A plethora of pigeons

I have been trying to use bold, black charcoal outlines to create something of an expressionist style. I have seen extremely detailed, refined work done in charcoal, but I don't think I could ever manage that (not even in pencil!) Hence, for me, charcoal is a medium for fast, playful work.

I like birds, so here I drew one pigeon after the other.

#32: Compound leaf

Compound leaf of a carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua). As I mentioned before, I just love old, well weathered leaves as subjects for drawing!

#31: Glass and plastic figurine

Back to my series of drawings from direct observation. I have become badly rusty, I fear.

Fallen flowers

Found a whole carpet of these colourful flowers under a tree. I have no idea what kind of tree, but they made for a nice subject for a few sketches. Ballpoint pen and coloured pencil on bits of scrap printer paper.

Halo and chameleon

Saw two somewhat unusual things today. The first, a halo around the Sun, which I photographed from two different sides of a building, trying to keep direct sunlight out of the lens:

And then, a few hours later, found this little fellow clinging to the curtains in my apartment:

Presumably my cat brought it in, and then, for some reason, decided not to dissect it as she usually does with her wildlife specimens (she makes Hannibal Lecter look like Gandhi by comparison). So I took the lucky survivor outside and put it in a tree densely overgrown with creeping jasmine - not perfect, but probably better habitat than my apartment:

Chameleons were common around here when I was a child, but I haven't seen one in many years. Perhaps they are making a comeback.

Buddhist sculpture

HB mechanical pencil on printer paper, 18cm x 12cm:

Mushrooms

Done from a reference photo. I have reported before on my struggle to draw from photos. Considering how convenient they can be, it seems like a weakness not to be able to make proper use of them, so I am trying to overcome it. Not sure if I am managing...

HB mechanical pencil on printer paper, 13cm x 18cm.