Kitty the Mermaid from Denver Aquarium

Kitty the Mermaid says Hello

We went to the Denver Aquarium last week.  Their restaurant has a mermaid show.  It was SOOO awesome!   This drawing is from a photo that my daughter took of her daughter and the mermaid.  We know this mermaids actual name.  She was in an online article of a Metropolitan State University of Denver student paper.  Kitty is her name.  She, and the other mermaids were so impressive.  They really looked real!   They swam so smoothly.  It was easy to suspend your disbelief and imagine that they were real mermaids.  They also know how to interact through the glass.  Our granddaughter was thrilled.   The rest of the aquarium was also impressive.  

Thank you Denver Aquarium for a great experience!!!  And thank you Kitty!  You are awesome all by yourself!  Thanks to the other mermaids too!  Including the one who posed on the edge of the tank with our granddaughter.   I don't know your name but you were great with her.   I hope both you mermaids like the drawings I did of you.   

By the way, there is a reef shark in the drawing and a jellyfish called a Portuguese Man o' War.  In reality, there WERE fish in the tank. . .  like I drew in the drawing, but there were no jellyfish and sharks. 

Remember that the printable version is found by clicking on the buttons at the top of the page.  New drawings like this are at the bottom of the list.  Click on the "Fantasy, Myths, and Circus" button or on the "All Printables" button. . . and scroll down to the bottom.  Just click on the title to get the printable version. 

Helix the Labradoodle

Helix the Labradoodle

Sorry about the the drawing not being posted.  The printable version was and still is 

available under the Animals Button at the top of the page though.  

We met helix, a female Labradoodle.  She is a sweet dog and since our Maltese doggy Ellie died over a year ago, I still miss having a dog.  We may yet adopt a new dog, but we have not done so yet.  Helix gave me lots of kisses and cuddles.  Her owner told us that she was the best dog she has ever had.  She is also a service dog for visiting patients in hospitals.  Maybe she was so loving because she seemed to notice my tracheotomy under my scarf I wear to cover it.  It was such a fun experience I got permission to take her photo and I drew her tonight.   Ya gotta love a nice doggy. 

Labradoodles are a designer breed that is half Labrador Retriever and half Poodle.  They are generally hypoallergenic like a poodle and a great pet. The poodle genes make a Labradoodle hypallerginic.  That is great for me.  I am allergic to some breeds of dogs,   Labs are still the most popular dog breed in the USA and Poodles are the 7th most popular breed.

Helix's owner told us that they were planning on getting a second dog and naming it "Double".    So they would have "Double Helix" . . . which is the organization of the atoms on a DNA molecule.   That is an interesting name for a designer breed.

Photo of Helix 

Crystal the Fairy hatching a Dragon Egg

While on vacation in Brigham City Utah we stayed at Crystal Inn.  One of the clerks at the front desk told me she was obsessed with fairies.  So I drew her as a fairy.  I am calling her Crystal. . . after the nice motel. 

Crystal the Fairy hatching a Dragon Egg

I imagined that like in the Harry Potter books, a dragon egg needs heat to hatch. . . but maybe they could also be hatched by Fairy Magic.  This fairy is standing on river rocks by a river.   Since I am a retired Science Teacher I will tell you that the action of the water on the rocks wear them smooth.   This is called physical weathering.   However, since rainwater that might end up in the river is slightly acidic. . . we could also saw that some chemical weathering is going on too,  Rain water, as it falls as raindrops, interacts with carbon dioxide in the air and makes a little bit of carbonic acid. 

Air Show

We went to an amazing Air Show today after Church.   It was held at Hill Air Force Base in Northern Utah.  The photos are from the show and the drawings were done previously.  These drawings are all found in printable form by clicking on the buttons at the top of the page and scrolling down.   The photos are all from the air show.   The photos are not in the printable sections of this blog. 

US Air Force Thunderbirds

F-16 Fighter Bomber

This is the type of plane the Thunderbirds fly.  

B-25 Mitchell Bomber

My father was a pilot of a B-24 Bomber in World War II.  The B-25 is a smaller but similar plane. 

B-24J Liberator 

My dad told us that he felt bad about having to pilot the bomber.  He LOVED flying. . . but he said that he should have been teaching the gospel to those people instead of dropping  bombs on them.   He came home from the war and became a doctor who delivered over 4,000 babies and saved many lives with his skill as a surgeon and small town family doctor.  

TBF Avenger Torpedo Bomber
The TBF was the upgrade or replacement for the below TBD.  Both planes were carrier based.  

TBD Devastator Torpedo Bomber

Denverie the Mermaid from the Denver Aquarium

Denverie the Mermaid

Hello Blog Readers!    Sorry I have not posted in a week.  (I did post a drawing of Martin Luther that I drew today in Church.)  There is a reason.  We have been on vacation in Denver, Colorado.  Kudos to the good people of Denver.... Everyone was so kind to us.  We went to many great places.  The Denver Aquarium was amazing.  They have a mermaid dinner show and the mermaids charmed our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter.  Earlier in the day one of the mermaids was posing for photos and I am currently drawing her as a coloring page drawing.  Please be patient.  I plan on completing this drawing tonight...but I am pretty tired.   This mermaid posed with our granddaughter.  Unfortunately I did not get her name.  .   .  so I made a name up:  Denverie.   Thank you to all of the mermaids who made our granddaughter so happy.   My wife and I were amazed with their ability to swim exactly like what you would imagine a real mermaid would swim like.

Before I do the mermaid drawing I am also re-posting some drawings of aircraft.  AFTER church today we went to the Hill Air Force Base Warriors over the Wasatch Air Show. It was absolutely amazing.   I still hope to complete the Denverie the Mermaid drawing tonight.   (but I am  soooo tired. . . walking around the tarmac of an air base with a trach tube and heart failure was fun but rather exhausting. 

Sorry. . . it took so long to finish this drawing.  The name of the mermaid is Denverie. . . pronounced as DEN-VER-EE-AY.   By the way, "Denverie"  I am sorry I forgot to get your name. . . but don't you think Denverie is cool sounding? 

Martin Luther and his Wife

Martin Luther and his Wife Katherine

Martin Luther was one of the bravest men in history.  He went up against pretty much the only church and posted his complaints.  He posted a list of 95 questions and propositions for debate to the door of a church.  He was so brave to do this.  He easily could have been jailed and executed.  He was protected by influential men and he eventually started his own congregation or church.  The new church allowed priests to be married.  At one point he rescued some nuns and married all but one of them off.  One of the former nuns would not accept any of the men Martin Luther suggested.  She wanted HIM.   So he married her and by all accounts they had a great marriage. He name was Katherine Von Bora.  Martin Luther helped her escape the nunnery in an empty fish barrel.  Many of Martin's friends were opposed to the marriage.  They feared it would lead to the end of the reformation.  Katherine was 16 years younger than Martin.  But they went ahead with a small private ceremony with a few witnesses and later had a more formal ceremony.  The marriage brought peace to Martin Luther. 

They were an amazing couple.  They had six children and adopted four orphans who were relatives.  Martin had to adapt to being a husband and father.  He became more cautious.  But together they were very happy.  They started out in poverty and Katherine. . . who Martin called Katie...worked the farmland and slaughtered the animals for dinner etc.  Even on their wedding night at eleven pm they took in a friend who was fleeing for his life. 

Martin Luther's bravery led to more people willing to worship how they felt they should.  This lead eventually to religious freedom.   But it was not an easy road.  The world became a better place because Martin Luther was willing to challenge practices that he felt were not Biblical and were against his own personal beliefs.   

Father's Day 2018

On the day we took our daughters to see the movie Finding Nemo I sat with a daughter on each side.  I had rather recently remarried but I had been a single father to these two girls for 4 years.  During the movie they kept elbowing me and saying...." That's you Dad!"  You see, Nemo's dad is Marlin. . . and Marlin is very overprotective.  It was a fun movie and I really recommend it.  The sequel, Finding Dory, is also well done.

So below is a drawing of  two clownfish.  It may or may not be the father and son from the movie. . . you will have to judge.   One fish is a dad and the other is his son.  This is a drawing for Father's Day.  My own father was a physician and a surgeon. . . but mostly he was our Dad.   He made sure we each had a chance to go somewhere special with him. .  . where it was just him and one of us kids.   HIS kids. 

Clown-fish Father and Son

The below are other drawings of Fathers and Sons...some animals and some human.  

Jesus and Joseph working in Carpentry Shop

Technically Joseph was Jesus' stepfather...but consider what an honor it was for him to be chosen to help raise the Savior of the World.  In my religion  we believe we were foreordained in our pre-mortal life for our callings.  Being the Savior's stepfather had to be a great calling and Joseph had to be a very good man.  Jesus is an older teenager or young adult in this drawing.  Remember that He did not start His ministry until He was 30 years old.  

T. rex dad carries son in mouth

Abraham is stopped by an Angel

Abraham was given a terrible test.  Although God did NOT approve of humans killing their children, He commanded Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice.   Of course, an angel appeared and stopped Abraham from sinking the knife.  The angel basically told Abraham that it was all a test of Abraham's faith.   Issac went on to marry and become a father himself.  

Country Bunny Husband and Daddy

This drawing was one I did to go with the book The Country Bunny And The Little Gold Shoes.  The book is a classic and it SAYS that Mrs. Bunny has a husband. . . but he is never seen in the book.  So, fathers are very important, so I drew a Country Bunny father.  

T. rex Grandpa and Grandson

Grandfathers are fathers too.  And grandfathers are very important. 

Feel Free to use these drawings to make a card for your father!   Happy Father's Day!!!!

Tyrannosaurus rex vs Triceratops horridus

Tyrannosaurus rex vs Triceratops horridus

There are differing opinions by paleontologists about who would have won in this fight.  Some think that T. rex would have had an advantage with his incredibly powerful bite.  Others think that Triceratops, with its ball joint connecting its skull to its body . . . and its 4 foot or 1.4 meter horns would have been able to put up a good fight.  After all, if a predator is severely injured they can't hunt so they might starve.

I think because of parallel evolution that it was a fair fight.  Parallel evolution means both prey and predator evolved along side each other in a sort of biological arms race.  I think that those who think Triceratops horns and frill were just for show are wrong.  On the other hand, there is some evidence of Triceratops bone in what was clearly T. rex droppings . . . now called coprolite.

By the way, the volcano is leaning to one side.  Some volcanoes are like that.  It is not a mistake in the drawing. Also, look closely at the Triceratops frill. It has an eye spot.  This is an adaptation to make it appear bigger to predators.  Some modern animals have eye spots to make them look bigger. 

Unicorn with Dark Fairy

Unicorn with Dark Fairy

I always think of fairies as creatures of light. . . but who knows?   This is a young unicorn so I hope she is strong and can't be tempted.   On the other hand, Unicorns are almost always depicted as beings of light. . . so if this is an evil dark fairy, she is wasting her time.  

Eden as a Mermaid and Hamadryad

Eden as a Mermaid at the edge of the Kelp Forest

If mermaids and even merpeople were or are real they would like living near a kelp forest.  The kelp forest are full of life.  IF merepoeple were carnivores they would have plenty of prey. . . if merepeople were or are herbivores they would have lots of Kelp, by the way. is a plant-like organism but it reproduces by way of a three stage method.  So this is rather unique.  It is placed in the Protista Kingdom instead of Plantae or Plant Kingdom.  Kelp is a good source of nutrients, especially iodine.  Many poeple...human poeple... take kelp pills.  I do.  Kelp is often what is wrapped around the fish in sushi.

This mermaid drawing turned out to have a kind of wild look.  Eden's face was actually very peaceful in the photo.  Not sure how that wild look happened.  I tried to show hair as it would look floating in the water.   In any case, the shirt turned out well.  I did the shirt in shells and shark teeth.  If you look carefully you can pick out the shark teeth.  I don't imagine merpeople would be friendly with sharks, but I might be wrong.   Both drawings are done in a different style called:
Modified New Retro Style.   It is actually New Retro style but I did the modifications.  So I call it Modified New Retro Style.  I think it is kind of cute.  The below drawing is also in my Modified New Retro Style with the larger than realistic head and larger eyes as well.

Eden as a Hamadryad

Hamadryads are defenders of their trees.  Hamadryads are much more connected to their individual tree.  If their tree dies then often the hammadryad dies too.  So here Eden is the Hamadryad on the ready to defend her tree.  She is not facing off against anyone but she is ready with her bow in her right hand and an arrow in her left hand.  Not all dryads are pictured with wings but some are.  I drew this Hamadryad with insect-like lacewings.   This makes the wings transparent or "see through."
Although this drawing is in the Modified New Retro Style, this is a better likeness of my grandniece Eden.  I hope she likes it.

Avery as the Playful Fairy Twins

Avery as a pair of Playful Fairy Twins

This drawing started out as practice drawings of my grandniece Avery.  At first it was just the faces.  Then when I was looking at it later I decided it could be a kind of funny drawing.   Both faces are based on Avery.   I guess she would be a Forest Fairy here.  I thought the likeness... especially on the fairy in the foreground...was pretty good.   Of course, it does not capture the full beauty of a young woman but it was fun to draw.   I hope Avery likes it. 

Remember to hit the buttons at the top to get the printable versions.  Newer drawings are at the bottom of the lists.  

Avery the Flower Fairy and Dryad

Avery the Flower Fairy 

This is another drawing based on a grandniece who is a dancer.  She is named Avery.  She is shown as a small flower fairy in a dandelion.  The fairy wings are insect-like wings.  Because they are somewhat like a lacewing fly wings they are very transparent.  As far as dandelions, they get a raw deal.  Yes most of us don't want them in our lawn, but I remember gathering dandelions for my mom.  I also remember my own daughters gathering up the yellow dandelions that were blooming in our lawn and giving them to me or my wife.  The dandelion flower is a compound flower with many seeds coming from one flower.   Also, every part of the dandelion plant, from roots to blossoms are edible raw or cooked.

As far as the drawing, remember that a person is very difficult to draw perfectly with this medium of fine point Flair marker.  It is had to capture their true beauty with a fine point marker, but I do my best.  Also, I think true beauty is more than just physical.  A beautiful young woman or handsome young man who are selfish and unkind are not beautiful to me.  On the other hand, a kind young man or young woman with a good heart is beautiful no matter what their physical characteristics.



Dryads in mythology are a nymph or fairy inhabiting a tree or forests.  Usually the tree is an oak tree.  In fact, "dry" means oak in Greek.  But the term "dryad" has come to be used for all tree nymps, whether it is an oak tree, or birch tree, or maple tree etc.  Hamadryads were tree nymphs that lived in trees or around trees and were so connected to trees that if the tree died, so did the hamadryad.  So the Greek Gods would punish someone for harming a tree unless the mortal propitiated or made peace with the hamadryad who lived in or around the tree.  The dryad here is defending her tree so she has a very intense look.  I guess she must be a hamadryad since she is clearly part of the tree. 

Avery as a Dryad

(The likeness is not as good as the likeness in the other drawing,

 but I DID base the drawing on Avery's photo.)  

10,000 Hits

YAAAAYYYY!!!!!  This blog just made it to 10,000 hits. . . from all over the world!   Thank you to all of you who visited my blog over the last year and a half.  I am striving to keep posting regularly.  With my dicey health sometimes this is difficult.  Besides, we are trying to travel before our health prevents us from doing so.  We just got back from a bird refuge in Northern Utah. I will be drawing some birds that we saw and photographed.  It is the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge near Brigham City, Utah.  In the mean time, for now, I am posting some of my favorite drawings over the course of this blog.   I hope you enjoy coloring my drawings.  I will keep on making them as my health permits.   Remember that NEW drawings are at the bottom of the lists, but the following drawings I am about to re-post are somewhere on the list but not necessarily at the bottom like the new drawings are.   However, the first drawing I did tonight. It was one of the ones from the last post.  My beautiful grandniece Gracie, as a Forest Fairy.   This is the Portrait version.   It is a better likeness, although not perfect.   You get to the printable versions by hitting the buttons at the top of the page. 

Gracie the Forest Fairy portrait

T. rex Drawing from Skull

Unicorn Mare defending foal

Jesus and Joseph working in carpentry shop

B-24 J Liberator

Dolphin Mother and Calf

Cinderella Fishing and being discovered by the Prince

Vulcan Female Starfleet Officer

Caiman by a River

Jaguar attacking a Caiman

Three Nephite Disciples in a den of Jaguars

Elegant Fairy and Baby Dragon

T. rex adult and Pteranodon Adult D. Train

Jesus as 12 year old at the Temple

Forest Fairy

Gracie the Forest Fairy

Gracie is one of my beautiful Grandnieces.  She is an award winning dancer.  She modeled for this drawing.  I just finished a more close up version of this drawing. . . or at least a similar one.  I just posted it.  

Gracie the Forest Fairy portrait

The portrait above is a better likeness.  It is not perfect. . .  but I think it is ok.  It is hard to capture the true beauty of a person when your medium you are working with is fine point ink Flair pen.   

There are legends of fairies in Germany, Wales, England, Ireland, France, and many other countries.  I like to think of fairies as being worldwide.  That idea comes from the excellent book series called Fablehaven... by Brandon Mull.  He is a local author and I love his writing style.  

Unicorn with Friend Squirrel at Sunrise

Unicorn with Friend Squirrel at Sunrise

This drawing is for younger kids, but it has one more advanced feature.  Notice that there are long shadows from the rising sun.  This drawing could be used to teach about shade and shadows.  Tell your child and show them at different times of the day...how shadows start long at sunrise, get small at noon, and get long again at the end of the day.   I only lightly shaded the shadow made by the mountains so you could have your son or daughter shade that shadow in with a pencil or gray crayon.  I did not shade some of the smallest plants but you or your child could add tiny shadows there too. 

Feed My Sheep

Jesus to Peter, Feed my Sheep

(This is one of the new drawings from this post so it will be at the 

bottom of the Religion Button's New Testament list... 

and at the bottom of the All Printables Button.)  

Jesus, after his resurrection appeared to his desciples several times.  One time, at the Sea of Galilee, Jesus challenged or commanded his chief apostle or disciple to "Feed my lambs."  and "Feed my sheep."  They were walking along the shore of the sea at the time.  The message is clear.  Jesus, a man who was also a god, lived his mortal life in rural areas, as did Peter.  They were familiar with the local shepherds and their sheep.  At first Peter did not get the message so Jesus repeated it til he had said it 3 times.  Peter went on to do great things and bring many of Jesus' lambs and sheep into the fold. 

Jesus in Ancient Rural Israel

This above new drawing is of Jesus in a rural area.  As I just said in the above paragraph, Jesus spent most of his ministry in rural areas.  I often draw Jesus near Jerusalem.  However, today I realized that most of his ministry was in rural areas among primarily the poorer class of people.  Poor as to things of the world but not necessarily poor in spirit.  .   . although some certainly WERE poor in spirit too.  So today I drew Jesus in a rural area of ancient Palestine or Israel...  during Roman rule of course.  

Jesus calls his Apostles

.  

If you remember, when he called some of his apostles, including Peter, who was a fisherman, Jesus said, "Come, I will make you fishers of men."  So by saying "Feed my lambs" and "Feed my sheep" Jesus was commanding Peter to teach and minister to his children on Earth.  Jesus is the Father or our Salvation.  He is God the Son.  We believe that His Father in Heaven is a separate being and HE is God the Father. 

When we die our spirits go to the Spirit World which is located here in spirit form on Earth.  When Jesus died HIS eternal Spirit went to the Spirit World where he initiated the teaching of the Gospel to the spirits there.  So, those who did not have the opportunity to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their mortal life on Earth will have that opportunity in the Spirit World.  Then, one day,  Jesus will come back one day to end all wickedness and rule on Earth. .  .  for a thousand years of peace. 

Jesus at His Second Coming

The righteous will be resurrected when Jesus returns to Earth and the wicked will have to wait the thousand years before they are resurrected.  Then we will all go to our final judgement.  The righteous will inherit a glorified and Celestialized Earth.  We call this The Celestial Kingdom.  Those who make it to the Celestial Kingdom will be able to live with their Eternal Companion (spouse) for eternity in the presence of Our Heavenly Parents and our older brother Jesus Christ.    There will be other kingdoms for other people based on their works while they lived as mortals on Earth.  Only the very wicked will be sent to Outer Darkness. 

Together in the Celestial Kingdom

The Story of Ruth. . . what we can learn from it

Ruth with Boaz on the Threshing Floor

This post is about the lessons we can learn from the Story of Ruth.  The idea for this came from an excellent Sunday School lesson today.

Ruth was a woman from ancient times.  She married an Israelite who had come to her country of Moab to escape famine.  The family she married into had two sons.  Ruth and another woman from Moab each married the sons.  This was great until both sons and their father died. Then Ruth refused to leave and go back to her family and people.  Instead she went with her Mother in Law, Naomi, to Israel.  She said to Naomi, "Your god will be my god and your people will be my people."  This led to a journey to Israel and Ruth having to glean in the fields for grain in order for her and Naomi to eat.  She went to one field where a wealthy older or perhaps middle aged man named Boaz was working.  He owned the field.  He heard of Ruth and how kind she had been to Naomi so he made sure the reapers left extra grain on the ground for Ruth to pick up.  Then Naomi explained the customs to Ruth.  Because Boaz was related to her husband he could take Ruth to wife.  So Ruth was instructed to come to the threshing floor where they knock the grain kernels out of the wheat stalk.  It was night and she laid at Boaz's feet.  He put his blanket I guess over Ruth to indicate that he chose her.  It was amazing to him because clearly Ruth was beautiful and there were many other younger and wealthy men who would have been happy to marry her.  But Ruth chose him.   There was another man who was a closer relative so Boaz, because he was an honorable man, explained the situation to him.  That relative declined so Boaz an Ruth were married.  She was blessed with a son named Obed who went on to father a son named Jesse.  Jesse was the father of King David.  (the David who killed Goliath)  And David was the ancestor of Jesus Christ. 

Now, in Sunday School today I learned some amazing things.  Or maybe the Sunday School class helped me understand some amazing truths.   I will just tell you them:  Ruth was obviously a kind woman who loved her mother in law like her own mother.  Ruth obviously converted to the God of Israel.  Ruth also was not put off by Boaz being quite a bit older than her.  Ruth helps us see that God is no respecter of persons.  God loves His children and that means ALL of His children.  God does not discriminate based on age, wealth, race, worldly status, and etc.  Ruth knew this and was a good example to all of us in following God.

Therizinosaurus

Therizinosaurus

Therizinosaurus was a very weird dinosaur.  It is thought to have had protofeathers.  Its arms were found first.  Those arms had 3 ft or about a meter long claws on each hand.  So paleontologists had assumed they had found a vicious predatory dinosaur.  Its legs, arms, and feet were that of a Theropod.  But the big surprise came when they found the skull.  It was small like the skulls of a long neck Sauropod.  It had blunt teeth for eating plants.  Even so, So if a carniverous Theropod attacked it would be facing 6 swords with unusually long and powerful arms powering the sword.  This dinosaur was a still a Theropod itself.  It was, however, not a predator.   Paleontologists were surprised to see that it was a plant eater.  But it was a big one.  It weighed 5 tons and was 33 feet or 10 meters long.   

One paleontologists said Therizinosaurus looked like a half plucked turkey.  It had a big pot belly for fermenting and digesting plants.  It probably used its large arms and claws to pull branches to its mouth for feeding.  Those arms were over 8 feet or 2.5 meters long.  The 6 long claws really were a formidable set of weapons.  Therizinosaurus probably lived a peaceful life browsing on trees and shrubs, but when threatened it was able to take care of itself.  

There are more than one species of Therozinosaur.  The more primitive ones had claws that were much shorter.  The last or youngest species or most recent species was Therozinosaurus and it had the long sword-like claws that clearly made it able to defend itself.  The ancestor to all Therizinosaurs is thought to be a predatory Theropod carnivore.  This kind of amazing change . . . where a predatory animal eventually evolves into an herbivore is rather rare in nature.