Drawings of the Week

I might do this theme ever now and then depending on how much artwork I make in a week. So let me know what you think of this post .

 (Above image) 

With this image I wanted to practice my pencil shading while doing something fun and enjoyable. So I decided to draw a creature from one of my favorite games, Fallout 4. I was really happy with the outcome of this piece. The movement of the image seems fluid and it doesn't look too pre-posed. It looks natural and I am really happy with that outcome. 

 (Above Image) 

I really like dragons, however I never really draw them. So I decided to practice on. I did something simple so I wouldn't discourage myself to much. This is my version of an Eastern dragon. Now he doesn't have any arms, and I feel like he looks better that way. I tried with arms and it looked rather weird. So he is more serpentine. The colored version is below.

 (Above Image) 

I wanted to practice my inking so I went online to get some inspiration from an art prompt website. Which is fancy for art theme generator and see what would pop out for me. I got draw a shield with a ram skull, so with that I came up with this war maiden concept. I am pretty happy with it. I like the lighting and the shading. I was a bit nervous to make one side really dark so I kept it like this. So it is apparent more practice is needed however I do enjoy how this came out.

And last but not least is the colored version of the dragon. I am happy on the colors I chose and how the background came out. I think the shading looks nice and it is really pleasing to my eye. Granted my design could evolve a little more, however this is my first dragon drawing so I think I have much room for improvement.

Dino-Art!

Here is a small little feature of some my dinosaur art. I am not going to go into a big blurb about them. This is more of an art feature than a information post. So please enjoy! Prints of these works are available on my Shopify. >> http://leahcks-artistic-works.myshopify.com/collections/art-prints <<

2015: Centrosaurus

2015: Albertaceratops

2015: Avaceratops

2015: Velociraptor

Deathclaw Mama

2016: Fallout 4 - Deathclaw

Here is my recent drawing. I have been in a Fallout 4 craze so here it is my deathclaw drawing. I really enjoyed drawing this. I drew one prior to this with a mama protecting her eggs and I decided to continue the mama deathclaw with the eggs hatching and have grown a bit. However only one of her babies survived, it's tough out there, even for a deathclaw.

Spring is Almost Here!

Here in upstate New York we have had a fairly mild winter. Christmas day was 70 degrees Fahrenheit and there will only a handful of cold snaps. Even so, I am happy that spring is almost here because that means most of the wildlife will be returning!

So without anymore delay here is some information on a very common waterfowl, the Mallard. 

On one of my walks last week I saw this Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos pair in a nearby small pond.

2016: Mallard Pair - Cobleskill NY

Mallards are probably the most iconic duck when it comes to ducks in North America. If you mention the word duck the image of this bird will probably come first to mind...maybe after the cute yellow duck image.

Mallards belong to the group of ducks called "dabbling ducks". Dabbling ducks forage for plant material in the water dipping in or under the water to retrieve their food. The types of plants that Mallards tend to feed on consist of  bulrush species, willow species, and duckweed species according to the book; Food Habits of the Mallard Duck in the United States by Waldo Lee McAtee.

When it comes to breeding mallards tend to be monogamous however male and female will sometimes go for other mates. Once a pair is established the pair will nest on the ground. The female is the only one to take care of the eggs and hatch-lings. The male is only there to protect the female from other male mallards.

These birds are very abundant and they are under least concern when it comes to conservation. Numbers cycle from 5 to 11 million. 

I hope you enjoyed this little information bit on the Mallard. Here are some other images of mallards that I took in years past.

2014: Mallard Pair - Amsterdam NY

2014: Mallard Pair - Amsterdam NY

2014: Female Mallard - Amsterdam NY

Sources: Google Scholar, https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=GHJCAQAAMAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA2&dq=mallard+food+&ots=ODGD2Lc5Lg&sig=kKS7NqNnrjo59zrgEXP-K2sl2zc#v=onepage&q=mallard%20food&f=false
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/lifehistory

Adventure to Landis Arboretum

Went to the local Arboretum with my aunt on Tuesday and was able to get my first decent wildlife shots of the year.

I definitely will be posting more of this Arboretum in the future, so there will probably be some history to go along with these photos at some point. But for now I am just throwing some pictures up.

View of Schohaire Valley through the Red Oak and Mighty White Oak.

Hairy Woodpecker climbing up a tree.

Male Eastern Bluebird

Male Eastern Bluebird

Prothonotary Warbler

These little warblers get their name from the golden hooded robes the Roman Catholic clerks used to wear. 
Prothonotary warblers nest in tight cavities and tend to eat insects such as beetles, moths and butterflies. Since they are Neo-tropical migrants they travel from south and central America to the central and eastern parts on North America.

For more information on these lovely birdies check out Arkive's page on them. http://www.arkive.org/prothonotary-warbler/protonotaria-citrea/

My Shopify

My Shopify and what is currently available! www.leahcks-artistic-works.myshopify.com

Photography and Artwork Prints

Mugs and Cell Phone Covers

Clothing

Scheduling

I am giving myself a schedule so I can actually be more active on my sites. 

So as of now this will be my schedule: 

Wednesday and Friday: 

Update social media sites. This includes my personal websites, Twitter, Facebook, deviantArt, etc... 

Saturday:

deviantArt group Wildlife-Awareness. 

  

Eventually I would like to have a day to do art streaming and video game streaming.

But I will cross that bridge when it occurs. 

 

My sites: 

Website: www.leahck.com/ 

Shopify: www.leahcks-artistic-works.myshopify.com

deviantArt - Art: www.leahck.deviantart.com

         - photography: www.through-the-lens234.deviantart.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/naturenerd02

Blogger: http://naturenerd02.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeahsArtisticCharms/?ref=hl  

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/135186846@N05/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqBGjJ6ujdaLgq6g46tiIvA

This schedule will be starting today. 

Leah 

Busy

I honestly forgot about my blogger until I was doing some updates on my website. I will try to be better about posting on to here. I have a lot of updates so there might be a bombardment if I don't forget that this is a thing again.

Trying to Get Back to the Swing of Things

Hey everyone, expect updates! That is all!

New Pollinating Bird Fossil Found

This is the earliest found fossil of a pollinating bird in the fossil record (47 million years ago). Found in Germany this 3 inch long bird is the size of a modern hummingbird and shows evidence of pollen being ingested. Check out more the story >>here<< on National Geographic. 

Photo Credit: Sven Traenkner

Update on Website! New Photos and Products!

Check out my website leahck.com where I have updated new gallery photos and products that are for sale! 

(c) Leah Klehn

New Website!

This new website is too 1. Give me a professional look for possible employers in my prefered field to come look at past job experiences I had along a place to view my resume. 2. Sell my artwork, jewelry and any other goodies I come up with making. 3. And feature anything I find interesting in the nature/science field. 

I still plan on using this blog however since the blog on the website it very plan looking. So please support my new website! leahck.com!

What's For Sale!

This will be a series of 14 at $8 each.

This will be a series of 11 at $22 each. The whole set will be $200.

These magazine cut-out magnets are $2 each or two for $3.

ATTENTION ART AND JEWELRY FOR SALE!

I am currently selling jewelry and artwork between the prices of $2 and $30 dollars. Custom requests maybe more depending on the request. Please contact me at naturenerd02@yahoo.com if you are interested. Cash and check only. I will post of what I have for sale shortly. In the mean time enjoy these examples.

Examples

Old Fashion Light bulbs being Phased Out for Energy Efficient Ones!

On January 1, 2014 incandescent light bulbs will no longer be manufactured in the United States. This is because they no longer meet the federal efficiency standard. The alternative choices will be the CFL's and LED's. 

Of course some of the public is upset about this phase out because now their choices are limited, however these bulbs are highly more efficient and will cause electricity bills to be much cheaper. I feel this is a good change and I am happy about the phase out. 

Check more on this story at : National Geographic 

(c) Allison Wonderland_Flickr

Fowler Toads from Lake Erie Saved!!

I posted previously that in Ontario a development company wanted to construct condos on the dunes of Lake Erie which is the habitat of the endangered Fowler Toad. Well great news!! The construction plans have been cancelled and the dunes will continue to keep it's natural beauty! Thank you to all who supported the fight against the building of these condos and keeping the environment natural for these little amphibians that don't have a voice! 

(c) SAVE THE FROGS!

How to Read Science News!

This is a It's Okay to be Smart video on how to read science news. There is a lot of news floating around on the internet, and it is easy to be sucked in and believe what's out there. However everything you read should be taken with a grain of salt. Watch this video to learn tips on how to become a better science news reader!

(c) PBS Digital Studios

Ontario Building on Endangered Frog's Habitat!

Ontario is allowing the lethal removal of the endangered Fowler Toad from its habitat just to establish non-essential condos and shopping developments. This is a protected species and this sort of action should not be happening. Protect our fellow creatures, no matter how small. Meaningless destruction from big development agencies must stop! Go to SAVE THE FROGS!'s link to read more on the issue. 

(c) Nick Gustafson

New Species of Porcupine Discovered!

In April of this year a new species of porcupine (Coendou baturitensis) was discovered in the forests of Brazil. This tree dwelling mammal has an interesting feature for a porcupine which is a prehensile tail. The porcupine averages in length between 0.7 to 1 meters and weighs between 3 to 5 kilograms. They also have a really big nose that makes them look really cute! Check out more of the article  >> here << .

(c) Hugo Fernandes Ferreira