According to Wikipedia: "In 1977, Costa Ricans chose the yigüirro as a national symbol (over many much more colorful birds that inhabit the country) due to its strong and melodious song that always comes during the start of the rainy season. In addition, unlike many of the forest songsters of Costa Rica, the present bird has been familiar to the general population since the country's early history, thanks to the species' tendency to live near houses and settlements."
The original photograph that inspired this image was taken by Grooveland Designs, and can be found on Unsplash here: https://unsplash.com/photos/PmLN3u6n1rw
Today's new print is an Eurasian Blue Tit, common in Europe. These birds usually make their nests inside holes in tree trunks, so they're a very common "man-made birdhouse" user.
I've got a new print release on Etsy! This one is a Great-Crested Flycatcher, a bird found in eastern and midwest portions of the US. This bird ended up coming across as quite regal!
The original photograph this image was inspired by was taken by Joshua J. Cotten, and can be found on Unspalsh. According to the description data, it was taken in Corpus Christi, Texas: https://unsplash.com/photos/-aPUaLl43Vk
Today's free phone bird wallpaper is a Black-Crested Titmouse. These birds are native to Oklahoma, Texas, and east-central Mexico.
I absolutely love the tall black sweep of feathers making up the crest of this bird. It reminds me of those big bouffant 1950s hairdos on greasers. It's one step away from being a parody!
The original photograph this image was inspired by was taken by Joseph J. Cotten, and can be found on Unsplash here: https://unsplash.com/photos/RDIppkizvbE
The original photograph this image was inspired by was taken by Vincent van Zalinge and can be found here on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/oH6RhpzOtDg
Personally, I'm fascinated by their tails... Thus far I've drawn birds that have "long straight backs" that have an implied visual straight line from the top of the head to the end of the tail, but these birds were the first I'd drawn that the tail sticks straight up! They're so cute! It's like they're constantly alert and vigilant! I love it!
Today's new print drop on my Esty store is the last of the three hummingbirds I've done lately: an Anna's Hummingbird. With this image, I now have 70 different bird prints available on my Etsy shop.
Apparently, they're named after the wife of an ornithologist...
I don't use AI to make these--this image took 10922 strokes to make over 4 hours and 14 minutes. Here's the speedpaint, condensed down to 2:13!! https://makertube.net/w/6nBoQXq3rkEs6n4XaBpUFF
The original photograph this image was inspired by was taken by Vijayalakshmi Nidugondi and can be found on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/pmTzIqkbQRs
My husband grew up with this Kookaburra song that his entire family knows and I'd never even heard of... I guess it didn't really reach my childhood in Southwest Iowa, but oh my goodness it's an earbug and now I hear it in my head all the time!! https://youtu.be/p2VitpGRalw?feature=shared
Here's the speedpaint from Procreate: https://makertube.net
/w/8fd9rSppeSbTpU9E3fXTbV
Today's new Etsy listing (and free phone and tablet wallpapers) is a juvenile Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. This little fellow is young enough that he hasn't developed its characteristic red coloring. I still think its lovely!
Here's tonight's free bird wallpaper. It's a Eurasian Wren, more commonly known as just a straight-up Wren. It's common to most of Europe and Southeast Asia.
I don't do AI images, and I like to provide proof I actually drew and painted it (albeit digitally) using Procreate. The app records each stroke I make while painting it. For this image, I made 4410 strokes of my Apple pencil, and it took 1hr 48 minutes to complete. Here's the speedpaint: https://makertube.net/w/3SR1A2un5U66KpkFjaGDPr
I just love how this very tiny bird's tail just sticks straight up!! It's so cute!!
Apparently Phoebe is an alternate name for the Roman moon-goddess Diana. I'm not sure why or how that was selected for this particular bird, but some suggest it might also suggest the sound of its call.
I tried out some more bokeh lighting effects on this one and sort of made the whole thing a bit darker and dramatic. I'm telling myself I'm doing Glamour Shots for birds. LOL! 😆
This is the second Northern Cardinal I've drawn in this series. The first was a very long time ago (it seems) and was one of the original bird images I'd completed before I ever realized I was actually working on a series...
I love the look of these birds--especially the females as their rich browns and creamy tan coloration is so much fun to paint! The bright red of the males is fine, but there's sometimes less subtlety in their hues. They seem all red all the time! Haha!!
There are lots of different types of Drongos apparently! 28 different species--Shining, White, Spangled, Bronzed... This one is distinctive because of its gray, ash-like coloring.
It seems black to me, and I used a lot of blue in it, so... This illustration is an Ashy blue-black Drongo. My own species. Haha!