Painting an OWL in Watercolor

When I put in his chest feathers, it was such fun!

The beginning of Beauregard, the Barred Owl.

HI, This week I started Beauregard. Remember the owl I saw at Norfolk Botanical Garden, this is him. I actually got to pet his back, it was so very soft. Later I looked and he had put his head on his caretakers breast and fallen asleep. How adorable.. You know how much I love nature!!

Anyway, I sketched him first and have dry brushed and then dabbled water where I wanted the colors to bleed. This creates such a soft feather! I hope to work on him today. It's warm and sunny maybe I'll paint on the back porch again. I love being outside with the hummingbirds zooming thru the porch, now the baby Carolina Wren has left the nest in the eves over where I paint so no more visits from their family. We do have 2 new kittens which need homes.. both tuxedo cats. Sadie and Mama cat are having a feud, Sadie, our lab, wants to see and play, and Mama cat is protecting her babies..

Wishing you a happy weekend. Next weekend I have an art show. Barrier Island Center Art and Music on the Farm.  Love to each of  you. Diana

A Little Barn Owl Watercolor

HI, This is one of my little owl watercolors. It's an 8x10. I do love the owls. I haven't heard one lately at night here.  I didn't get to paint today. Our son is coming home this weekend. I've been cleaning and making chicken salad...I'm furious with Sadie, the yellow lab.. she ran into the road this afternoon and would not come to me. I could not catch her ...She is ok. I may not let her out until she is old now. ha ha.. just kidding.. but yes I'm still mad.  Hope you all have a great weekend. I'd better go put sheets on the bed! love to  you,Diana

Hurry up and Paint...

HI, I'm rushing. I finally decided what to paint. Remember earlier this summer I actually held a Screech owl.. So I thought one of those and the leaves have been so gorgeous so I added those, and here it is the  beginning of the watercolor. A pour first in autumn colors, then the drawing of Maple Leaves and the little owl. Now to paint.Good grief I'm running out of time.. This is my 2nd entry to the ESAL show,which is this coming Saturday. Delivery is Thursday. Yes I have to frame them too.

 As you can see the Help(Sadie, our dear lab puppy) is not cooperating. I put the flea medication on her back and she squeezed under the couch. She had earlier in her puppydom torn the underlining...The tail really makes me laugh hanging out like that.. I've got to go get back to the painting. I'll start on the head of the owl. Worse comes to worse, I can stay up one night to finish the painting..

 love to each of you,Diana

 Please tell me what you think..at this stage I feel like tossing everything.. thanks!!!

Owl Painting ---Little Foot

Little Foot,8x10,$99

Watercolor in progress

HI, Well I put another glaze on my little owl background when I got home from church. I'm sure you can see it's still drying. I hope that will be dark enough. He's a young owl, a burrowing owl,I believe. I put a rusty metal beam in this as well. Love how the colors bled into each other.. I love to paint owls. I need to get busy and do some new bigger pieces but am not sure what I want to do. :)

 Here are the iris that I started at the paint out. These were in a large bouquet of mixed flowers Susan had fixed for us. My eyes only saw the iris.. It's not finished-- I'm just going to look at it for a few days.. and see what it needs. Any suggestions.. What are you doing this weekend?  Any painting? love,Diana

Barn Owl Watercolor

Finished.. probably. Definitely maybe. well you know I have to see how it dries.. ha ha. Did I ever tell you a good way to dry your watercolors was tape it to the top of your dryer.? Now this doesn't work if you have a new model-- so keep your old dryers that get nice and warm on top. You don't have to tape it,just gently lay it there. No, I didn't put this on the dryer. It's on my art table.I've propped the mat up with 2 erasers so it doesn't hurt the drying process. I almost burnt supper.. sheesh.. and John of course caught me. He comes in and says why is there smoke in here and hamburger burning on the stove. Well. I 'm back here posting on the blog. oh well. If' he'd just waited a few moments to come home we could have had cereal.-- Just kidding. I would have made eggs. Talk soon, Love,Diana

Barn Owl Watercolor

I decided to do him again. I woke up the other night at 3am.  Walked by the painting-heading to the kitchen to get a drink of water. It was on my board propped, so I could see it easily, and said.. no.. the vines are way too much. I got carried away with them. They were becoming as important as the little owl.. so I cropped it, at 3 am. The next morning I said I can do better on the drawing so I started all over again. I found a seed pod of the Sweet Gum tree on my walk yesterday and put that in this morning before I drove down to Cape Charles to exchange paintings at the Stage Door Gallery. I'll finish his feet and decide what to do with the background. I'm leaning toward dark so he'll stand out. That's just the shadow from the window across his midsection. Do owls have midsections.???He's standing on a rusty metal beam, I may have to dull it down, talk to you soon. What are you working on today? Love,Diana

Another Owl Painting

Here's another owl. I sketched it last night and just painted the eyes. I've made some coffee and am sipping that as I paint. I have much more to paint on him but it's a beginning.I've washed 5 windows today and made a pot of white beans for supper. The sky outside just turned a dark blue with yellow streaks as the sun is going down,against the bright yellow and orange leaves it's gorgeous. I went for a bike ride and walk . The oak leaf next to the owl came from a scraggly tree but the color is amazing. Such a lovely day, I hope you had one too. love to you,Diana

Owls,Come Hither...

HI,well here is an owl  watercolor, I did awhile ago. It's my very favorite owl I've painted. I love owls and now they can return to my backyard. The little kittens and Clay are almost home. He called just a few moments ago and said they were asleep in the cat carrier on his backseat. Good. I did enjoy them and am so glad he'll enjoy them. I've cleaned up the dishes from lunch, sent off some art information on the computer. I'm zonked and have only doodled in my sketchbook. Tomorrow I promise I'll post something new. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. No, I'm not going to watch football now.love to you,Diana

Owl Watercolor

HI! Finished my owl painting. Just now. Daisy snored the whole time! talk to you soon! Diana