Mike Hendley

  • Lunch art from today. 45 mins to calm and clear the mind. 🎨 🐸

  • Starting a new graphite piece. My largest in this medium. Love using my Pentel Graphgear .3 2B. Paper is hot press Bristol.

  • Sketched this in a Starbucks while waiting for my daughter to write an exam this evening. Finding the time and the space to be creative.

  • Launching my first drawing course

    Excited to announce my first online course in collaboration with Etchr. You can check out the trailer here https://youtu.be/3HV_i5-_j8A and the course will be live 12 PM EDT March 18th via learn.etchrstudio.com/programs/… . Thank you all who have been part of my journey thus far.

  • American Bullfrog

    I love frogs and toads. Their textures are so fun and challenging to render. This male American bull frog is one of many that inhabit our pond. As tadpoles they take a few years to mature and are massive. Drawn with a Pentel Graphgear 1000 .3 mm and 2B lead in an Etchr A6 hot press sketchbook.

  • I made good use of my lunch time today at work.

  • A little pencil sketch in the small Etchr accordion sketchbook with hot press paper. This paper is good with pencil. In this case it’s a Pentel Orenz .3 mm

  • I just love pencil. Yes I also love acrylic, watercolor, ink and digital but my first love will always be pencil. A little giraffe sketch using the Pentel Canada Graphgear 1000. Interested in learning to draw or improve? Keep an eye on this space. 😉

  • Evening sketch of an african wild dog. Watercolor using a Pentel brush pen in an Etchr hot press sketchbook. I did the initial outline in Micron pen and first layer of QoR watercolor over lunch at work in a cafeteria :-)

  • Did you know that the common loon is unable to take off from land? As a Canadian, it was time for me to celebrate the bird that is on our one dollar “loonie” coin. QoR watercolors in an A6 Etchr hot press sketchbook with a Pentel water brush. 🎨 ✍️

  • I would love to observe these incredible creatures in the wild but for now I practice. A sketch while in a coffee shop. Tools by Pentel, Etchr and Art Toolkit. Maybe I should create a larger piece to help support work in ensuring polar bears and their habitat are protected.

    polar bear profile of its head and neck painted in watercolor. palette, brush pen and mechanical pencil in view

  • I did this rendering of a secretary bird while watching the World Junior hockey game. Yay 🇨🇦! I am attempting to get familiar with the secretary bird in thinking about a larger acrylic piece. Pentel Graphgear .3 mm and 2B lead in a Moleksine sketchbook.

  • A golden-headed lion tamarin with photo reference by Edwin Butter. Mix of watercolor and gouache. 🎨

  • Art v. Artist 2022

    It’s been a very busy year with lots of change, creativity and conversation. I have continued refining my art while exploring more watercolor and gouache but also playing more with graphite. My perpetual journal was a great experience but I put aside for a little bit while working on other projects. I have enjoyed my relationship over the year with Pentel Canada and Etchr which provided the opportunity for me to explore new products but also meet new creatives and share some great materials.

    One of my biggest challenges was trying black watercolor paper from Legion Paper. The four pieces I completed made me realize there was so much more potential and it also led me to acrylic.

    I painted so many insects this year in watercolor and will do more in 2023 but for some reason I was totalled distracted with cats which is why I highlighted three. The lynx in pencil was the most special this year.

    My journey will continue in all areas with a much larger focus on acrylic which I am finding daunting but also very exciting. There will be a few larger pieces to come in 2023.

    I am working on the final episode of the podcast for this year and will hit 100 episodes in a few months. So many wonderful conversations with fellow creatives. This final episode #91 will include a reflection about 2022 but also some of what I have planned for 2023. I didn’t get to everything I had planned this year but I am happy with the result.

    I also would to thank all of you for your ongoing support. Whether it is supporting the podcast directly through Patreon, Buy Me a Paintbrush or via message, comment and like. Your words will always find me and sometimes they find me when I need them most. I have enjoyed viewing all your work and seeing your improvement over the past 12 months.

    Stay curious, be well and keep drawing.

    -Mike . . . . . #artvsartist #artvartist2022 #watercolor #animalartist #pentel #etchr #graphite #sketchbook #difmpodcast #podcast #reflection #curiousit

  • When you wake up in the middle of night and decide to spend a couple hours painting. #wip

  • Tried out some new QoR watercolor paint from Golden today at lunch. Loving them so far. 🎨

  • Progress shot about 4 hours into this acrylic piece. This is after the first block of color on the legs and back. Trying to respect the shadows created by the light source at the top left. Learning so much about acrylics. Also this piece is huge for me at 2’ by 3’. My typical pieces are in small sketchbooks or 8” by 10”.

  • I did it. I decided to try acrylics. Of course I had to go big at 2’ by 3’. I have already done 2 things right and 8 things wrong but happy with this start. More to come as I wrestle a new medium. 🎨

  • Finished the final card in this series. Harvest mice again in watercolor.

  • Late night success. Yet another original greeting card. A couple of harvest mice in watercolor.

  • A pine marten watercolor greeting card going out to a follower on Monday.

  • Harvest mouse and berries

    A little exploration with watercolor using Daniel Smith watercolors and a little Schminke super granulated. Created with a Pentel Aqua Brush in a hot press Etchr sketchbook. Palette is from Art Toolkit.

    Harvest mouse and berries

  • Graphite Cat Eye Study Complete

    Finished this little study of different cat eyes. Drawn on hot press paper using a Pentel Graphgear 1000. This is practice for a larger cat piece I am doing in acrylic. Yes, my first acrylic piece!

    Fours cat eyes drawn in pencil

  • Some cat eye practice for upcoming projects. Drawn during my lunch hour yesterday and today. Finding time where I can. ✍️

  • It was fantastic having Christina Wald on the podcast. We check out her work and the story of the tiny palette in the photo. Her homework will lead you to create better stories. Follow wherever you listen to podcasts drawinginspiration.fm/87

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