Pencil And Watercolor

Enjoying the spring in the PNW. I even saw baby bunnies!

What nature have you most enjoyed seeing this spring? Bugs? Birds? Flowers?

Sumi Ink

I loooooove sumi ink drawings. I love the simplistic style the oriental paintings have. Then I thought - simple must be easy to do, right? Oh honey.

After taking a workshop I learned quickly it is not easy. Of course it takes people years to master it. This picture is one of my latest after a workshop, a class, and a few practices. It still could be loads better, but finally getting happy with the results instead of “let’s speak of this to no one” status.

The goal of this piece was to dilute the ink to give it atmospheric shading.

Lions and Portfolios

I was trying to get into school for Scientific Illustration (which I did! Yay!), but at the time I needed to build up my portfolio. My art teacher recommended that I draw something super eye catching. After spending quite awhile finding something that would look good in black and white, I found this. It was an incredible photo taken by National Geographic. Sadly the antelope did not make it. But if you look at this picture and imagine...it did. ;)

I never like the beginning of my drawings. I think they always look like crap. I’m a “finished art” person. Unless someone does a simplistic drawing - I love those. That takes a very special other set of skills to pull off.

I ended up flicking some white paint at it to give some water droplets. I also had fun jabbing my pencil at this a bunch for the black dots. The original image was of a lion and an antelope chance meeting at a watering hole. Mud, dirt, water flying...IT WAS A FIREFIGHT!

Haha this face. This is the face of an antelope who tells the god of death “not today.”

Want a free print of my watercolor art?

I feel it is very important to exercise our right to vote. I am not going to make any statement on who you should vote for, but if you vote, I will give you a print for FREE of my watercolor animals. What do you need to do?

1. Vote

2. Take a picture or update your social media or whatever with your "I Voted!" sticker OR hold the ballot stub, hold a sign, whatever you need to do. :) Just something to show you voted.

3. PM or email (NixAnimalia@gmail.com) your photo or link me to your social media update along with your 1 choice of print and your mailing address. (I will delete your photo and not use it for anything outside of proof you voted). Please pick only from these pictures on this post.

4. Get your print in the mail!

Feel free to share this. If I give free prints out to the entire nation because everyone voted, that will make me a very happy person. :)

Enough introductions, let’s do this!

Let's start this off with a photo completion picture. I didn't get any pictures of the process. But basically I cut a picture in half and with pencil drew the part I had removed.

I had wanted to draw the rest of the otter (it’s back legs and tail) to look like it was 3D and coming off the page and leaving water marks on the page. However I ran out of time, and I didn’t feel my skills were quite up to that level. Still, can’t get better if you don’t try, right?

Also in the real picture half that I cut, the otter had a yellow stain on his mouth making him look all frowny when converted to black and white. So I drew in a bit more of a smile. Because artist.

Throwback Scientific Illustration

This was a super fun, 3 month project for my Sci Ill program at UW. We took a picture of a horse, then drew it 3 times after much anatomical study: skeleton , muscle, skin. Then it was compiled and blended together.

We then put together our illustrations into an informational poster. I love teaching science with art! The UW program was very worth it!

Snow Geese

This was my very first art I did for environmental and conservation statements and education. It was really fun to try a half-color and half-black-and-white piece. It was done with carbon dust and colored pencil. Read the full story on my Patreon!

I'M BACK!

I've been gone for *checks calendar*...uhhh an embarrassing 8 and a half years. Yowzer.

I've had a few changes. I got a Scientific Illustration Certification from the University of Washington. I had two kids, who are both now finally school age. I found my passion is nature conservation and education. I will be taking my art in that direction and maybe pursue employment in that field. For now, I'm loving the art business, being around for my kids, and...oh yeah...about to move! It's been busy.

However, I am back here for hopefully good! I plan to update weekly with art. It will be a new piece every month, if not twice a month. The other weeks will be filled with art you haven't seen yet that I did over the last 8 years. There, sadly, was not much art done a few years in there where I was 3D printing humans and changing diapers. But you can't stop the art. I shall rise and continue...

So let's start off with a Morpho Butterfly! I was lucky to see them at a local butterfly habitat. They are unremarkable brown and then flash a brilliant blue in flight. Truly amazing. I did this artwork digitally. It would be fun to redo it sometime with pastels or paints.

Introductions

It would be remiss of me to not include introductions of my four-legged co-workers, as they will feature heavily I’m sure. :)

The newest (and smelliest) additions to the menagerie are the 4 female mice. The black one is “Kimmy” named for random reasons. The brown one with the torn ear is “Queen Bee.” She is a sweetheart and an older lady. I adopted her off someone who had given her the name and already a wonderful home, but was happy to have Queen Bee join the other girls. The “fancy mouse” grey one is named Riza from the anime: Full Metal Alchemist. Following that naming scheme is the white one “Winry.” :)

Next we have the gerbil brothers. The greyish one is Alphonse and the “blond” one (haha) is Edward. Yup, still with the FMA theme.

This is Puddleglum. She is a common house gecko. When I got her I knew nothing about the care and keeping of geckos. I only know she was supposed to live 5+ years. She just celebrated her 11th birthday with some tasty crickets this spring. I’m pretty convinced she’s an animagus. “CURIOUSLY LONG LIFE FOR A COMMON GARDEN RAT” Siriusly.

For the main players, we have our two kitties. The black fluffy one who is totally just big boned and fluffy and is not a tubby whatsoever is Missy. ;) The photogenic orange tabby who thinks everything is boring and needs to make his own fun is Scratch Fury: Destroyer of Worlds. We just refer to him as “Scratch.” Usually loudly and in a manner only exasperated cat owners can muster. We picked his name from the online comic PvP by Scott Kurtz. Good stuff you should check out. I love these cats to itty bitty pieces and I have learned SO MUCH about cat behavior that I will be sharing liberally here.

The last, but not forgotten, player is Patriot. She won’t be featured here for awhile as she lives in another state. I hope to change that soon. Turns out boarding horses locally costs much more dollars than where she currently lives. Alas. She is a registered quarter horse and has lived up to her breed title. Growing to only the quarter size of a real horse. lolz. She reaches just at or barely over pony height (14.2 hands). What’s that in real measurements? It’s a comfortable height to fall from. Her registered name is “Wind In My Sails” as her damn fine dam was named “Scirocco” and her studly sire was/is? named “Sailor Sam Silver.” Very piratey. What I yell across the pasture to get her attention and whisper sweet nothings in her fuzzy ear is “Patriot.” This is also known as a barn name. I picked apparently from American Girl: Felicity story. Because of course I did.

Thanks for making it this far! (even if you just skimmed by looking at the pretty pictures of animals).

May Reminder...

I'll be posting a reminder weekly through May just in case anyone follows me half way through. :) As a reminder, there is one month left to buy anything off my store at Etsy before I close it down for moving.

Etsy

NixAnimalia - Etsy

Shop The animal artwork by E.E.Nix by NixAnimalia located in Seattle, Washington. Top shop for gifts. A buyer bought a gift from this shop a