Amur Leopard Cub looking bright eyed and happy. Inspired by a photo posted by @hoglezoo.bsky.social on their instagram account. They share wonderful pictures. #sketchbook #SciArt #illustration #cub

Victoria’s Riflebird 2. Wow. 😮 This bird is incredibly challenging. But I’ll keep trying. That’s how we learn- one line at a time. ✍🏻 #sketchbook #illustrating #SciArt

Beginning sketch. Victoria’s Riflebird mid song and display. Feels like I’m going to need more coffee to finish this. ☕️✍🏻 #sketchbook #illustration #SciArt

Not a Humminbird but a 𝗥𝗮𝗯𝗼-𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗼-𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗼 (𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁). Sketched from a reference photo that beautifully captured it mid flight. #sketchbook #SciArt #bird

Awebo about to run a perimeter security check. Do look them up. They have bright reddish orange feathers above their eyes. Scary blinding eyebrows! 😯🤣 Anyway, another fun creature sketch. ✍🏻 #sketchbook #SciArt #illustration

A calf coming up to you for pets and love. Sketched from a video which is tougher than imagined. 😮 Ah well. Practice is practice. #sketchbook #illustration #SciArt

WIP Pink-eared Duck. Very unusual shovel shaped bill. #sketchbook #SciArt

Doodle sketches. Who knows where they comes from? #doodle #sketch

On rainy gray days we can choose to make our world more colorful. Being bold, using watercolor pencils with this fish portrait. Common Red Bigeye. #SciArt 🦑 #sketchbook #illustration

Sometimes the scribbley beginning just makes me smile. 😊 Red Bigeye ( Priacanthidae) pencil sketch.✍🏻 #SciArt 🦑 #artist #illustration

We fail a hundred percent of the time when we don’t try. Here’s to trying. De Brazza’s Monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus). #sketchbook #SciArt #illustration

Whoo boy! This De Brazza monkey is testing my limits! But hard can be good. 💪🏻Flexing the artistic muscles. Keep trying, folks! #SciArt #illustration #sketchbook #monkey

Tawny Frogmouth- member of the nightjar family, which includes nighthawks and whip-poor-wills. Pencil ✏️ sketch. #SciArt #sketchbook #illustration #birds

Pencil sketch on scrap paper- Blotched Foxface (Siganus unimaculatus). #sketchbook #SciArt #Sundayfishsketch 🦑

The goal is not to chase perfection but to keep trying to do better. Two sheep with very different expressions. #sketchbook #SciArt #illustration #sheep

Just a bit of fun inspired by the wonderful work of @smarziart.bsky.social . ✍🏻🐑

Ever pause a work and then come across it months later and wonder if you should finish it? 🤔 Maybe. Meerkat and bubbles… #sketchbook #SciArt #illustration

Elephant calf and big ball. #sketchbook #SciArt #illustration

Speckled Bear Cub and its favorite stick. Pencil sketch on scrap paper. #sketchbook #illustration #SciArt #bear

Anyone else find Moray eels difficult to sketch? Shading curves is getting to me. 🤪 🦑 #sketchbook #illustration #SciArt

Drawing cute today. Tiny counterbalance to all the sadness and evil in the world. Do what you can with what you have and don’t give up. ✍🏻 #artastherapy #kitten #illustration #SciArt

Basset Hound pup. Pencil sketch on scrap paper. Practice makes us better. ✍🏻 #sketchbook #SciArt #illustration #artist

Keep trying. Even if it’s only for you. Common Yellowthroat bird. WIP pencil sketch practice on scratch paper. #sketchbook #SciArt #bird

Do what you can with what you’ve got. Bolivian Squirrel Monkey. Paper Mate pen and Posca White marker on scrap paper. #sketchbook #artist #SciArt #illustration

When you feel less intimidated using colors on scrap paper. ✍🏻 Leafy Seadragon popping off the page. #sketchbook #SciArt #illustrating 🦑

Quickie sketch. North American River Otter. Short practice time is better than no practice time. ✍🏻 #Sciart #sketchbook #artist

Inspired by a friend’s recollection of a teacher she’d had who would always carry a huge furry purse to which she’d attached a collar w/ tags. I imagine that teacher was missing a beloved canine friend 🐾🌈 Grief can be so hard. Do what you have to do to carry it & keep moving forward. #art #grief

And just like that 🫰, back to the messiness. Tracing our sketches with a light box can be really useful for gauging proportions. I think I’m on the right track now. Larger eye, more curved mouth, larger throat pouch. Getting there. One line at a time. #SciArt #illustration

*boop* 😉😁 Pulled out the lightpad to trace and clean up first rough Komodo. Now to on folds, contours, shadows, texture. aka the nitty gritty details- the real hard stuff. Looking forward to painting. The colors will be my fun reward for all this effort. #artist #sketchbook #iSciArt #illustration

Oh, my! Sketching Komodo Dragons isn’t for the faint of heart! 😯 Thank goodness for erasers. Messy beginnings can lead to finished pieces if we don’t give up. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. Taking a little break and then getting back to it. ✍🏻 #SciArt #sketchbook #illustrating #artist