Natasha Wescoat Giveway!

One of my favorite artists is hosting a give-away on her blog. Check it out!
http://natashasartcandy.com/

Illustration Friday: Instinct

Did you know that clownfish have a built-in INSTINCT to not only horde food (since they can't travel far wihout being eaten by predators)... but they also have the INSTINCT to work with the Sea Anemone to survive? Anemones are actually invertebrates that catch food with it's stinging tentacles. A clownfish, which has a natural mucus covering that protects it from being stung, hides in the anemone for protection against its predators, who try to follow it and wind up getting stung and eaten by the anemone. What a great partnership designed by God our Creator!

Here's an interesting article I read about this.

I've been so busy lately and haven't drawn anything in so long. I've come to realize that I really enjoy working with color pencils, and had a lot of fun drawing this. And my "Clownfish in Anemone" actually fit this week's Illustration Friday theme!

Arabian Horse

Haven't had a lot of time to work on new things lately, but I do hope to get back to more art soon.

I didn't know this before, but all Arabians, no matter the coat color, have black skin, except under white markings. Black skin provided protection from the hot desert sun. Although many Arabians appear "white," they are not. A white hair coat is usually created by the natural action of the gray gene, and virtually all "white" Arabians are actually grays. (info taken from a wikipedia article... gotta love wikipedia!)

Once upon a time, there was a little house, on a little hill, way out in the country...

I saw this a while back and thought this cartoon was particularly touching. In these troubled times, we realize what "progress" may actually bring. But let us not forget to cling to that little bit of hope...



Disney's "The Little House" - 1952

New Painting!

I can hardly believe I got this painting done! Yesterday was absolutely crazy, as I had several errands and seemed to be on the road forever. And I thought I'd be exhausted when I got home, but somehow my creative energy was still flowing and I managed to finish this painting of a quail. It's acrylic on a 5x12 piece of plywood, and I mixed in a medium that makes acrylic brush on and blend like oil paint.

I was under the gun to finish this because I'm giving it as a birthday gift to a very good friend of mine, who loves quails.

It's very satisfying to complete a project that's been on my "to do" list for a few weeks. Plus, I proved to myself that I can paint something other than ATC's. =)

I Love Your Blogs, Too!

The very talented (and super nice) Lisa M. Griffin gave me the "I Love Your Blog" award some time back, and I am shamefully late posting it... sorry! This goes right back to Lisa, as her site is such an enjoyable place to visit. I'm also giving it to all the "Cool People with Lots of Talent" featured on my sidebar. Check them out and find out why I love their blogs so much!

That's Sir Nils Olav to you!

This story made me smile. A king penguin received Norwegian Knighthood recently, having already received medals for good service and other honorary ranks ever since he was made an honorary member of the King's Guard in 1972 after being picked out as the guard's mascot.

Check out the full story here

And the video (in case you don't believe me):


Here's also a few penguin ATC's I recently made (I thought it would go nicely with this post)...