Mike Hendley

  • Sketched this bat-eared fox in about 40 mins to warm up before getting back to the elephant piece. Used Pentel 0.3 2B + 0.5 4B, blender and blutack in a tiny sketchbook. Honestly just needed something small and focused to land in for a second. #sciart

    Realistic pencil sketch of a bat-eared fox, drawn in a small sketchbook using graphite. The fox's large ears are detailed with soft shading and fur texture.

  • Sketched this barn owl in 30 mins in a hospital waiting room. Just a tiny sketchbook, a 0.3 mm 2B pencil, no blending, no erasing. Not perfect but that wasn’t the point. Sometimes showing up is enough. #sciart #bird #pencil

    A detailed sketch of a barn owl perched on a stump is drawn in a notebook, held open by a hand with a pen resting on the page.

  • Tried painting a sloth without it turning into green mush. Layered strange shadow colors and fought for fur texture at this size. Honestly kinda proud of how soft it turned out. #sciart #watercolor

    Watercolor painting of a sloth clinging to a birch tree, with detailed green-tinted fur and mossy bark textures.

  • Drawing Connections # 34. I’m prepping my first in-person Drawing 1 course (mid-Jan) and sharing my 2026 theme, Resonance, and so much more in this one. open.substack.com/pub/mikeh…

    Drawing newsletter screenshot on an iPhone: Substack post titled “34: Drawing Connections” by Mike Hendley (Jan 1, 2026), subtitle “2026 Theme, Podcast Season 2, Courses, US Shipping,” with a cover photo of an open sketchbook showing a graphite owl drawing.

  • Drawing + paint snapshot of 2025: progress and rough edges. About 90 studies in graphite, watercolour, and coloured pencil. Middle photo is me speaking at a local group. Thanks for the support and questions. Newsletter Jan 2: my 2026 theme, why themes help you stay focused. Link in bio

    Top row: graphite opossum in a sketchbook, watercolor chickadee beside a blue ornament, graphite blue jay. Middle row: watercolor caiman head study, photo of the artist presenting beside a projected slide, watercolor green beetle. Bottom row: watercolor turtle with a leaf, graphite kingfisher on a branch, watercolor tortoise.

  • I got way too into this opossum sketch but I couldn’t help it. Saw them in NY and couldn’t look away. Done in graphite with BluTack + blender for depth. Vines were negative space work. Feels like I drew a ghost hiding in the roots. #sciart #graphite #art

    Realistic graphite sketch of an opossum in a sketchbook, featuring detailed fur texture and vines drawn in negative space, with two mechanical pencils below.

  • I’m back from a short holiday break. Hope everyone took some time. Happy to be back working on this piece. So many textures including some fun negative drawing. More to come! #wip #sciart #graphite #art

    A detailed sketch of an opossum is being drawn in a sketchbook, surrounded by various pens on a wooden table.

  • Great horned owl sketch, morning warmup in the sketchbook. Blocking in the stare, feather bands, and that heavy brow with Pentel GraphGear and a stump. More to come. #birds #art #pencil

    Open sketchbook on a wooden table with a partially finished graphite drawing of a great horned owl; two mechanical pencils and blending stumps lie beside the page.

  • This griffon vulture wasn’t planned but insisted on being drawn. Used .3 & .5 Pentel mechanical pencils plus graphite powder. Vultures are survivors. Quiet, patient, powerful. Like floating grief with wings. #sciart #birds

    Realistic pencil drawing of a griffon vulture in a sketchbook, surrounded by mechanical pencils and soft shading around the bird's neck and head.

  • A curious wolf pup, a red ornament, and too much feeling about reflections. Painted with QoR watercolors on a blank Etchr cold press card with my Art Toolkit palette, QoR watercolors and Pentel Aquash brushes. Wolf pups can howl at 3 weeks old. Not sure who gets this card

    A watercolor painting of a curious wolf pup inspecting a shiny red ornament that reflects its own face. The scene is set against soft snow with a pine sprig nearby. The painting is shown on a handmade greeting card.&10;

  • Sketched these Polyommatus butterflies at a Barnes & Noble in Ithaca from a reference. Graphgear 1000 (.3 & .5, 2B + 4B), Blu Tack, and a few mins of stillness. Some of their caterpillars team up with ants, who guard them in exchange for sugar. #sciart #pencil #art

    Pencil sketch of two polyommatus butterflies perched on wheat-like grasses, drawn with fine detail and soft shading in a sketchbook.

  • 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.

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