For some reason, we have been blessed with several visits from these luminous-looking creatures over the years. When they do put in an appearance, they're usually found hanging out on or near our front door.

Until Friday morning.

As Chris was about to leave for work, he spotted something odd laying in the driveway. Upon closer inspection, he found a Luna moth. It was no longer capable of flight. He carefully picked it up and brought to me.

You see, I collect bugs. And snake skins. And animal skulls. And other bits and bobs. And yes, I'm aware that's a little odd, but it works for me.

I set the moth up high on a shelf near a light source until it left this earthly plane.

When I have seen these in the past, I was always so impressed with how thick and velvety their wings seemed. More so than other moths and butterflies. Or so it seemed.

I kept the moth under a glass bowl for protection from a naughty cat that lives with me.

This little one did not seem nearly so hale and hearty. The wings were nearly translucent and the overall size was not nearly as large as some of the others we've seen. The other visitors have shown up in May or later. Perhaps our non-existent winter had something to do with the early arrival.
These moths do not eat or drink as adults and only have a lifespan of about seven days. Their only purpose in adulthood is to mate and reproduce the next generation. Since we have none of the trees that they like to lay their eggs on, it's always a little bit of a surprise to find one by the door.

I chose to paint him on toned paper as I was hoping it would give an indication as to how translucent the wings actually are, but I don't think I quite captured that look. This was sketched using ink, watercolor, and watercolor pencils.

Now that I have a "specimen" in my collection, I'm sure this won't be the last time it will make its way into my journal. You just never know what you'll find if you keep your eyes open!

Have you found any unexpected gifts from nature lately?
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This past week, I worked on a card design and found myself with a lot of paper scraps left over. Rather than toss them, I set them over to the side of my art board because I already had a project in the back of my mind. And I might as well confess now...I hoard my paper scraps in a little green container over on the window sill near my table.
If you've been in a class with me lately, you know I've been obsessing over little painted banners and flags. They're popping up everywhere! In the image above, you can see the outline of one I used when I created the card I had been working on previously. Using a similar design, I made a larger one. I used the same colors to paint the banner that I used in the leaves.

Nature's Classroom © Laure Ferlita, All Rights Reserved 9 x 12 inches watercolor, acrylic, ink, gouache, and graphite Please click to enlarge

Three or four years ago, I got an idea to paint old "specimen cards" that looked like they came out of a kid's science kit. You may remember them—they had a few slides, a small, low-powered microscope, and a manual about how to find "specimens."

I decided to start with a Google search of specimen cards. I came up with a lot of interesting hits, but nothing like I had in my imagination. I set about drawing out my idea and combined it with a paintbrush. The brush seemed more appropriate as much of my learning has been acquired at the tip of a paintbrush.

After the cards were drawn and painted, I decided to add some of the items from my personal "nature collection." Over the years, my husband and family have learned to save dead bug carcasses, butterfly wings, and bird egg shells (among other things) for me. Odd, I suppose, but each item is cherished!

From there, I was stuck. What to add next? Finally, I happen to be taking some photos of my journal with my palette sitting in the photo as well. I decided to add the palette. The palette itself is an old one from Winsor Newton that has 18 quarter-wells. A month or so later, I stumbled across a pair of binoculars my husband used to collect—into the painting they went.

Again, I lost direction and the painting laid, neglected and unfinished, for nearly a year.

The issue was that I could not figure out the background. I thought about rocks, grass, pebbles, or some other surface—outside. I wanted to get it finished, but just couldn't quite see the background working out. One day, Chris and I were in the studio and he asked why I hadn't finished the painting.

Nature's Classroom © Laure Ferlita, All Rights Reserved 9 x 12 inches watercolor, acrylic, ink, gouache, and graphite Please click to enlarge

I told him about my dilemma and he immediately started making suggestions. When he suggested the surface of his antique Federal Reserve desk that he uses as an art desk in his studio I knew that was my answer! It was a reddish oak with heavy graining and years of abuse—perfect!

Well, almost perfect.

I had not taken into consideration that I might be doing a dark background and I needed to figure out a way to keep the binocs from getting "lost" against such a background. I knew a piece of paper would work, but what kind of paper?

I wanted something that would tell a story. I had recently purchased some old French letters from an online store and with them came an old air mail envelope. That became my model with sketches and notes on it as if I had gone to the post office and become captivated by the falling leaves.

For balance, the compass and leaf were added. Now I only had one "blank spot." Imagine my joy (and relief) when the new hardbound  Stillman & Birn sketchbook arrived! A sketchbook! Yes! The final piece.

Nature's Classroom was (finally!!) completed this month. It has a little bit of everything in it as fair as medium goes, but the majority of it watercolor. I love the fact that there was never a "still life" set up—it was all created piecemeal until it came together as a whole.

To celebrate the successful conclusion of the odyssey, I will be offering one 8 x 10 print* of Nature's Classroom as a giveaway!  This is a win-it-before-you-can-buy-it deal. I will be offering the prints in my Etsy shop after the giveaway.

If you'd be interested in winning this print, leave me a comment below about what you've learned in Mother Nature's classroom! 

*This giveaway is for one 8 x 10 inch print of Nature's Classroom. This is for the print only. No copyrights or rights are included. The print may not be reproduced for any reason without written consent from the artist.
Please leave a comment (just one, please!) on this post by Thursday night, November 1st, at 12:00 am EST. The winner will be announced on Friday!

Thanksgiving Sketch Watercolor and Ink Stillman & Birn sketchbook Click to Enlarge

Our Thanksgiving was wonderfully relaxing this year—near bliss after the crazy weeks leading up to the holiday.

A small gathering at my brother's home. Nearly perfect weather. We were able to leave the doors open and enjoy the breeze. (It can be hot enough to run the air conditioner on Thanksgiving here in Florida!)

After dinner, I headed outside and sat by the koi pond to sketch.

I think I could have stayed all day.....

I do know I'll be going back.

Care to join me?

Autumn arrived in Florida on October 1st with much cooler temperatures and lower humidity! I didn't need much more of a reason than that to get outside and get in some sketching.

Osprey Drive Park Stillman & Birn Sketchbook Watercolor and Ink 7 x 7 inches Click to enlarge

I didn't get a particularly early start, but it didn't seem to matter. I went to one of our local "no-name" walking/biking paths and set off with my sketch kit....and the requisite travel mug of coffee!

Lots of people were out with the dogs, getting some fresh air, roller blading, biking, running or just sitting on the benches to enjoy the day. I wasn't hopeful of spotting much wildlife with so much activity and figured I'd working on capturing a landscape.

I wasn't more than an eighth of a mile down the path when I noticed the Anhinga doing his thing up in a tree by the pond. More of a bush really. He bobbled and bounced as he went through his grooming process.

He seemed to have a very itchy neck! He would start scratching right above his chin and then work his way up to to as far as he could go. His neck would get longer and longer with the effort.

The bird was quite busy moving around, but every once and a while he'd just freeze as if he'd seen a bug floating by. Or a ghost. I didn't see him snap at anything so maybe he caught a smell of danger or .....who knows!

Further along the path, I just happened to catch a small movement out in the left field of my peripheral vision—it was the swamp bunny! I totally missed his shape, but this was drawn from mostly memory because as soon as I took an interest in him, he took an interest in leaving—two hops and he was gone!

The little Downy Woodpecker was about 15 feet up a palm tree. Unfortunately, I couldn't see his face in either of the fuzzy snapshots I took of him, so I must assume it was a Downy rather than a Hairy Woodpecker which is similar in plumage but larger in size. The body shape isn't quite right...like most critters, he was busy going about the business of his life and didn't have time to pose for me!

A glorious morning altogether! And I'm off to do it again today!

Watercolor and WC Pencil on recycled paper with Gel Ink for the text 4" x 6"

I went otter hunting again yesterday.

I didn't find any. I'm not sure if I expected to see one or not.

I was extremely fortunate to have seen the otter last Saturday. After doing a little research on them, I found they can have a territory range of up to 50 miles! He may also be a little put off from this particular location as well since he was so annoyed at me for disturbing him. Not likely, but possible. This particular area is a riddle of creeks, rivers, ponds, and puddles so he has much to choose from.

However, other gifts were waiting.

I went to the otter's creek early yesterday morning and as I stood watching, I heard something hit the water. As I turned my head to see what it was I caught a flash of something speeding towards the top of the tallest pine tree just north of the creek. Try as I might, I could not make out a distinct ID.

I had the long lens on the camera and I tried to focus in on the bird, but there were too many branches fluttering in the breeze and the I couldn't bring anything into focus.

Time was running short as I was meeting a friend for a day-long outing so I abandoned the watch and headed out.

Late in the afternoon, I decided to go back by the otter hole and see if maybe, just maybe, that sweet whiskered face would show itself.

No luck.

However, there was the sweetest breeze blowing, bees buzzed and butterflies floated by, a peaceful symphony reigned....a gift in itself to just stand there and take in the beautiful "silence."

The water was dappled with sun...I watched as seemingly lazy fish would swim in and out of the sun spots until they spotted some bug hitting on the surface of the water. They would shoot up like a rocket, leaving nothing more than a rolling of water as they swam back to the bottom. Silent ripples spread across the water.

Once again, a flash caught my attention.

Looking in the direction of the flash.....nothing.

Just as I started to turn away, another flash....maybe 6 or 7 feet above the water and no more than 10 feet away from me, almost at eye level, then straight up, fast as a bullet....again to the tallest pine, this time on the south side.

Ah, but this time I had a positive ID, a male Belted Kingfisher!!

I stayed south-facing and within 4 or 5 minutes, I saw him leave his perch and high above me, fly north, for parts unknown.

Nature seldom disappoints if we are open to receiving the gifts offered rather than the ones we came seeking.....

2 minute sketches from Davis Park Watercolor and Ink Handbook Watercolor Sketchbook

I've been itching to get outside. Between the inclement weather and inside obligations, I've been having a tough time getting there. Yesterday, I had a small window of time and went to Davis Park. It's not the most scenic of places, but it was outside and that was the main requirement. The other reason I wanted to get outside was so I could move. As in walk!

I admire the artists that I see posting sketches from their daily walkabouts. They call it "sketchercise" or something like that. I find myself in a state of struggle whenever I try to sketch when I'm out walking (for the purposes of exercise) and I think it shows in the sketches above. What I want to sketch doesn't generally show up an area or at a time when I'd be willing to stop. Going back to those areas would mean another loop and I didn't have the time.

My "solution" was to impose a 2-minute time limit on myself—IF I was going to try and accomplish both tasks. Sigh. Although I can't say that the sketching was all that successful, I do feel better having been out in the gale force winds, letting it blow some of the cobwebs in my brain around.

The frost-burnt oak leaves truly glowed in the intermittent sun. I heard the call of the redwing black bird as well as saw and heard a pair of Sandhill Cranes. I may have seen a vireo but am not sure if that's what it was.

Sketching aside, it was pure bliss for the few minutes I was out there!

Canadian Goose Watercolor Handbook • Watercolor • Journal 3.5" x 8.5"

Meet "Blacflac," Aflac's cousin! This dapper individual decided he* had to have some of whatever Cris and her husband were having for lunch. Cris is the author of the lovely blog Cris, Artist in Oregon! Ever since I've started working in this journal with the loooooooong format, I've been "finding" some wonderfully fun images to capture, and I just loved this guy! Cris was kind enough to allow me to sketch it (thanks, Cris)!!

When painting a black subject, I find it very helpful to look at the "temperature" of the black fur/feathers/surface. If it's in the sun, chances are good it's going to be warm. Even to the point that it's a brownish black. If it's on the shady side, it's going to be cool. Maybe even bluish black. What you can't see in this scan is the greens, reds, purples, and siennas that are visible in person. You can see a bit of the browns and blues.

As this individual lives outside, the colors of the outside world would be reflected in his feathers...greens, golds, blues, etc. The reds and purples are thrown in for added interest and variety. If you are feeling a bit ho-hum about your current sketchbook, I encourage you to try switching to a different format—it offers new challenges as well as new ways of looking at/for things!

*I've no idea if this is him or a her. It just seemed simplest to call it a him.

....and a visit with the wild things!

Cypress Reflections, Take II Watercolor in handbook•watercolor•journal 3.5 x 8.5

As promised,  a return to the river to practice water reflections. This time, I decided to focus only on the water reflections rather than trying to include the tree above the waterline as well. This is closer. Still more work and practice is in order, but at least this looks like a water reflection!

It was a day for the wild things! Soon after arriving, we kept hearing an odd noise off to our right, away from the river. Turns out it was a doe. She'd become rather nervous and was making a huffing noise deep in her chest. Finally, she burst from her hiding place and boy, was she ever quick! No photo. I didn't even have the thought of a camera in my head before she was gone! Maybe next time, but not likely.

After sketching in the morning, Chris and I started to walk back towards the main part of the park. Strolling along, I hear "pssst!" I look around to see that Chris has stopped a 6 yards back....he's spotted a "small" alligator sunning on a rock out in the middle of the river.

Gator on the rocks! Click to enlarge

The following photos are not some of our best as we had not brought the telephoto lens with us. (Isn't that always the way?!) However, you can make out the profile of the gator easily. His tail drifts off into the water. We estimated he was about 5 feet long. A little further up the river, we stumbled on this guy (or gal):

Can you make out the gator right at the water's edge? Click to enlarge

This one was closer to 10 feet in length. What you cannot tell from the photos is about a dozen feet up the bank is the hiking/walking trail for that side of the river! There are no walls, fencing or other barriers between hiker/walkers and the beasts of the river.

I do believe this is next guy is the granddaddy of the other two:

Can you see the gator? Look at the water's edge! Click to enlarge

This guy was huge!! The photo just doesn't not even come close to doing him justice. See the cypress "knee" just to the right of the gator? It's probably 5 feet in height. We figure he was closer to 12 feet long and probably more. He appeared to be a couple of feet wide through the shoulder/chest area:

Click to enlarge

Again, straight up the bank (and it is rather steep) is the trail. The gators were all content just to soak up the rays, and they usually will not bother humans unless provoked or it's mating season (in the Spring). But make no mistake, these are wild beasts. They are not fed or kept in any way by the Department of Forestry (that operates the parks) or the State Game Warden. They're as wild as wild can be! Interestingly, this is also a very popular area for canoeing......

I have to say it was an absolutely fabulous Fall day and the sight of such magnificent beasts enjoying the day only added to our enjoyment! Can't wait to go back!!

Leaf Meditations in watercolor handbook • watercolor • journal 3.5" x 17"

I looked up with a start when I heard Chris ask "Did you get lost? Again."

I was in the studio, but for all intents and purposes, I had been lost. In my own little world. Painting leaf meditations.....

Close up of image above

These were painted with an Escoda® Travel Brush (in the first image), Series 1214, Size 6. This brush came home from the trade show with me, and I have to tell you it is an absolute pleasure to paint with! The brush is only a size 6 but holds as much water as some of my larger brushes. It also comes to a razor sharp point (which I love) that allows me to get to the small details without having to change brushes.

These brushes are made in Barcelona, Spain and the company has been making brushes for 75 years. This is particular brush is made from kolinsky sable and is on its way to becoming my favorite brush. I recently read over on Wet Canvas that when someone had a question on an Escoda brush and emailed the company. Ricard Escoda replied with an the answer—I find that remarkable in the age of Big Business.

Bottom section of top image

All of the leaves were painted loosely without pencil. The pigment was allowed to move "outside of the lines" to give the impression of movement. To further the impression of movement, no cast shadows were added. For me, there is something very zen like in painting these little masterpieces of nature. If you're interested in learning how to paint this type of artwork, please join me for an Imaginary Visit Through Autumn! The trip leaves on October 21st! Please click here for more information.

Cypress Reflections, Hillsborough River Watercolor Sketchbook, 3.5" x 17"

Chris and I managed to get out to the Hillsborough River State Park on Saturday morning. It was sooooooo nice! It was in the mid 50's when we arrived and there was no one else about. We walked up along the river's edge, far off the beaten paths until we found an area that struck a creative note. I proceeded to sketch while he played with the camera, took photos, threw sticks in the river, aggravated spiders and just soaked up the ambience. The day was absolutely superb. Unfortunately, the sketching was mediocre at best, but on day like that, I didn't even care!

This was done in the handbook • journal • watercolor sketchbook. The majority of it was painted on location. This huge old cypress is in the middle of the river with a small island of flotsam collecting around it. After tackling this subject matter, and wondering why, I realized that I have a fascination with water. Especially moving water.

I have to say this is not a particularly good sketch of water, but I think that only deepens the fascination and I already know I'm going to try again. And again. And again. And probably some more after that until I can render this type of subject with a certain amount of satisfaction. Not perfection. Just satisfaction.

The satisfaction was definitely in the day and the opportunity to enjoy life and nature at a slower pace. Maybe next time, the enjoyment will also be in the finished sketch. If not, it will give me a great excuse (assuming I need one) to go back!

While at the trade show last week, I could not help but notice my surroundings. Lush landscaping everywhere you turned! Bird of Paradise, Canna lilies, and all make and model of trees and grasses. I also noticed these gorgeous leaves in the parking lot:

Scarlet Oak Leaf Watercolor Study Pineapple Journal

This is a leaf from the Scarlet Oak, so named because of the vibrant scarlet color the leaves turn in the Fall. Of course, this being Florida, we're probably talking late December or even January before we see any scarlet! Even without the gorgeous color I was still fascinated with the textures and colors to be found within the brown sections of the leaf. It looks like something found it to be a rather delicious snack as well.

The leaf was painted on Canson Edition watercolor paper in the Pineapple journal I made a while back. I'm still getting used to the paper, but so far, I have to say that I do like it. This was painted in bit and pieces as I could grab 5 minutes here or 10 minutes there. It is painted fairly close to actual size. With Autumn arriving (it was in the 60's this morning—woohoo!!), I've been quite anxious to get a "leaf fix" as I love to capture these masterpieces in my journal each year. Hopefully, this will be the first of many.

Speaking of art supplies, I was introduced to some new ones at the tradeshow and I'll be talking about those next. In fact, one idea is so cool, I'm gonna do a video on it!

I had the chance to visit Brahma Island this weekend. It's in the middle of Lake Kissimmee and accessible only by boat. It is some of Florida's true habitat and it's protected by the state. There is a ranching operation run by the Lightsey's as well as a game preserve. The island is also home to 28 protected species including the snail kite. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to spot one while there. Let me mention before we get started that all photos are clickable and will enlarge a bit if you want a better view!

I shot this Osprey nest on a side road leading back to the dock for the island. We were waiting for our guide to arrive as we before the meet time. The one in front is Momma with baby in the background. Momma flew off in search of another tasty tidbit for junior while I was standing there. Boy, did that upset the baby! S/he didn't appreciate being left with that "clicking thing" down there on the ground 50 feet or more away from him!

Can't be too careful these days and I seriously doubt that he'd seen or a clicking thing (camera) before either!
Same bird, opposite side of the nest. This was the better side to shoot from as long as you didn't mind the telephone lines getting in the way. Look at the size of that nest! It was huge! Then again, when you consider these birds get to be about two feet tall with a wing span of more than 6 feet, it's not so surprising.

Once we arrived on the island I had the chance to see quite a bit of wildlife.....

One of the buffaloes roaming the island. There were several, but I didn't think to ask how many. The photos are deceiving in showing the size of this guy...he was huge!!

The Crepe Myrtles are blooming like crazy here in Central Florida due to the unusually hot temps we had throughout a good part of June. And they attract all manner of creatures to their blooms and leaves. This particular tree is quite large and the branches, heavy with bloom, cascade over the edge of the road and you have to walk around it. If you're not careful (or paying attention), and you brush into it, you're sure to get a shower from all the water it's holding! How would I know this? Hmmm, just saying.

I came very close to brushing into it the other morning because I wasn't paying close enough attention to where I was walking. That's when I came nose-to-nose with this creature. It's rather hard to tell from the photos, but the body is about 3 inches in length! This guy/gal has not moved in the last three mornings of my walk. S/he's been in the same one foot area. The photos were taken on rainy days in low light. Once you move past the "ick" factor, and look at the markings, these are some pretty cool-looking bugs!

As long as they stay on the tree.

Oh, and they don't call them "hoppers" for nothing........

White birdhouse. Take 112!
Do you ever get hold of an image and you can't leave it alone, nor will it leave you alone?! This is one of those images. We have birdhouses all over our neighborhood. Many of them are ornamental as opposed to functional, but they provide me with great mental exercises as I'm doing my morning walk. I can't tell you how many different ways nor how many times I've painted this page - in my head! So I decided I had better get it down on paper so I could move on....to the blue one I saw yesterday!

If you're interested in creating journal pages like the one above, check out the Artful Journaling classes starting in June.

Whereas this is not one of my best efforts, every time I look at this sketch, I have to laugh. At myself. For not really realizing the "true" speed of life - until I tried to capture it on paper. And, yes, I'll try again. And I'll be just as amazed (and amused) when I ask nicely, and the latest creature to be immortalized in my sketchbook rushes past me, getting on with the business of their lives, completely ignoring my request to stand still and pose.

Look who I saw this morning on my daily walk–all cozied up together on the same log!!!
You can click on the image to see the details better. I was about 15 feet from these guys. Unfortunately, I did not capture any distinguishing marks on the turtle that would result in a positive identification. The bad boy on the right is a small (not baby) American alligator. He is between 3 and 4 feet long. He's young, but he's no baby, and he could put a hurtin' on you if you messed with him! They didn't hang around too long after I took the photo or I would have tried for a sketch on location.

As to why they were on the same log....I'm thinkin' they were just drunk on sunshine!

.....just as I finished up on my quick sketch of this bridge in Snowdonia!* I ran for the bus just as they were about to close the doors and head to our next destination. This sketch was quick, down and dirty as we only stopped for about thirty minutes. But I had to try! The wildflowers and grasses are blooming like crazy and everything is so vivid! Can't wait to get to my room tonight and give this another (slower) try without rushing to keep up!


**Snowdonia is a region in the north part of Wales and a national park with 838 square miles. This area was designated a national park in 1951.