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Jenny Cherry

@cherrybirdart

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🕊John 14:6
🪻 Nature Journaling
🖌Children's Books

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Nature Journaling Post #29- Good morning, sharing a sketch I painted just yesterday of an encounter that happened last year in my garden.

While going out to water my broccoli, which I covered with straw around the bottom, I noticed something at the base of one of the plants. It was a small, brown toad, who made a little home for himself under a broccoli plant 🤎🥦

He was so cute, he came off and on for several weeks, nestled there in his hiding spot.

How can you not love God's creatures great and small?

Go outside and be curious, spend time in nature 🕊

Painted with Winsor and Newton watercolors on Strathmore multi-media paper and Black Waterproof Uni ball pen.

#naturejournaling #wildwonderfoundation #watercolorsketch #watercolornature by @cherrybirdart

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8 days ago

Nature Journaling Post #28- Every once in a while I see a Sandhill Crane couple strolling together and it's even better when I see their baby between them 💙

In this family of 3, the baby was a young adult, whose facial colors hadn't changed yet. Even when I drive by, I try to slow down to watch their elegant stance.

Some fun facts about Sandhill Cranes:

💍 They mate for life (which means maybe 2 decades)

🎺 They have loud trumpeting calls, mates engage in "union calling".

🎨 They have a grayish neck and body, white cheeks, red foreheads and long, dark pointed bills.

🐣 Chick's can leave the nest about 8 hours after hatching and stay with the parents for about 9-10 months.

🪽 COOL FACT! The state of Florida is home to 2 different subspecies of Sandhill Crane: ⬇️

💚 Florida Sandhill Crane which is non-migratory and lives in the state all year long.

❤️ The Greater Sandhill Crane which is Migratory and about 25,000 of these guys migrate down from the northern states, down to Florida for the winter and return north in the spring.

🖌 I was inspired by the watercolorist Inga Buividavice to paint in a more wet on wet style. Check out her work @inga.buive

This sketch was made on 140 lbs cold press paper with Windor and Newton watercolors.

*Check out allaboutbirds.org for more information about Sandhill Cranes and all kinds of birds!

Go outside, be curious, and sketch and write about what you see 🌿

#sarasotaaudubonsociety #allaboutbirds #watercolorillustration #naturejournaling by @cherrybirdart

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a month ago

Nature Journaling Post #27- This was definitely NOT my best sketch. It was maybe a 15 minute study or less of the mysterious bright pink, tiny flowers that grow in my yard. I tread carefully when walking back there, not to crush any. Incredible beauty comes in any size.

I wanted to try my small, portable palette but I'm not sure about the quality of the paint. The paper didn't absorb it well. When I used my Winsor and Newton watercolors on a previous sketch, the paper absorbed it very well.

These flowers last for only a day I think. If anyone saw the short video, and knows what kind of flowers these are, please let me know!

Verse of the day, Jesus said, "I and my Father are one."
John 10:30

#wildwonder #naturejournal #watercolorsketch #flowers by @cherrybirdart

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3 months ago

Nature Journaling Post #26- Today's bird is the American Oystercatcher, a large shorebird that lives along the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts of the Americas.

They have a black head, brown back, white belly, orange-red bill and yellow eyes. They also are very vocal.

They specialize in eating shellfish, such as oysters and clams, and used their beak to pry open the shells.

Males and females form a strong bond and 2-4 eggs a year in a ground scrape, which is a small hollow in the sand. Both the mother and father take turns incubating.

Their population has been down because of habitat destruction but their numbers are increasing.

During the summer in Florida, (including Sarasota, where I live) when they breed and have babies, the Sarasota Audubon has volunteers that check areas for birds, potential nests and babies and record them. This helps us show the state of Florida how and where these amazing birds are living and areas that need to be protected for their future generations.

*This was a sketch made from a camera photo of an American Oystercatcher and her 2 babies, made by another member of the Sarasota Audubon Society.

#sarasotaaudubonsociety #watercolors #watercolorbird by @cherrybirdart

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3 months ago

Nature Journaling Post #25

SOLD! A few months ago I was given a commission by a man who wanted a painting of an Osprey to give to his wife for her birthday because it's her favorite bird.

(About two years ago, I had a spot to sell some paintings I made of birds at the amazing Cedar Fox Coffee Shop in Sarasota. Each piece was made with the same media and a hand written poem was included in each about tge bird itself). This same couple bought three of my pieces and now the husband commissioned for a 4th, that of an Osprey.

I was very excited and honored to do it because I absolutely love Ospreys. Growing up in Florida, I've seen them all my life and became familiar with their distinct call, which I incuded in this post, that's exactly how they sound!

In researching how to draw them, I learned some interesting facts: Ospreys have been called Fish Hawks and River Hawks but they're not hawks or even eagles at all! They are they're own little group and here's what separates them:

• They are the only ones who feed almost exclusively on fish and dive feet first into the water.

• Opreys have reversible toes and spiky scales on their feet for gripping slippery fish.

• They have more oil in their feathers which helps them shed water faster when they dive after fish.

They live on every continent except Antarctica. Both Mothers and Fathers raise the young in large nests together. Females are usually larger and have a "necklace" of darker feathers across the breast.

Opreys have brown and white feathers, a grey beak and golden-colored eyes.

The final photo is the framed piece before I sold it that day. If YOU are interested in having a piece commissioned, whether of a bird or an animal, DM me, I would be happy to do it! 🖌

Check out your local parks, especially ones that have ponds, lakes and rivers, you might see an Osprey there! 🪶

#wildwonderfoundation #naturejournaling #audubonsociety #natureillustration by @cherrybirdart

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3 months ago

Nature Journaling Post #24- The Brown Thrasher, another bird part of the Mockingbird family. A mating pair live next door in my neighbor's shrubbery. I see them together most often in the early morning or later evening. Since I put a bird bath out in the backyard, many birds have been coming for a drink.

This bird gets it's name from the way it "thrashes" its beak, or tosses aside leaves and twigs to look for bugs and berries on the ground.

You can identify this bird by the reddish-brown body and brown-black dashes across its chest. They have a greyish beak and yellow eye.

They also are excellent singers, more so than their cousin the Mockingbird apparently. 🎶

Their preferred habitat locations are in dense shrubbery, forrest edges and hedgerows. They live in the eastern and central part of N.A. They are the state bird of Georgia and live in Florida year round. Hopefully the mating pair next door stay permanently too.

If you can, go out in the morning for a walk or go somewhere you can hear the birds sing and/or watch them. Bird songs are actually very therapeutic. Be still and enjoy the moment, maybe take a picture or make a sketch. God bless the rest of your week 🪶🤟🏽

#naturejournaling #wildwonderfoundation #sarasotaaudubonsociety #watercolorbirds by @cherrybirdart

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4 months ago

Nature Journaling Post #23- Playing catch-up here, I taught an Advanced Nature Journaling class at the Audubon Nature Center in April. The theme was sketching/ painting and learning about Purple Martins, a type of migratory bird.

At the Nature Center there are 2 large Purple Martin nesting homes and you can see dozens of males and females flying to and fro from their nests, which are checked weekly by experienced birders and their babies counted to record population.

Since I only really learned about them 2 years ago, I wanted to educate others about this amazing little bird. Purple Martins are North America's largest Swallow. The males have dark blue and purple iridescent feathers while females and juveniles have some dark blue feathers, they also have a white and brown underside and a grey forehead. Birds in the Swallow family usually have a forked tail as well. 🐦‍⬛

They catch insects in flight, such as beetles, dragonflies and wasps. 🪲🐝

These birds are also cavity nesters, they rely on natural cavities to raise their young. Unfortunately a lot of their natural habitats have been destroyed so many man-made nesting boxes have been built so they can survive.

In England, Swallow are called House Martins, so when early settlers arrived in N.A., they called these birds Martins too.

These small birds are also long distance migratory birds that travel to and from S.A. in the spring and fall.

The recording you hear is of the birds themselves.👏

I sketched several male Purple Martins, first in pencil, then Winsor and Newton watercolors on multi-media paper. I then used some metallic watercolor paint over the back and wings to create the iridescent shine.

My two students did a great job that day, shout out to them!

Have a great Sunday, go out and sketch and stay curious. God bless 🪽

#naturejournaling #wildwonderfoundation
#audubonsociety #natureillustration by @cherrybirdart

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4 months ago

Nature Journaling Post #22- In the early morning and early evening, singular herons and flocks of White Ibis quietly roam through the grasses, canals and ponds near my home.

Because they are so used to people, they walk fairly close and I can see details of their faces, beaks, legs and plumage.

White Ibis always make me think of Florida, they often are in clusters, have long, orange curved beaks and make a grunt like sound when they communicate. The beaks of the males turn a dark red when they are ready to mate, to attract the females. They like to eat insects, frogs and crustaceans. They comb through the grasses but also along shallow, coastal areas.

The other bird in my sketch above is a Small Blue Heron. They often are solitary birds, wading through the shallows or along the shoreline, also eating crustaceans, fish, frogs, snakes and turtles.

Both are such beautiful birds, and it just so happened that these two kinds were walking together one day eating what they could find.

Check out the Audubon website and learn more and hear what they sound like: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/little-blue-heron

I used colored pencil, Windor and Newton watercolors and watercolor pens on mixed media paper.

Go outside and be inspired! Find something to sketch and learn about it. Don't worry about if it doesn't seem perfect. I think it's important to learn about our local flora and fauna 🐦

#naturejournaling #wildwonderfoundation #natureartwork #audubonsociety by @cherrybirdart

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4 months ago

Nature Journaling Post #21- Where I live there are all kinds of ducks, solid white, Mallard (male and female), and Muscovey, just to name a few.

Sometimes I'll go out and sketch them enjoying themselves in the neighborhood pond. I can't tell apart males from females among the white ducks, but the male Mallards have a dark green head and the females are more brown with a blue spot on their wings and have grey colored beaks. Side note-the main family of ducks in the movie Migration were Mallards. 🦆

The Mallards were dabbling, which means they put their heads in the water for food, and their feathered tails are in the air. Very cute.

The last pair of ducks I sketched were Muscovey. They're as big as the white ducks, but are often white with black and dark green. Their faces are covered in a red bumpy layer of skin. Sometimes the males have little feathers that behave like a mohawk on their heads.

I actually love drawing webbed duck feet and how they float on the water.

These sketches were made with pencil, colored pencil, watercolor and watercolor markers on multi-media paper.

I highly recommend going outside early in the morning or late evening (not in crazy summer heat!), and Nature Journaling. It's calming, therapeutic, and I feel close to God while observing and sketching His creation. Remember you can write down thoughts and poems and questions when you Nature Journal. Stay curious!

#wildwonder #naturejournal #watercolorsketch #birdsoﬁnstagram by @cherrybirdart

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4 months ago

Good afternoon, today's sketch is of a Killdeer and its baby, that I had the privilege of observing not far from my house.

A Kildeer is a large Plover and type of shorebird, although they can live a good distance from water.
They like to nest on the ground in pasture lands, short grass, gravel lots and rooftops.

They have two black broad bands across their chest, reddish-brown body and a red eye-ring. They eat insects and other small invertebrates. Their babies are pre-cocial, which means they can walk and feed themselves soon after hatching.

The adults have a high pitch, distinctive call (kill-dee) and both parents will perform the "broken wing routine", to lure predators away from the nest/babies.

When I was riding my bike, I saw a Killdeer go it's baby in the grass. I stopped immediately because I knew what type birds they were but never saw a baby. I calmly walked closer but stayed on the sidewalk. The parent immediately began the broken wing dance several feet away. The baby was a ball of fluffy feathers with patterns, just a mini version of its parents. I tried to get a picture, but it was hard. I did my best and researched some more.

Yesterday I saw two more, possibly the same adults, in another part of my neighborhood. My dogs and I heard their song and then they flew overhead.

Hope this was interesting and you learned something new. Stay curious, ask questions and go for a walk/ride your bike and take your sketchbook with you, you might discover something new too.

#wildwonderfoundation #naturejournaling #natureillustration #sarasotaaudubon #audubonsociety @wildwonderfoundation by @cherrybirdart

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5 months ago

Nature Journaling Post #19- Happy Monday everyone and yes, may the 4th be with you....I love a good pun 😉 why not enjoy it?

Today I'm sharing a watercolor sketch I made of little tadpoles that are fidgeting in their transparent eggs, grouped together in a water container in my backyard.

It doesn't take long before they are hatched. They were laid late Saturday night, during a heavy rainfall. I could hear the frogs come out joyfully, the males serenading the females. Nature sounds often help me go to sleep. 🐸

When I woke up Sunday morning, I went to the backyard and sure enough, in the water container, were masses of frog eggs. I even saw two tree frogs, climbing away. I love watching tadpoles hatch and go through metamorphosis. Back legs, front legs, tale begins to disappear and out they come 💚

God's creation never ceases to amaze me, down to the detail. Take some time and go outside to observe and sketch nature, it's really therapeutic and God gave nature as a gift to us to enjoy. 🤟🏽

Winsor and Newton watercolors painted on 140lb cold press watercolor paper.

#wildwonder #illustrationartists #naturejournaling #natureartwork by @cherrybirdart

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6 months ago

Nature Journaling Post #18- Butterflies are returning and drinking nectar from the many wild flowers that are growing in my backyard in Florida.

Some that I see on a daily basis are the Cloudless Sulphur, the Queen, the Little Yellow and the Zebra butterfly. These flying flowers are important because they are pollinators 🦋 and definitely bring beauty to any environment.

While working on several butterfly themed projects, I asked the Lord to please let this year be a year of transformation, in following Him closer and growing in necessary ways and trusting Him solidly, for close friends and for myself. Expecting great things from God.

I sketched several of these in Watercolor, then used a black Micron chiseled pen, and finally a white gel pen for detail on Strathmore multi-media paper.

Take some time to go outside and do some Nature Journaling, even a small sketch can be relaxing to make. ✏️🌿

#wildwonder #naturejournal #watercolorsketch #botanicalillustrations by @cherrybirdart

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6 months ago