I read this advice recently: “Create what sets your heart on fire and let it illuminate your path.” That’s what I’ve been trying to focus on with my sketchbook art lately.

When I was in Minneapolis last month for the ICON12 Illustration Conference, I stayed at my cousin Linda’s house in the country and we saw a doe and three fawns come out of a clearing and cross the road. They were such a lovely sight I wanted to remember in a sketchbook spread, combined with all the wildflowers in bloom in late summer using with watercolors and colored pencils.

I painted a light wash background on this spread and decided it was perfect to draw backyard wild things with my colored pencils.

I love stickers so this sketchbook spread of small vignettes was inspired by nature things I might want to make a sticker from.

I love water more than anything! I love to drink it, swim in it, shower in it, and watch it. I also discovered I have a lot of boat pictures in my photo roll so I did these little vignettes using a watercolor wash background and neocolor II pastels, which I haven’t used much. It was great fun to experiment with a variety of mixed media.

Speaking of watching the water, it’s fun to watch water birds like gulls ride the wind over the waves, so I played with blues and textures in this sketchbook spread.

I’m always working on several art projects at the same time, so stay tuned for more nature and wild things illustrations. And thank you for stopping by!