Carrie's Book entries

Finally, I have a couple more entries painted for Carrie's Animal Alphabet Book. She requested 'ladybug' for the letter L and I painted her a ladybug or beetle as an insect that looks like a ladybug can be called. If you follow the pictures, I have captions that let you know what I did.

     This was my first drawing, which looked fine to me.  But it wasn't...

Should have made this closer, but...once I painted it, the ladybug was not right.

I redrew the ladybug, on the same paper.  Just transferred the leaf and the new ladybug that is outside the leaf. 

                             I now can paint the redrawn ladybug!

            This is the almost finished painting.  It went pretty fast. 

Here is the finished bug.  I darkened spots, and sharpened edges.   The letters will all go on each picture when all are painted.

 I also have included the next entry, a 'meerkat', at Carrie's request. Meerkat Manor is a big hit with both Michaela and Carrie. They know the characters, know what they do, who died, who is naughty, nice, whatever! Both girls look forward to the show, I think it is on the cable network. Obviously, the meerkat is a little trickier to paint than a ladybug, and it took a little longer, but I like the result. Follow the pictures and you'll see the sequence for M.

Here is the drawing, on the right, and the first wash on the watercolor paper on the left.

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                 I added dark colors, starting to shape the meerkat.

      I'm finding the form of the animal, adding dark colors and lights.

I'm almost finished, after doing more shaping with a watercolor pencil.

                        The finished product.  Hope Carrie likes it!

I'm now working on a narwhal for N and an otter for O. The otter is one from the John Ball Zoo. Hoping to have them up by the end of next week.  Still have the Christmas deadline to meet, just like Santa's elves!