This one turned out incredibly powerful looking, and I have to think it might be in part because of its very simple and "graphic-like" markings--sides of red-orange, a black hood that tapers into a field of white on the breast... It's very "superhero looking" to my eye... The angle also makes him seem very "buff" somehow...
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! 😆
A little sweet whimsy on a super hot day! It was 99 a few hours ago with a "feels like" of 114. I do wonder how the birds survive this heat when we have to go out every 2 hours with ice and mist to keep our chickens alive.
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!
“There is not a day or night but a doe offers her life for her kittens, or some honest captain of Owsla his life for his Chief Rabbit’s. Sometimes it is taken, sometimes it is not. But there is no bargain, for here, what is, is what must be.”