Fierce Fish Fossil

© Ellen Blonder

Last year, I was fascinated by the fossils at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. I have finally gotten to do a sketch of a giant fish from a photograph that I took. I wish I had taken better notes at the time about it, but its fierce demeanor came through, even in its bony fossilized form. 

White Peony-Day 1

© Ellen Blonder

I wanted to try colored pencils again, this time to draw a white peony. How do I convey white on colored paper? I may resort to white paint for highlights. This is from my photo of one of the spectacular peonies at Casa Loma last spring in Toronto.

Open Tulip-Day 3

© Ellen Blonder

Getting transitions from red to yellow on the petals is going to be the hardest challenge. I'm sorry I didn't choose canvas instead of the smoother surface of masonite.

Open Tulip-Day 1

© Ellen Blonder

I can't say this looks very promising at this stage. I've been wanting to paint this open tulip for a while, from a photograph I took in Toronto last year. It's on a 12 x 12-inch square of masonite.