Tuesday 23 September 2014

Confession Time: It's Going to Be a Cute Black Cat Halloween Here...

It's confession time. Originally, you weren't going to see any Halloween designs here this year. I loathe horror films, large spiders, and anything related to guts and gore. So why do any designs on those themes, right?

But then, this cute little cat came into my head...(he's hand-drawn, but  in digital oil pastels).


And I wondered whether anyone else out there might like a cute Halloween, with a little black cat, as well?

I know that local customs on this vary widely. But here in the UK, black cats are traditionally lucky. (And if YouTube is anything to go by, they're also loved elsewhere too).


Playing around a bit more, I was really surprised when something so simple looked good on a mug.











So he made his way onto a pumpkin-gold background...


Which works out well for items like cards...


And then, in different sizes, the cat and his clone morphed into a pattern...(More on patterns in another post. I've finally getting the hang of them, and can demonstrate a simple method if you're pattern-challenged too.

Anyway, the resulting pattern was here...


Which translates itself onto items like this...
Painted Black Cats on Halloween Golden Background iPad Mini Case
Painted Black Cats on Halloween Golden Background iPad Mini Case by BoundingSquirrel
Check out other Cat Cases at zazzle.com


And so, just like that, I ended up deciding to "do" Halloween 2014 after all.
 
So, what about you? Do you love cute designs for Halloween too? Or, are you a stickler for traditional gore? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Tuesday 16 September 2014

Digital Painting: Painted Rudbeckia, or "Black-Eyed Susans"

Black-eyed Susan, or Rudbeckia flowers, are a sign of early autumn here in London.


I started this digital painting (done in Pixarra Twisted brush digital oil pastels, stroke by stroke) painting some time ago. But finally, I get to keep my promise to post an autumanl painting, and at the right time of year :-). Enjoy!


Monday 1 September 2014

Poinsettia Digital Painting

Yes, poinsettias are another Christmas flower/plant. But I hope this one, when it's finished, will be able to stand up for itself on its own merits at any time of year.

Stay tuned-there are autumnal paintings coming too!