Ring-tailed

The digitalium of the day is a painting of a ring-tailed lemur, one of the numerous species that are considered endangered. There are fewer than four thousand of these animals still living, and half are in zoos.

Cakes and Pies

A sketch of one of the contemporary American masters of painting, Wayne Thiebaud, is today's digitalium.

Another Founder

The digitalium today is another of our Founding Fathers, this time John Adams after a portrait by Gilbert Stuart near the end of the former president's life.

Water of Life

The digitalium for today is a digital painting study, "Whiskey."

Shrinking Habitat

Today the digitalium is a digital painting of a truly endangered animal, the Amur (formerly Siberian) tiger. This beautiful animal is the largest cat in the world and fewer than 1000 exist in the wild, perhaps fewer than 500.

Dispossessed

A digitalium showing a proud and unconquered Native American, the drawing based on a 19th century photograph. "Dispossessed."

Study

"Head of a young man" is today's digitalium. A study from late 2019.

Frowning Founder

A digitalium for today, a sketch copy of Rembrandt Peale's life portrait of Thomas Jefferson, somewhat modified for today's politics.

Bobby McGee

Today's digitalium is a sketch of the great singer/songwriter, Kris Kristofferson.

Deadly Fast

A new digital painting of the African cheetah, listed as vulnerable by some but as endangered by others. There are presently several thousand of these magnificent cats remaining in the wild.

Smartphone Selfie

Today the digitalium is a sketch done from a selfie of Juan Fresnada, a 60-year-old who was mugged and killed in New York last month by four young men who netted $1 for their cruel, brutal crime.

Extinction Blues

Today the digitalium is Rosie the Rhinoceros, sad for the passing of her kind into oblivion.

Rebooting

As the year ends, so does this daily digital diary in its previous form. It's been a challenge to produce so many drawings but as happens with nearly any repetitive action, it becomes more practiced and then less conscious, so that the process comes forward as the tools become more transparent. What that meant these last months was a chance to refine how certain drawing effects are achieved without worrying about mistakes--with digital drawing it's easy to correct because you just hit the Undo key. It has been an education and one that I intend to expand. That is, digital drawing (and perhaps, painting) will continue. And I will post more efforts as they happen. But if they don't appear daily, it will not mean nothing is happening. My mornings will still involve drawings, but they'll be both traditional and digital. So stay tuned.

For today, a favorite digitalium."Midas"