Line and wash self-portrait of Nicolas Steenhout. He has a black mop style paintbrush in his mouth and is holding a fountain pen in his left hand, pointing up.

Nic's Art Journey

A Steller's Jay

To keep my brain busy during a long meeting, I decided to paint a Steller’s Jay, based on one of my own reference photos.

Line and wash sketch. A Steller's Jay. Mostly blue with a dark blue, nearly black head. Viewed in profile. He's standing on a branch. Background in soft orange.

This is the first bird I’ve done in a while. There are aspects I’m happy with. Others that I know I could improve.

But! It got me back into sketching. So that was good.

Also, I’m happy I haven’t used black paint on that one.

It did look iffy during what so many watercolor artists call “the ugly phase”.

Line and wash sketch. Ink outlines with the first wash of different blues used throughout the body and head and tail.

Note: I was paying attention during the meeting. Painting is a way to quiet all the noise that might typically not let me focus on the meeting. Some people knit. Other people use fidget toys. Sketching works for me.

Other Sketches

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Published on December 11, 2025

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