Owl Eyes Watercolor Illustration
By Charlie

Return Of The Hoo Hoo

Written by Charlie O'Shields

For our prompt of “Owl” today, we have just that. It’s been so long since I doodled an owl, so I just wanted to focus on that. I adore owls and think they are lovely creatures, but our dog Phineas is not a fan. That’s a polite way to say that they scare the hell out of him. We used to have an owl that visited all of the time and then it left. Last night that distinctive “Hoo” sound was heard while I was walking Phineas and he nearly jumped out of his skin. While Philippe and I are enamored, Phineas just hears the terrifying call of the Hoo Hoo Monster. I’ve no idea if the owl I heard is staying around or just visiting, but I hope it’s an extended stay. I know that’s not a very nice wish to have my dog’s nemesis around full time, but owls are just the coolest! Sorry, Phineas. I love the sound and appreciate their help in keeping the tiny rodents out of our house. The reality is that although this is my favorite season, it’s the least favorite for my dog. He’s currently laying on the heating vent in the floor looking at me as if to say, “can you please bring back summer?”

Summer is actually my least favorite time of year because it’s just too hot here, but now that daylight savings time has come to rear its unfortunate head the days feel blisteringly short. As soon as I arrive home from work the sun is already setting and as I’m typing this now, we’ve already been plunged into darkness. While I do adore the cozy feel of an evening, I wish we had that extra hour of light back. That said, I certainly won’t care as we’re lighting candles later this month to enjoy our Thanksgiving feast. We just bought a new candelabra. More accurately, we bought our first as we’ve never actually owned one before. This one is from India, made of silver metal and in the shape of deer head. The antlers provide space to place six candles. We put the candles in, but haven’t lit it yet. After placing them in their holders it looked like it could either be gorgeous or blazingly bright and a potential fire hazard. Either way, I’m excited to test it out soon. This was one of the HomeGoods finds where Philippe and I look at each other knowing it’s a touch over the top, but secretly thinking it’s equally quite perfect and really hoping the other agrees.

We have friends coming over for dinner in a couple of weeks, so that’s likely when our candelabra will get its first show. And looking at the state of our house in this moment, it will hopefully give us enough time to clear a bit of the clutter before our guests arrive. Yes, we’ll wait until the last minute to actually do anything about it, of course. Philippe and I have both mastered the fine art of procrastination. Phineas is not really a fan of parties as they make him anxious. The last time we brought him with us to our friend’s house he chewed through his harness and marked on the floor. Or, as we like to refer to it, he got naked and peed on the floor. In Phineas’ words, “It was a truly crazy party! I’m rather sure they must have spiked my drink.” Our crazy little dog who doesn’t like parties and is terrified of owls is currently sitting on Philippe’s lap right next to me at the kitchen counter and yawning. Despite not being a fan of the colder weather, Phineas doesn’t seem to mind when it’s also cuddling season. And since he’s not the type of dog to be cuddly the rest of the year, it’s a rather exceptional time indeed. This is the time of year when my tiny little family just enjoys being a family together, even though one of us is not particularly excited by the sudden and terrifying return of the Hoo Hoo.

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About the Doodlewash

Da Vinci Paint Co.: Aureolin, Ultramarine (Green Shade), Vermilion, and Terra Cottta.. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen (Broad Nib) with black ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop!
 Owl Eyes Watercolor Illustration Sketchbook Detail

 

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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34 thoughts on “Return Of The Hoo Hoo”

  2. Love your owl, Charlie! They are fascinating to watch. When I lived in rural Michigan one would sit on the fence post of the neighbor’s field hunting for mice. I had never seen one up close like that.

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  5. Charlie, love this handsome owl! I’m with Phineas though. As much as I enjoy autumn and winter as my favorite times of the year, I wish we had more daylight. I’m also with Phineas regarding snuggle time. The best time of the year!! 😘

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  6. I love owls too. I have gone on trips just to see them. A number of years ago there was an irruption wherein northern birds come much further south than usual due to over population, or lack of food. There was a report of a great gray owl north of here in a Madison suburban area. My friend and I got our cameras and drove up to see it. It was spectacular!

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  8. Gorgeous owl, Charlie. When the temperatues finally becomes reasonable down here and we can keep our windows open we’ll be lulled to sleep by the sweet little screech owls talking to each other. And, if we’re really lucky one of the larger owls will be out there who whoing for a friend. Night sounds I love!!

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  9. A prize winning story and the owl is for sure a keeper.
    Even though Phineas is scared of the Hoo Hoo, it is true
    that everything has its season, and the fact that Hoo Hoo
    season coincides with Cuddle season is reason enough to celebrate.

    Charlie says, “Or, as we like to refer to it, he got naked and peed on the floor. In Phineas’ words, “It was a truly crazy party! I’m rather sure they must have spiked my drink.”

    There is something precious about the humor and the act itself. It’s like everybody gets
    the opportunity to express their feelings openly and honestly. I love it!

    Reply

  12. This is a wonderful owl doodlewash. I like owls also, and knitted one as a toy for my granddaughter. Phineas may just be reacting as if he were “owl prey,” which, by the way, is a possibility. My sympathies lie with the dog.

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  13. That’s wonderful, all those colours – I was half expecting you to say you only used two! The clocks changing can really hit you. I really disliked commuting in the dark after they went back; threading through the Norfolk villages, it was pretty much pitch black outside. I certainly don’t miss that. As we can’t have the extra light, I vote for hibernation i.e. just staying indoors and keeping cosy, possibly with candles!

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