Mike Hendley

  • Just finished a detailed grey wolf sketch, reflecting on my course and teaching insights. Inspired by Dotty Weber’s photo, I spent 3-4 hours using 2B, 4B Pentel Graphgear pencils, and various tools for depth and texture, capturing the essence of snow and light. #sciart

    A pencil sketch of a wolf in a forest, placed on a wooden table surrounded by drawing tools including a mechanical pencil, two blenders, an electric eraser, and a piece of kneaded eraser.

  • 🎨✨ Tried something a bit challenging – sketching the majestic Migzi at Mādahòkì Farm. The Ojibwe Spirit Horse is more than just a breed; it’s a living piece of Indigenous heritage, the only one known to Canada.

    Watercolor painting of a horse on a sketchbook page, with a palette and water brush pen resting above.

  • Iridescent art in focus! My A6 Etchr sketchbook & Art Toolkit palette were essential in painting the vibrant cuckoo wasp. Thanks to Albert Cardona’s photo reference and my Pentel brush, this piece shines.✨🎨🐝

    A watercolor painting of an emerald cuckoo wasp with its shimmering green and blue hues, perched delicately on a cluster of pink flowers. Below the artwork is a well-used palette brimming with a rainbow of watercolor paints, accompanied by a water brush pen, all resting on a rustic wooden surface.

  • Joined my first Ottawa Society of Botanical Artists sketchpod. We chatted, then sketched in solitude. Our wisteria pods in ink and watercolor, defying local climates. Sketched with a sepia Micro 005 in an Etchr sketchbook, painted with QoR in an ArtToolKit palette with a Pentel waterbrush #sciart

    This image displays an artist’s desk with a watercolor sketch of a wisteria seed pod. On the top left, there is a palette of watercolors, and on the right side, a brush pen and an archival ink pen lay across the paper. Below the sketch, there is handwritten text detailing the plant’s growth, dated April 1 2024.&10;

  • Dove into a neighbor’s gifted pose book and tried sketching something new. Not my typical art subject. Challenging yet rewarding, it’s been ages since my 2H pencil danced across the paper to capture these subtle shadows. 🎨✏️📖

    A pencil drawing of a woman's back, showing her seated with her knees pulled up, one hand resting on her shoulder. The focus is on the play of light and shadow over the curves of her back, hips, and bun-styled hair. Art materials are visible at the top right, suggesting an artist's workspace.

  • My second piece from this morning. Sketching this horse brought a peaceful end to my paint and sketch at the coffee shop. Each stroke with my pencil felt like a step closer to its serene spirit. 🐴✨ #sciart

    Pencil drawing of a horse’s head on a sketchbook page, with great attention to detail and shading. The horse is wearing a halter and appears calm and gentle. Art supplies, including a mechanical pencil and a kneaded eraser, rest beside the sketchbook.

  • Sketchbook sneak peek: 🐆 Snow leopard in watercolor. Precision meets spontaneity in a dance of detail and texture. Contemplating a larger oil version. Trying to achieve the fur texture with watercolor at such a small scale was challenging. #sciart

    A watercolor painting in a sketchbook depicting a snow leopard with intricate spot patterns crouched on a rocky terrain, accompanied by a watercolor palette with vibrant hues and a used rag on a wooden surface.

  • Sketched two crows with my Pentel pencils while testing a new Leuchtturm1917 120 sketchbook. A true study in the hidden hues of black. 🎨🖤 Each feather a dance of light and shadow, revealing that graphite art is never just black and white. #sciart

    A pencil drawing of two crows perched on a branch, with the drawing situated on an open sketchbook page. A mechanical pencil rests on the sketchbook's edge, next to the drawing. The sketchbook is placed on a wooden table, partially atop a piece of paper with grid lines. The image conveys a calm, studious atmosphere often associated with an artist's workspace.

  • Just completed “Bare Essence Standing,” an 11x17 study of a milkweed in graphite, inspired by the theme “dessicated.” This plant’s resilience, crucial to monarchs, reminds me of nature’s quiet strength. #sciart 🌿✏️🦋

    A detailed pencil drawing of a milkweed plant in winter, showcasing its textured pods and leaves with a subtle phallic resemblance, set against a plain background.

  • Sketching a bison’s majesty 🦬✏️, inspired by a photo from Elijah Pilchard via Unsplash. This piece using my Pentel Graphgear 1000 echoes the spirit of the vast herds that once dominated North America. Did you know they can smell scents 2 miles away and can run at speeds up to 35 mph? #sciart

    A detailed pencil drawing of a bison with a dense, shaggy coat, visible in its textured shading. The bison's head is facing forward, with its two curved horns framing a serene expression. The artwork is on a tan-colored page in a sketchbook, and there's a Pentel Graphgear 1000 mechanical pencil placed at the bottom for scale.

  • Join me March 16th for a free live demo/giveaway on YouTube www.youtube.com/live/r3mS… This is part of the launch of my new drawing course that begins March 23rd. 25% off, if you sign up before March 15th. learn.etchrstudio.com/pages/mik…

    A drawing of a chickadee with a photo of the artist, Mike Hendley promoting his live demo on March 16th.

  • Finished my first oil painting. This chickadee seemed like a suitable subject. Painted alla prima over a couple of evenings. Learned a lot and so much more to go. Happy to be playing in this medium but not leaving the others behind.

    Oil painting of a small chickadee bird with black and white feathers, perched on a bare tree branch against a brown background.

  • Spent some time in a coffee shop last night waiting to pick up my daughter so I thought I would sketch the fox that made use of the bench I had made.

    The image shows a sketch of a fox curled up and resting. The artwork is done in pencil, showcasing detailed fur texture and shading to create a realistic appearance. The sketch is on a white paper surface, and there are a couple of drawing pens laid to the side, indicating an artist’s workspace.

  • I needed a mahl stick for oil painting so I designed and printed this and added some hockey tape for friction. Uses a 3/4” dowel. Works well and I can hang it on the canvas or board when not in use.

    A 3D printed blue Mahl hook on the end of a piece of wood. Hockey tape with Canadian leaf is wrapped around the middle.

  • Don’t let your doubts clip your wings. Be like a puffin—dive into the sea of creativity with boldnes. With just a pencil or stroke of graphite, you can create worlds that have never been seen before. Embrace the adventure! Rendered in pencil (2B and 4B) using the Pentel Graphgear 1000. #sciart

    A pencil drawing of a puffin perched on a rock, with several fish in its beak, showcased on an open sketchbook next to two mechanical pencils on a wooden surface.

  • Had a fantastic time at Artawa’s event at Ottawa Art Gallery. Enjoyed catching up with podcast guest Kina. Sketched a watercolor mouse & started a graphite puffin among 20-30 art lovers. Creativity flourished in 2.5 hours!

    An artist’s workspace with two sketchbooks, one with a pencil sketch of a puffin and another with a watercolor painting of a mouse on rose hips; a palette of watercolors with mixed hues, a water brush, and painting brushes on a wooden surface.

  • Started with just two little frogs and couldn’t stop there – had to give them a whole crew of colorful companions! 🐸 Each marker-made frog has hopped out with its own vibrant personality. It’s amazing how one splash of color leads to another, creating a whole ecosystem of art.

    A collection of marker drawings of various colorful frogs on a textured white canvas, surrounded by markers and water brushes, with a piece of paper showing paint smudges and mixing areas in the background, all laid out on a wooden surface.

  • Absolutely loving the playtime with the Brush Sign Pen Twins from Pentel Canada 🎨✨ Not my go-to medium since I’ve never dabbled in markers, but these beauties made the experience super fun and straightforward! Etchr cold press Perfect Sketchbook #sciart

    An image of two vibrantly colored frog illustrations on a textured paper. The top frog is painted in bright orange with blue legs and black spots, while the bottom frog is in vivid red with blue details and black spots. Both are surrounded by a selection of Brush Sign Pen Twin markers in coordinating colors, and a medium-sized Pentel Aquash Water Brush lies next to them. The artwork and tools rest on a dark wooden surface, indicating a creative, artistic setting.

  • Are you an urban sketcher looking for inspiration? I pulled a dozen episodes of my Drawing Inspiration podcast into this starter pack. Enjoy! drawinginspiration.fm/start/

  • Morning sketch session with my favorite subject, the black-capped chickadee! ✏️🐦 Kept it simple today, focusing on our little bird and leaving the tree texture for another time. Want to draw together? Watch this space for more! 🌿👀

    An intricate graphite pencil sketch of a black-capped chickadee positioned on the right, with its detailed feathers and distinct markings clearly visible. The sketch is on a white paper that lies on a wooden surface, surrounded by drawing tools which include a mechanical pencil, a blending stump, an eraser, and a kneaded eraser to the top left.

  • Kicked off my morning with a graphite sketch of an alpaca that’s been waiting in the shadows. Tackling the diverse textures of its hair was daunting, but I embraced the challenge! 🎨✏️ Created using a Pentel Orenz Nero .5mm with 4B lead and a 2.5mm 6B clutch pencil.

    A meticulously detailed pencil drawing of an alpaca's head, with a focus on its fluffy fur and serene expression, positioned on a white page of a sketchbook, accompanied by a mechanical pencil resting above the drawing.

  • 🐸💙 Meet the vibrant ambassador of sustainable living, the blue poison dart frog, captured here in watercolor. It was certainly a challenge mixing these blues and doing it on-site at Equator Coffee in Almonte. I’ve come to rely on the QoR watercolors and the Pentel water brush for this work.

    Watercolor painting of a blue poison dart frog perched on a rock with a single yellow-green leaf in the background, presented on a sketchbook with a chevron pattern border. Art supplies, including a water brush pen, are visible around the sketchbook.

  • Rising with the dawn, sometimes my mornings are dedicated to creation amidst the quiet hum of a coffee shop. Today, my early efforts were rewarded with this serene camel, its stillness mirroring the peace of an untouched day.

    A watercolor painting of a camel adorned with colorful, intricate saddlery resting on a sandy ground is displayed next to an open watercolor palette with various colors. A water brush pen rests above the palette. The artist's signature is visible at the bottom of the painting. The palette and painting are on a wooden surface, suggesting an artist's workspace.

  • Turned waiting time into sketching time and brought this majestic hippo to life with my pencil. 🚗✏️ While my car was getting its oil change, I was busy giving this large, gentle creature a bit more of a smile. Remember, every moment can spark creativity. 🦛✨

    Detailed pencil sketch of a hippopotamus' head on paper, with a mechanical pencils resting above. The artwork captures the texture of the hippo's skin and its calm expression.

  • I painted this wasp with some new friends at the Kanata Art Club Open Studio last night. Just under 90 minutes of work. I absolutely love drawing and painting insects. I think that rendering their wonderful mix of textures and values helps to improve my skills as an artist.

    A detailed watercolor painting of a wasp on a hot press paper sketchbook, with a vibrant palette of watercolors and brushes nearby.

subscribe via RSS