, is below.

Failed: First attempt at a human portrait

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 05 December 2016 05 December 2016

Well, my first attempt at a portrait failed. I tried using the texture fixative on the paper, but apparently it wasn't sealed enough. I was hoping the pencil oil and binder would seal the pores in the paper.

Der Schmetterling

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 01 December 2016 01 December 2016

Colored pencil drawing of a monarch butterfly

This is supposed to be a monarch butterfly. The original photo is in the wikimedia commons, also below.

Rexxar with bubbles

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 25 November 2016 25 November 2016

Colored pencil drawing of a picture of Rexxar, a sable ferret

Colorful bubbles make me happy. Ferrets make me happy. Merge the two and I'm thrilled.

Koala

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 16 November 2016 16 November 2016

So, this is my koala in colored picture. I like the background, star-like dust, and the leaves. I don't like my koala. In the picture, the koala looks fuzzy, not furry. I haven't figured out how to do fuzzy yet.

Basket boy

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 11 November 2016 11 November 2016

Rexxar in a basket, colored pencil drawing

Photographing a moving, squirming, small creature is difficult. Rexxar is a moving, squirming, small creature.

Evie's bubbles

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 02 November 2016 02 November 2016

Happy kitten.

Evening

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 28 October 2016 28 October 2016

Evening is my new kitten. Her job description is twofold: pet me and stalk, terrorize, and murderize mice. So far, she excels at one task and sucks at the othe

Bird

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 14 October 2016 14 October 2016

Lauren went to Africa and took a bunch of pictures. Some were of this little red bird. So, that was my next drawing experiment. I was trying to keep the background trees in the background and stuff like that. This is colored pencil. I'm going to try this with acrylic paints too.

Harvest Moon

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 01 October 2016 01 October 2016

My favorite artist did a video on how to make this moon painting, kind of Bob Ross style but with acrylics.

Forest and Fireflies

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 28 September 2016 28 September 2016

My favorite artist made a tutorial on how to do this paiting. It's kind of a Bob Ross style, but with acrylics.

Ms. Ellie

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 26 September 2016 26 September 2016

Ellie is a foster ferret I have. I "copied" this picture from her mug shot for the humane society. I didn't do too great. I have problems delineating fur vs. body. I'm learning. It's a process.

Two flowers and a fence

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 17 September 2016 17 September 2016

Three days after she moved in with me, grandma had a stroke.

Moon rat

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 01 May 2016 01 May 2016

Rat and moon

Colorful bird

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 29 April 2016 29 April 2016

The background is colored pencil and I kind of like it. I like the wood too, but I don't like the leaves this time.

Sting moves

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 26 April 2016 26 April 2016

Puppies like to move and Sting is a puppy.

Horse

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 23 April 2016 23 April 2016

The reference photo was included in the challenge.

Blueberries

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 19 April 2016 19 April 2016

Simple. I wanted to draw something simple.

Kids' Crayola colored pencils

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 15 April 2016 15 April 2016

Crayola colored pencils don't blend very well, which is probably why they are so cheap.

Donut planet

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 12 April 2016 12 April 2016

Imagine living on a torroid, or donut-shaped, planet.

Captivation bubbles

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 08 April 2016 08 April 2016

Mantis shrimp can make super captivtion bubbles.

Underwater scene

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 01 April 2016 01 April 2016

Here's a sea turtle and a boxy fish.

Closeup of a ferret face

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 30 March 2016 30 March 2016

Ferret face closeup

Odin, Hugin, Munin

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 28 March 2016 28 March 2016

March challenge

Something swimming, something flying, sun or moon

Seagull and flying fish

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 21 March 2016 21 March 2016

March challenge

Something flying, something swimming, sun or moon

Ornamental cabbage

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 20 March 2016 20 March 2016

Yikes, I don't think I could have done any worse on this one.

Three purple flowers

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 19 March 2016 19 March 2016

Colored pencil

What's that on the TV?

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 19 March 2016 19 March 2016

Okay, I think I got the bricks done fairly well and the ledge. But the left most ferret is definitely out of proportion, even if we pretend it's a small female. As usual, the photograph isn't that great.

Hummingbird

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 18 March 2016 18 March 2016

Hummingbird. Colored pencil foreground and watercolor background

Lady-bugged leaf

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 15 March 2016 15 March 2016

Lady bug on leaf

Ferret with red flowers

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 13 March 2016 13 March 2016

Here's a ferret with red flowers. Now, this ferret was a "new media" projected. I did this in colored pencils, but I tried a new blending powder and a texture spray. The texture spray left funny things on the paper and made it difficult to layer. I'm hoping it was just because I used the wrong type of paper.

Marbles

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 08 March 2016 08 March 2016

Colored pencils

Key

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 08 March 2016 08 March 2016

Key

Second try: Ferret coming out of a picture frame

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 07 March 2016 07 March 2016

Colored pencil

Ferret coming out of a picture frame

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 06 March 2016 06 March 2016

Watercolor background and colored pencil foreground

Mouse, moon, flower

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 01 March 2016 01 March 2016

This time in acrylics.

War dance

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 01 March 2016 01 March 2016

You can't tell with this crappy photo, but my husband actually deemed this picture wall worthy. It's in an actual frame and hanging in his office at work.

Blue Jay

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 26 February 2016 26 February 2016

Sometimes you want to use water as a solvent instead of gnarly chemicals.

Galaxy in a galaxy

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 26 February 2016 26 February 2016

I was doing so well until I started adding hair... Yes, I need to learn to sharpen my pencil, make sure the hair goes in the right direction, keep track of hair length on body parts, ... It looks so much better as a thumbnail.

Heart dish

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 22 February 2016 22 February 2016

Heart dish

Playing with a compass

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 18 February 2016 18 February 2016

Playing with a compass

Brigit's Cross

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 17 February 2016 17 February 2016

Brigit is sort of an Irish goddess, part of the Tuatha de Danann. I put in a symbol for each of the family members and did my best to phonetically spell out names out in old Irish letters.

Triskele

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 15 February 2016 15 February 2016

Triskele

Hex nut

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 14 February 2016 14 February 2016

Hex nut

Tunnel rat

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 06 February 2016 06 February 2016

Rat in a tunnel

Bow

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 28 January 2016 28 January 2016

Graphite bow, for a present

Eye

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 26 January 2016 26 January 2016

Anna and I copied eyes from a reference photo in drawing class.

Dog Parts

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 19 November 1999 19 November 1999

Great Danes are big. I wasn't up to drawing a whole dog, so I just did some parts of the dog.

Hummingbird

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 19 July 1999 19 July 1999

This was one of my first paintings. It's supposed to be a hummingbird.

Television trance

Details: Category: Art: My Latest Hobby Art: My Latest Hobby; Created: 19 May 1999 19 May 1999

Television trance. Note that this picture was done about 18 years before I took up art.