Besides painting with acrylics, I also work with pen and ink and have a done a number of home portrait commissions. Much of this work can be viewed in the gallery below. If you’re interested in a commission, please contact me.
Pen and ink Home Portrait Commission
Pen and ink Home Portrait Commission
Pen and ink Home Portrait Commission
The Chanler: I haven’t posted a drawing for a while and it’s because this one has taken so long. I snapped this photo of the Chanler Hotel on the cliff walk in Newport back in September and have been chipping away at this drawing ever since.
Pen and ink Home Portrait
Pen and ink Home Portrait
The Hawk and the Hummingbird: A commissioned pen and ink illustration featuring a hummingbird within the silhouette of a soaring hawk.
The Rose vs. Wolverine: Still life meets action figure. After doing so many of these drawings, I thought that it would be fun to inject some humor…And it was only a matter of time until some of my toys made their way into these drawings.
The Harris Fire Station: This is an old abandoned fire house, built in 1889 and is located down the street from where I live in Phenix (that’s how it’s spelled here) Square. It is well-known to locals that it is haunted. I snapped this photo several years ago in hopes of catching a ghostly apparition in one of the windows, but no luck. Fortunately, it’s a very cool looking old building, complete with a belfry, so I decided to sit down and draw the Harris Fire Station. My wife mentioned that I should draw an apparition in one of the windows (I didn’t, but was very tempted). As of writing this, it looks as though it may once again become a working fire house with West Warwick looking to buy it from Coventry who shuttered it in 2013.
Calla Lilies: This pen and ink drawing is for my wife’s birthday. She does not like roses and in her wedding day bouquet, she used calla lilies instead of the usual roses. She loves calla lilies and whenever I see them, I think of her. This is a pen and ink drawing on archival paper.
The Penguins: This drawing came about from a conversation with my 3 year old son: Me: “What should I draw?” My son: “Penguins!” Me: “Ok.” Not the typical time of year for penguins, but I couldn’t let the boy down. This is a pen and ink drawing on archival paper.
Two Flowers: Pen and ink drawing of dried flowers in a vase. I loved the detail in the dried flower parts followed by the sparseness of the stems. This is a pen and ink drawing on archival paper.
The Scarecrow: It’s Halloween again and therefore a spooky illustration is needed. I’ve always been a fan of Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, and I had the image of the scarecrow in the cornfield from the opening scene as I drew this one.
Castle Hill Lighthouse: Pen and ink drawing of the Castle Hill Lighthouse in Newport, RI. I drove to the light house on lunch when I was working in Newport and took a number of photos that I used as reference for this illustration. It’s a beautiful old stone lighthouse. This is a pen and ink drawing on archival paper.
The Duck: I went for a run on the bike path in South Hadley, MA and saw some ducks swimming in the stream next to the path. Seeing them inspired this pen and ink drawing.
The Bouquet Heart: Pen and ink drawing that includes various flowers like lilies. This one is a drawing to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
The Cardinal: Pen and ink drawing inspired by being stuck inside in the dead of winter in New England. January and February are some very gray days and the red of the cardinal helps to brighten them up.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town: A Christmas time drawing that features a happy Santa in front of large pile of gifts. This is a pen and ink drawing on archival paper.
The Turkey: Just in time for Thanksgiving – a turkey with a giant leaf behind him. This is a pen and ink drawing on archival paper.
The Witch: The Witch is actually the drawing that started my drawing craze that’s been going strong since October of 2015. We made a family trip to Salem, MA and on one of the streets there I saw this witch statue so I snapped a bunch of pics. Those pictures became reference for this illustration.
Michael Pekala Art & Illustration 