Daphne 1

© Ellen Blonder

Daphne is a cockatoo who spends many of her days on her perch at the Kong Lung Historic Market Center in Kilauea, Kauai. She has played catch with me, and I once observed her enjoying a long neck-scratching by an indulgent shopper. Daphne belongs to the owner of Kong Lung Trading, always a must-see place for its thoughtful selection of beautiful things.

I've long wanted to paint Daphne in acrylics, so here she is on an 8x10-inch canvas board after a couple of days. I think I want to give her a vacation and put her somewhere a bit fanciful.

Is This a Protea?

© Ellen Blonder

Along with the anthurium (see other post from today), the cheese tray was adorned with this flower. I think Jackie said it was a "topika," but I couldn't find a reference to any such word. It looks like it's some kind of protea, perhaps, and she said it grows inland and at altitude in Kauai. Anyone know more?

Anthurium in My Sketchbook

© Ellen Blonder

My friend Jackie brought this to a dinner recently, garnishing a tray of cheese and crackers. I decided to try out my new Moleskine watercolor sketchbook paper with a painting of this. It's pretty impossible to capture the red to green transition.

Breakfast!

One of the things I like best in Kauai is the wonderful fruit, here including (clockwise from upper left) pineapple, apple bananas, starfruit surrounding peeled rambutan, and super-juicy tangelos that you have to eat over a plate, or better, the sink. The multi-colored mochi on the lower right and a cup of strong green tea round out one of my favorite breakfasts.

Eggplant at the Sunshine Market

© Ellen Blonder

Here's a quick watercolor of an eggplant I found at the Sunshine Market in Kauai, before I put it into a curry. It was impossible to do it justice, with its intricate stripes.

Persimmon Loose Sketch

© Ellen Blonder

Happy New Year! I resolve to post more this year--to draw more this year. This is a recent colored pencil sketch of winter's persimmon crop, now long gone. 

Happy Halloween!

© Ellen Blonder

I had to reach way back in the archives for this one, a card I did for Carolyn Bean years ago. It's pen and ink, airbrush and watercolor. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Red Leaf

© Ellen Blonder

Something in colored pencil from the sketchbook. I can't get enough of fall leaves this year.

Cosmos

© Ellen Blonder

My friend Roney brought me a beautiful bouquet of cosmos last week, and I thought they were worth a colored pencil sketch. Thanks, dear Roney!

Sycamore Leaf

© Ellen Blonder

More fall: I'm trying to look down more when I walk around this season. I saw this the other day, with a beautiful range of color all in the same sycamore leaf. I drew it in colored pencil in my sketchbook today.

Fall Leaf - Final

© Ellen Blonder

This used nine different colors of pencils, even though it looks monochromatic. Happy Fall!

Fall Leaf 2

© Ellen Blonder

I do like this paper's sturdiness as I layer the colored pencils with more and more pressure.

Fall Leaf 1

© Ellen Blonder

I'm trying to pay more attention to what's right in front of me, and yesterday it was fall leaves. Summer flew by, and I didn't get a chance to try this new paper, sold by Canson for drawing comics. I'm checking out the paper to see how it takes colored pencil.

Abutilon Water Color-Final

© Ellen Blonder

Finally done. 

Abutilon Watercolor-Days 4 and 5

© Ellen Blonder

I forget what a difference a new brush makes; working out details of the flowers is so much easier when I can lay down a clean line. It has been so long since I last worked on this that the old flowers have shriveled and a new crop is newly budding.

Abutilon Watercolor-Day 3

© Ellen Blonder

Not a lot of time to paint lately, so I'm glad I snapped some photo reference shots. The actual flowers are long gone.