Hummingbird Haven

A return to color with a new hummingbird illustration.

Hello, Friends -

As the days crisp at the edges, I’ve remembered that I do really enjoy drawing digitally. I tend to forget when it’s sunny and warm and the idea of looking at a screen feels unpalatable (and logistically difficult). In summer I turn to tangible, sunshine-friendly materials. In fall and winter, I return to cozy evenings drawing on my iPad. It’s a good push and pull of the seasons for my physical being and my artistic brain.

I illustrated this hummingbird haven as an experiment in a pattern/mosaic style:

The bird is modeled after a Rufous Hummingbird which has amazing shades of orange and even purple depending on the lighting. The plant life is modeled after peacock flowers. I liked the idea of not rendering the flowers as a cohesive plant, but instead as a patterned backdrop that feels like an all-encompassing environment for the hummingbird.

After working on the layout and shading for a while on white, I changed the background to black and suddenly everything really popped!

The composition is based on an 11”x17” print layout. It didn’t translate well as a t-shirt design, but it works perfectly as a phone case design, which is available on Cotton Bureau!

I have a bunch of designs on Cotton Bureau. Tap the button below to take a gander at t-shirts, phone cases and more!

Thanks for reading!

In case you missed it, last week I shared a comic about the Stories We Tell Ourselves. On Monday, I’ll share a roundup of ALL the art I shared in September as printable downloads for paid subscribers — all in one tidy post!

xoxo,
Sheri

P.S. If you want to get in on the printable goodies, upgrade to a paid subscription!