Colored pencil on black paper, 10x15in, 2023

This was one of my first hyperrealism studies.  It took me countless hours and many white colored pencils (I experimented with different brands, but Prismacolor white pencils were still superior to the others) to finish, but I was very proud of the result. This piece was displayed in a nature-themed gallery at my art school.

This was the first of several drawings I made that include insects, including bees (order hymenoptera), moths (order lepidoptera), and dragonflies (order odonata)! I love entomology :)

Colored pencil, 9x12in, February 2025

This was a submission for the Virginia Junior Duck Stamp Contest (which earned an Honorable Mention), featuring a cinnamon teal (anas cyanoptera). I loved the combination of warm reds and cool blues and greens.

The piece depicts a duck watching its companions as they prepare to migrate to the Caribbean for the winter.

Watercolor, 20x24in, 2023

This piece was a watercolor study of a kingfisher as it emerges from the water.  The hardest parts of this piece were the reflection and the water splash, which I did using white gouache. Despite being difficult, I finished this piece rather quickly, completing it in just three hours - I guess this is a testament to how quick watercolor is as a medium, but it's one of the trickiest to master as well, in my opinion.

Despite having been completed almost two years ago, this still remains one of my favorite watercolor pieces!

Acrylic on canvas, 12x16in, 2025

This was a surrealism project. If you look closely, the real horse fades into a wooden horse in the back section, and the size and scale of everything just feels a little bit off. The metal cat (or is it a fox?) was definitely the most fun part of this project, with all the reflections from the chair and the blue fabric.

Matchsticks, wire, and lots of hot glue, 2025

This is an example of my 3D work. I made this dragonfly out of cut-up matchsticks and wire. I discovered that creating things in 3D is very different from just drawing in 2D, and there were definitely challenges with the size and thickness of the body (first it was too long, then it was too short, then too wide), but overall it was a great learning experience.

Watercolor, June 2025

This is an example of my looser, sketchier work - I did this in about an hour at a local botanical park. I saw a ton of turtles all piled up on a rock, soaking up the sun, as well as some cute statues of fairies on snails.

Acrylic on canvas, 12x16in, January 2023

This was my first time painting a realistic portrait and one of the first time I had ever drawn a realistic portrait. It sure was a new experience mixing different colors like reds, blues, and purples for the shadows, instead of just varyingly darker shades of tan. I liked the contrast between the blue of her water-hair and the warmth of her skin and the seashells in the background.

Acrylic on canvas, 12x16in, December 2022

This was a study to practice painting reflections. It was one of my favorite acrylic paintings a few years ago. I loved painting the colorful boat, although drawing a boat from this perspective was quite difficult. I think this painting shows how much I've improved in acrylic painting over the course of three years, both in the confidence of brushstrokes as well as an understanding of lighting in general.