Mike Hendley

  • A chickadee giving serious side-eye to a holiday ornament. Painted with Golden QoR watercolors and a Pentel water brush on cold press Etchr card stock. Two hours and two coffees later and we’re done. I kept this one loose and made it fun. Happy Watercolor Day! #watercolorday #birds

    Watercolor painting of a chickadee standing in snow next to a blue ornament, with soft shading and fine details, held above a watercolor palette.

  • Playing with the idea of Magic: The Gathering type collectible cards with my art and a focus on animals in certain regions. Thoughts?

    Two illustrated trading cards featuring a Blue Jay and a Common Loon are placed on a wooden surface.

  • Blue jays are always around here but I don’t always observe them. This one found a corn niblet and posed for my reference photo. Sketched it fast with 0.5mm 4B + 0.3mm 2B Pentel Graphgear, plus a blender to bring the forest floor into focus at the end. Jays mimic hawks. Wild. #birds #sciart #drawing

    Realistic graphite drawing of a blue jay on sketchbook paper, perched on forest ground, with fine shading and detail, drawn using mechanical pencils and blending tools.

  • Water practice, iridescence panic, a rogue corner hit by blue… and somehow this loon still came together. Painted with Pentel water brushes in an A6 Etchr sketchbook using QoR paints and interference pigments for that shine. Solid bones, just like the bird. #birds #sciart #watercolor

    Watercolor sketch of a common loon in water, featuring iridescent green and purple hues on the head, with a water droplet falling from its beak. The sketch is propped above a colorful palette and water brushes.

  • Caught this great blue heron at Mud Lake in Ottawa striking a rare wing-drying pose. I sketched it with Pentel Graphgear 1000s in 2B and 4B, layering blends and erasing to pull form from shadow. Herons always feel like ghosts dressed in feathers and silence. #birds #sciart #artist

    Graphite drawing of a great blue heron perched on a branch with wings dramatically outstretched and drooping downward in a drying pose.

  • Not my usual subject but that’s what pulled me in. Layer after layer, pencil after pencil, I let the water shape itself. GraphGear 1000 (.3 2B and .5 4B), a lot of blending, a lot of learning. It scared me. That’s how I knew it mattered.

    Graphite drawing of a woman's face partially submerged in water, only her eyes, forehead, and textured curly hair visible above the surface.

  • Not my typical subject but felt compelled to start this one over coffee today. Maybe a feeling of keeping one’s head above the water. Busy days. Happy to be heading back to Ithaca for a few days. I plan to fit in some drawing and painting.

    A graphite drawing in progress in a sketchbook shows a pair of realistic human eyes and the bridge of a nose emerging from the page. A mechanical pencil with a metal grip, a kneaded eraser, and a blending stump rest nearby on a wooden table, suggesting an artist’s workspace in use.

  • A chipmunk showed up with a nut, cleaned its tail, and something about it made me paint without thinking too hard. Used QoR watercolors and Pentel water brushes in my A6 Etchr sketchbook. Felt like catching stillness mid-chaos. Like holding your own tail. #sciart

    A watercolor painting of a chipmunk sitting upright on a rock, holding its tail in both paws with a soft green background. A few crumbs are scattered on the ground in front.

  • Spotted this tufted titmouse in Sapsucker Woods a few weeks ago. I didn’t notice the band until I started this piece. Light washes in my A6 Etchr sketchbook with Pentel brushes. I always start with the eye and stop when it winks. Like trying to hold a moment still without hurting it. #sciart #birds

    Watercolor painting of a tufted titmouse perched on a branch, painted in a sketchbook with visible palette and water brushes beside it.

  • It’s been a busy week with a big focus around AI in healthcare (my day job). But I finally had a chance this morning to start this tufted titmouse in watercolor. Grateful for these quiet moments especially when life decides that top gear is needed. #birds #sciart

    A watercolor sketch of a tufted titmouse in a sketchbook. The bird has a small crest, gray back, and warm beige breast. A blue waterbrush rests on the page, and a watercolor palette sits to the right.

  • I watched this osprey at Stewart Park (Ithaca, NY) this summer. Its posture, that nest, the feathers in the breeze. Drew it mostly with my Graphgear 1000 .5mm (4B) and some fine .3mm 2B for detail. The nest was my fave part to draw. We’ll dive into this technique in my January course. #sciart #birds

    Realistic pencil drawing of an osprey perched on a wooden post beside its nest, rendered with high detail in a sketchbook using graphite pencils and fine lines.

  • New to drawing or coming back to it? Join me in Stittsville, Ontario. 5 Tuesdays, Jan 13 to Feb 10, 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Learn to see shapes, measure, and shade with simple tools. Supplies included. Waitlist: shop.mikehendley.com/products/… #sciart

    Promo graphic for “Studio Sessions with Mike Hendley, Drawing 1: Seeing and Sketching.” Collage of graphite sketches on sketchbook pages, including a turtle, red panda, blue jay, two small primates, manatees, and perched eagles, with a circular headshot of Mike. Text states a five-week beginner course focused on nature observation and fundamental skills, with supplies included.

  • Painted this one upside down by accident and just kept going. It’s based on a photo of two sandpipers on the shoreline from a friend of mine. Used Pentel water brushes with Golden QOR paints in an Etchr hot press sketchbook. #sciart #birds

    Watercolor of two sandpipers on driftwood near water, in a sketchbook surrounded by paint palette, water brushes, and cloth.

  • After a long week at work, I spent a couple hours in a coffee shop this morning sketching this tree frog from start to finish. Looser than usual, but it felt good to create again. Absence of art really does make the heart grow fonder. #sciart #herp #artist

    A detailed pencil sketch of a frog is featured in an open sketchbook, surrounded by art supplies.

  • Painted this river otter in watercolor using a medium Pentel Aquash for the fine fur. It started curious, turned kind of defiant, and now it’s quietly judging me for working so small. Definitely want to go way bigger next time. #sciart #watercolor #artist

    A watercolor painting of a river otter perched on a rock near water, with fine detail in its fur and a soft, misty background. Art supplies and a palette are visible around the sketchbook.

  • An hour into this watercolor sketch of an otter. I added Washi tape around the edge because this piece will include a background. This was a very tricky start trying to get the details in the eyes with a medium tip Pentel water brush. Paynes grey violet is fantastic for wet brown fur #wip #sciart

    A watercolor sketch of an otter in progress in a sketchbook. Palette and water brush in the background.

  • Between workshop prep, I squeezed in this leopard sketch. The scale pushed me, specifically the spots and face details. Pentel Nero Orenz .2 mm HB for the fine stuff, Graphgear 1000s for the rest, and a 2.0 mm 6B clutch pencil for the dark rocks. Leopards carry prey heavier than themselves. #sciart

    Realistic graphite sketch of a leopard standing alert on a rocky ledge, drawn in a sketchbook with fine shading and spotted details.

  • Coffee shop sketches, photography, and patience with wildlife feed my art. Practicing in public is how I grow. Bringing that approach into my first in-person drawing workshops starting in 2026. I wrote about it here. www.pawstrailsmagazine.com/practice-… #sciart

    Watercolor painting of a caiman head in profile, showing textured scales and a bright yellow eye, on white paper.

  • I watched this green heron hunt in Stewart Park, Ithaca, NY. Sketched in coffee shops using Polychromos colored pencils on Stonehenge paper mounted to aluminum (Legion Paper). Moments after this pose it caught a catfish. Green herons are one of the smallest herons in North America. #birds #sciart

    Realistic colored pencil drawing of a green heron perched low on bare branches, body stretched forward with its beak aimed down as if about to strike prey.

  • It’s almost time to open registration for my first in-person workshop in 2026. Course materials, supplies and a new community web site for all attendees. Happy though to get back to this green heron in colored pencil on Stonehenge white mounted to an aluminum panel. Thanks Legion Paper. #sciart

    An unfinished colored pencil drawing of a green heron on paper is surrounded by various colored pencils.

  • Drew this monarch with Pentel Graphgear pencils and a blender. Its wing was torn, its life near the end, but its offspring are likely preparing for the long trip to Mexico. I’ll be bringing monarchs into my 2026 workshops too–they feel like drawings that keep teaching me. #invertefest #sciart #art

    Graphite sketch of a monarch butterfly with a torn lower wing resting on a flower, faint wildflowers in the background.

  • Finished this red-footed falcon in colored pencil. My first time on Stonehenge White mounted to aluminum. I’d painted it in watercolor months ago, but coming back to pencil allowed me to explore the medium and the leaves a bit more. #birds #sciart

    Realistic colored pencil drawing of a red-footed falcon perched on a branch with autumn leaves, surrounded by colored pencils on a wooden table.

  • Progress from this morning’s coffee shop drawing of a red-footed falcon with colored pencil. I really enjoy practicing in public. Love the interest from others in my materials and process and also sharing pics of their work like artist Sabine visiting from Germany. #bird #sciart #coloredpencil

    A detailed drawing of a red footed falcon perched on a branch is in progress, surrounded by various colored pencils.

  • I haven’t used coloured pencils in quite some time but I had to try this paper mounted on an aluminum panel from Legion Paper. This red-footed is the perfect subject. I also reorganized my coffee shop kit to accommodate the panel and roll of Polychromos pencils. More to come #wip #sciart #birds

    A detailed drawing of a red-footed falcon’s head is surrounded by colored pencils on a sketchpad.

  • Painted this green heron after spotting one at the pond in Stewart Park in Ithaca. Done in my Etchr A5 hot press sketchbook with QoR watercolors + Pentel waterbrushes. Green herons are rare tool users–they’ll drop bait on the water to catch fish. #sciart #birds

    Watercolor painting of a green heron perched on a weathered stump, done in a sketchbook with a palette and brush visible beneath the page.

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