Mike Hendley

  • I love insects. I painted this rhinoceros beetle in my Etchr sketchbook with QoR watercolors using Pentel water brushes. Fascinating how these little creatures can lift 850 times their weight! 🪲 What’s your favorite insect to draw or paint? #sciart #insects

    A watercolor painting of a rhinoceros beetle with a yellow and black shell on an open sketchbook, surrounded by a set of colorful QoR watercolors, paintbrushes, and a milky brush pen.

  • Worked on this common kingfisher over a few coffee shop sessions, inspired by a photo by Brett Pearson. Loving how the QoR watercolors bring it to life with the Pentel Aquash water brush! 🐦🎨

    Watercolor painting of a common kingfisher holding a small fish in its beak, perched on a mossy branch. The artwork is surrounded by a QoR watercolor palette, paint tubes, and a water brush on a coffee shop table.

  • Back to morning sketching at a coffee house with my trusty Pentel pencils! Loved capturing the strength and texture of this rhino’s features. Did you know rhinos use mud as natural sunscreen and insect repellent? 🦏 #sciart

    A detailed graphite sketch of a rhinoceros head, capturing the texture of its skin and the shape of its horn. Nearby, two Pentel drawing tools—a mechanical pencil, a drafting pencil, and a kneaded eraser—are placed above the artwork.

  • Back from vacation means back to early morning sketching. Started this pencil sketch of a rhino today. #sciart

    A realistic pencil sketch of a rhinoceros head is accompanied by drawing tools like mechanical pencils on an open notebook.

  • Tried something new today—painting a downtown Ottawa courtyard using Williamsburg oils in an Altoid tin! Stepping out of my comfort zone brought new inspiration. 🌳 But, need to get back nature :-)

    A miniature painting of a park scene is displayed inside a small open tin case with various colors of paint.

  • Back to sketching bugs at Equator Coffee in Almonte with my new Golden QoR watercolors and a Pentel Aquash water brush! Loving how the colors pop. Did you know some beetles can lift over 1,000 times their weight? 🐞

    A watercolor sketch of a vibrant green and blue insect, possibly a beetle, climbing a piece of wood, drawn on an open notebook. Nearby are a watercolor palette with various colors, a Pentel Aquash water brush, and a Pentel Graphgear 1000 mechanical pencil.

  • Painted a tiny landscape at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology this morning. Still learning, but enjoying the process! Using Golden Williamsburg oils in an Altoid tin for some portable plein air practice.

    A small landscape painting inside an open Altoid tin, depicting a tranquil lake surrounded by lush green trees. The painting is done with oil paints, which are visible in the bottom half of the tin, arranged in a colorful palette. The real-life scene of the lake is blurred in the background.

  • Captured this sunset scene at Stewart Park in Ithaca using my new Williamsburg oil set from Golden. Took about 90 minutes, still learning oils and working alla prima. Loved how it turned out!

    A small landscape painting in an open metal tin, held by an artist in front of a sunset scene at Stewart Park in Ithaca. The tin also contains vibrant oil paints in various colors. The painting captures trees, a distant island, and sailboats on a serene lake.&10;

  • My Leuchtturm 1917 is more than a sketchbook! This ural owl drawing I did in colored pencil is in the same book as some graphite work. My daughter uses a Leuchtturm notebook for her computational chemistry at Cornell. Versatile, just like our passions! Use the code MIKE20 for 20% off #sciart

    A realistic colored pencil drawing of a Ural Owl perched on a mossy branch with its prey, a small rodent, hanging beside it. The artwork is done in a Leuchtturm 1917 notebook, with colored pencils arranged below.

  • Quickly sketched an osprey and a green heron that were fishing at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology this morning—bucket list item checked! The 120 g Leuchtturm paper handled graphite beautifully. Use the code MIKE20 for 20% off for anything from Leuchtturm Canada!

    A sketchbook page featuring detailed graphite drawings of an osprey and a green heron. The osprey is shown catching a small catfish. The artist holds the sketchbook, with a beautiful nature scene visible in the background. Notes on the page indicate the sketches were made at Cornell Ornithology Lab, Ithaca, NY.

  • Painted this mini sunflower field in an Altoids tin using oils—my second time with the medium! 🌻 Took about 90 minutes, most of it spent in my car due to rain. Already planning to go bigger next time! #sciart

    A close-up of a miniature oil painting of a sunflower field inside an Altoids tin, held by the artist. The painting features bright yellow sunflowers under a blue sky with fluffy clouds. Below the painting, a palette with dabs of various oil paints is visible. The scene behind the tin shows a real sunflower field, slightly blurred.

  • Finished this graphite loon sketch during lunch. Used a Pentel Canada .5 mm Graphgear 1000 with 4B lead, BluTack, and a blender. Paddled beside one last week–such a haunting call and mystical bird. Did you know loons can dive up to 200 feet underwater? 🐦 #sciart

    A detailed graphite drawing of a loon with wings outstretched, created using a .5 mm Graphgear 1000 pencil. The drawing is displayed in an open sketchbook with the pencil placed beside it.

  • It’s been a little while since I posted. Painted this leopard frog start to finish at Equator coffee in Kanata. Used QoR watercolors and a fine detail Pentel aquash water brush to capture it. Did you know leopard frogs can jump up to 3 feet? 🐸

    A detailed watercolor painting of a leopard frog on an open sketchbook, surrounded by watercolor paints and brushes. The green and yellow hues of the frog contrast with the earthy tones of the sketchbook and painting supplies.

  • Finished this watercolor puffin sketch tonight! 🐧 Inspired by Newfoundland. Used QoR watercolors and a Pentel water brush in my A6 Etchr sketchbook. Puffins can dive up to 200 feet to catch fish! 🎨 #sciart

    Watercolor painting of a puffin standing on a rock, holding fish in its beak, displayed alongside a watercolor palette and a Pentel water brush.

  • It started with a quick penguin sketch but ended up with a barn owl, hornbill, and blue heron. All done with Pentel Graphgear 1000 pencils. 🖊️ I’m planning some in-person drawing & watercolor workshops in Ottawa in fall 2024/spring 2025—stay tuned! Subscribe to my newsletter #sciart

    A sketchbook page featuring pencil sketches of various bird heads, including a penguin, a barn owl, a hornbill, and a blue heron. The drawings are accompanied by a Pentel Graphgear 1000 mechanical pencil, a blending stump, and a piece of BluTack used for erasing. The sketches show a range of textures and details, highlighting the artist's technique and tools.

  • A fruit bat in watercolor using a Pentel water brush with my Art Toolkit palette and QoR watercolors in an Etchr hot press sketchbook. Fruit bats, also known as flying foxes, are crucial pollinators in many tropical regions! #sciart

    Watercolor painting of a fruit bat with wings spread, next to a watercolor palette and a Pentel aqua brush.&10;

  • Just finished this vibrant Cassowary bird using colored pencils in my Leuchtturm 1917 sketchbook! Did you know the Cassowary is one of the most dangerous birds in the world? Their kick can be lethal! 🦅✨ #sciart

    A detailed colored pencil drawing of a Cassowary bird in a Leuchtturm notebook. The bird features a striking blue head, a brown casque, and vivid red wattles, with two colored pencils beside the drawing.

  • Starting something new in my Leuchtturm 1917 sketchbook using colored pencils.

    Colored pencils are placed on paper next to a detailed drawing of a bird's eye.

  • I did a little urban sketching at an event this past weekend on the grounds of Stewart Hall in Montreal. Great connecting with fellow artists.

    A person is painting a watercolor of a historic house in a park, with the actual house visible in the background.

  • Painted this kookaburra in my Etchr A6 hot press sketchbook using Golden QoR watercolors and a Pentel water brush. Fun fact: Kookaburras have a laugh that sounds like human laughter! #sciart

    A watercolor painting of a kookaburra perched on a post, created in an Etchr A6 hot press sketchbook. The painting is accompanied by an open watercolor palette in the background.

  • Completed a detailed drawing of a northern giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), also known as the murder hornet, with Pentel pencils (0.2, 0.3, 0.5 mm), a blender, and Blu Tack. 🐝 #sciart

    A detailed pencil sketch of a giant hornet is drawn on a white paper, surrounded by mechanical pencils and an eraser.

  • Sketched this goldfish today using Pentel Canada Orenz Nero pencils (.2, .3, .5). Goldfish can remember shapes, colors, and sounds for at least three months! 🐠🎨 #sciart

    A detailed graphite drawing of a goldfish on sketchbook paper, created with Pentel Canada Orenz Nero pencils in sizes .2, .3, and .5. The sketch captures the delicate texture of the fish's scales and fins.

  • Celebrating Canada Day with a watercolor of the iconic common loon! Used my Leuchtturm 1917 and a water brush—the paper took the water well. Did you know loons can dive for up to five minutes? 🇨🇦 Use MIKE20 for 20% off your next order!

    Watercolor painting of a common loon in a Leuchtturm 1917 sketchbook, showing the bird with its distinctive black head, white-striped neck, and checkered back, partially submerged in water with reflections visible.

  • I decided to take a piece I had done in watercolor (Edinburgh Book Museum) and adhere it to a wood panel. I am really happy how it turned out.

    A watercolor painting of a historic building sits on a wooden table surrounded by art supplies like paint bottles and spray cans.

  • Quick sketch of a capybara before a work event at the Museum of Nature today. Created in my Leuchtturm A4 sketchbook. Capybaras are incredibly social animals! 🐾✨#sciart

    A detailed pencil sketch of a capybara on an A4 sketchbook page, accompanied by drawing tools.

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