Funny Halloween Cartoon for 2020 (Day 45/100)

Today's offering is some Halloween humour for 2020> As I very much hope it won't be relevant in any other year, it won't be on sale in any way. Please though, do share it if it makes you laugh.

More tomorrow. 

Free November Clip Art Late Autumnal Wreath (Day 44)

 

Day 44's sketch is this late autumnal wreath for November. Just right-click and save (or click and save, or tap and save, depending on your device. You can use it freely, in line with my angel policy.

For those interested in the technicalities, it's a PNG in ArtRage 6 digital ink penwork (which, comes out looking rather like traditional gouache when colour is used instead of my normal black pen setting. Who knew?)

Anyway, hope this is of use.

More tomorrow.

Day 43: A New Geranium *Digital* Painting This Time

 For Day 42, I redid the geraniums in a digital format, (using the little-publicised but very good Fresh paint app) and the result was some lovely, lively florals that make a gorgeous pattern. Take a look...

First at the painting...

And how nice this looks when applied to all sorts of goodies now for sale at my Redbubble shop

More tomorrow.

Day 42: Watercolour Geraniums Fresh From the Sketchbook

 

Today's sketch is pink geraniums, and so new it's still in the sketchbook.

It's based on some brave little pink geraniums that were still in flower in a tub round the corner when I checked the other day. The real ones are a bit battered, but then again, aren't we all feeling a bit that way at the moment?

More tomorrow.

Christmas Dog Cartoon (Day 41)

 Yes, I know, I know. It isn't Christmas out in the real world yet. I hear you.

But in design land, it's basically Christmas for a crazy proportion of the year.

So I give you a cute (and thoughtful) Christmas dog, in cartoon form as Day 41's sketch.

Should I make this into a Christmas card design? Please let me know on the Facebook page.

Many thanks and more tomorrow.

"Working From Home" Cartoon (Day 40)

 Day 40's sketch may be fun for you if you work from home...

More tomorrow.

Day 39: Polar Bears and Northern Lights Cartoon

 This seemed appropriate as the nights have started drawing in and the clocks have just turned back...

Day 38: Inspiring Stuff?

 

Today, I was simply playing around with getting wax to resist watercolour. Some days, you just need to moodle along, and this was one of them. Then this thought occurred to me..Maybe it resonates with you, or someone you know.

And in any case, there'll be more tomorrow.

Halloween Ghost Gif (Day 37)

 Hello again.

Day 37's offering is in preparation for Halloween next week...a friendly ghost who goes "Boo".

If you want to download and share this image in social media posts, texts or emails (keeping the watermark), please do. The download link is: https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tpQWTKNTNKY/X5L04YPqfUI/AAAAAAAAGcY/AAh19q68NgsjDSGhM4VLh6_ISkjcfli-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/boo-halloween-ghost.gif

It inserts into these places just like a still image.

Anyway, hope this is fun, and finds you well.

More tomorrow.

Day 36: "Good Spirits" Cartoon

 If you think this cartoon is about you, then please know that it's been inspired by three separate conversations I've had with different people within the last week...

More tomorrow.

Day 35: How to Turn Around a WaterColour/Watercolor Disaster...

 So, for Day 35 of my (increasingly crazy-feeling) hundred days, there's this watermelon pattern.

But it wasn't always that way. And as I promised you honesty about how these drawings come about (and generally!) then you deserve the full story.

It started promisingly, with the "TheyDrawandCook" (a drool-worthy site, by the way) Inktober day 21 prompt of "fruit bowl" and my delicious morning fruit, the relevant portion of which looked something like this...

But which I, for reasons known and unknown (including not yet enjoying drawing porcelain) managed to turn into this disaster... 

What to do? Time was a-ticking, Day 35 was advancing *and* there were other things to do too.

Looking at it, I decided I did like the spoon, one of the blueberries, and the watermelon. 

Sadly, the spoon was fairly unextractable. But not the watermelon and the blueberries.

So they ladies and gentlemen, were the elements I extracted in Photoshop, and made into a pattern with trusty old Patternshop.

So, there are probably two takeaways here (No, not the fruit. I ate that, and it was yummy :-).

None of us should assume that the polished perfection you normally see on social media didn't have a weird, messy and very human beginning.

And secondly, if you produce something you're not happy with it, look at it again a few minutes or hours later. Then focus on anything you*do* like about it, and just have fun making something new out of that.

Because after all, isn't "fun" part of the reason why any of us every create anything anyway?

More tomorrow.

Day 34: Does Anyone Know What These Are Called, Please?

Must confess that I don't even know the correct name for the bush upon which this today's sketch is based.

The entire bush was about 4 feet high  and three feet wide in total, with every set of leaves looking something like this sketch (growing in a sheltered section of a park, near a lake, in mid October in London, UK, if that helps).

If you happen to know the name of this (very pretty, and probably very common...) bush, please do let me know, perhaps over on the Facebook Page. Many thanks!

(Sketch in Mozart Komorebi watercolours, and Faber Castell Ecco pen).

Newcomers...Please Start Here.

 

To everyone who's a newcomer to BoundingSquirrel, welcome, and thank you. There's now a starting point for new visitors, which you can visit by clicking or tapping here.

And for those who've been here a while, yes, this is Day 33 of the "Sketch a Day" challenge.

More tomorrow :-).

Belated Birthday Snail Animated Gif (Day 32)

 

As you can probably guess, today's animated gif came about simply because I needed this to send to the unfortunate friend in question. (you know who you are, and again, am very sorry).

If you find yourself needing a belated birthday gif in a hurry, please feel free to use this one.

And now, huge fun though these gifs have been, I think by tomorrow it'll be time for something more traditional again.

Watch this space. 

More tomorrow.

Free Candle Animated Gif (Day 31)

 Today's sketch is a candle animated gifs (again in Krita, which makes animating digital art easier than I could have imagined).

If you know anyone who could do with a candle, hope, or similar, please pass this on.

More tomorrow.

Christmas Berries: New Collection and Free Printable Background (Day 30)

 Hello again, and hope that life is treating you well wherever it finds you.

It's Day 30 of my crazy challenge, and today, I have the story of a pattern, a new collection and a free background for you.

The story starts a few days ago, when The Computer Man prised me away from the desk and we spotted these rather lovely berries...(This is part of one of his photos, so many thanks there too).

The berries burned their way into my brain in the best possible way, and I eventually drew them as the feature motif in what is (I think) my first Christmas pattern of the year...

Lovely things with this pattern on are available in my Redbubble shop here...

and on fabric here.

And now, as promised, for that free Christmas berry printable. As usual, you can use it in line with my "Angel Policy", and just right click or tap to save.

If you like this, please do feel free to share it via the grey buttons at the bottom of the post.

That's all for today.

More tomorrow...

"Bee Happy" Animated Gif-Day 29's Sketch

 

This "Bee Happy" animated gif (in Krita) does what it says on the tin. If I weren't doing a daily challenge, would probably play around with this rather more before posting. As it is-enjoy!

More tomorrow...

Day 28 Sketch: Cherry Cupcake in Line and Wash

 Today's sketch turned out to be just a simple cherry cupcake in traditional line and wash watercolour. 

This time, I meant to see if a drawing on paper that was scanned into the PC would turn into an animated gif as easily as does digital art.

But this little image was having none of it. You live and learn :-)

More tomorrow.

Woodpecker Animated Gif (Day 27)

 

Day 27 has seen me have another go at an animated gif. This time it's a woodpecker, which was the prompt from @theydrawandgarden on Instagram for October 13th 2020.

He's drawn in Krita, with more digital penwork than normal, to get the clarity of all those lovely markings.

Now I just have to see if this will share to places outside the blog this time. Wish me luck!

More tomorrow.

Day 26: Happy Autumn Animated Gif

 

Today's sketches are still sketches, but went into this this tiny "Happy Autumn" animated gif, made in Krita.

More drawings (of some kind...who knows what?) tomorrow.

Cute Macaroons in Repeat (Day 25 is a Pattern)

Hope you've enjoyed your weekend, if you're reading this when it's posted.

Remember those macaroons from the other day? Well as day 25 was a sunny day in October (I live in London, remember :-)), going out to walk and take photos of beautiful autumnal things took precedence today.

But, the challenge goes on, so... to create a new design today, I added macaroons in extra colours and put them into a repeating pattern.

That looks great on this appropriately baking-related apron...

And on mugs...

and also completely outside the realm of food and drink, on this scarf...

and on lots of other items too, available in my Redbubble shop.

More tomorrow!

Day 24's Sketch: Work-in Progress "Punny Dog" Number 2-"Border Collie.."

 

This is work in progress-it still doesn't look in the least like it does in my head (!). But in the interests of keeping up with the challenge, am posting the concept of this now, to polish later.

Hope you're having a great weekend. 

Funny Relaxation Cartoon: Day 23's Sketch Actually Happened to Me...

 

Hope this raises a smile for you. A version of this actually happened to me, when I was too stressed with juggling projects to sit down and watch a programmer on mindfulness :-). So it is and was too good a cartooning opportunity to miss.

Take care-more tomorrow.

Pelargoniums (A Wet-Into-Wet Experiment for Day 22)

 

These pelargoniums are a mile stone for me. Have never "let go" and intentionally done "wet into wet ," watecolour happen after the penwork is done.

 (Translation if you're not arty: I've always been very controlled, painting on dry paper, and have only today intentionally changed that, just wetting areas of the paper, adding spots of colour, and letting them flow where they will).

At the moment it's "work in progress" because am not sure whether it'll end up as a pattern, a card, or something else. 

Let's see where this goes...

More tomorrow.

PS. Unusually, this developed into a pattern pretty quickly. Will let you know if/when it finds its way onto items etc.

Free Cookie Clip Art/Macaroon Illustration (Day 21)

 For Day 21, I needed a cookie graphic to make the privacy page look a bit brighter.

So this is a quick pen and wash sketch, which I'm offering free as web clip art.

If you would like to use it on your website too, just right-click or tap and save. (Please also link to https://www.boundingsquirrel.com as attribution too, if possible). Many thanks!

More tomorrow.

Daily Sketch Day 20⁠ ⁠: Love me, Love my Houseplants

Day 20's sketch is "Love me. Love my houseplants," which is destined for T-shirts and the like.

 It's also something I actually said to my husband the other day. (And was rather unfair considering that it's him and his long arms that do a lot of our watering).

Anyway, hope this is fun for you, and more tomorrow.

Day 19: Gingerbread Christmas Food Illustration

 

With apologies once more to those people who may feel that it's waaaay too early to be posting a Christmas food illustration...Believe it or not, I'm actually late for this year with this, and need to work on it now.

And The Computer Man just took a look and declared himself to be feeling hungry after looking at them. Which is good enough for me if I'm ever to get this finished and onto a place where you'll actually see it.

Hope life is treating you well.

More tomorrow.

Day 18: A Silly, But Irresistible Dog Pun

 As you'll already know if you've read many other posts  here, I love to pun when writing.

Then I realised had never really carried this over to illustrations.

Which somehow  combined with the idea of *finally* "working in a series" in a proper *arty* way as is advised by loftier types than me (that idea was cute dog drawings, since you ask).

And this was the result.

Hope it brings some joy. 

More tomorrow.

Day 17 Sketch: Fern in Pen and Watercolour

 

This fern is my Day 15 sketch, and also day three of the Inktober challenge, via the challenge list given by "They Draw and Garden" on Instagram.

Luckily for inner-London living me, it doesn't mean I have to garden, but just produce nature art :-).

More tomorrow.

PS If anyone hs any tips on how to make my photos and scanning look anything like as good as they seem in the actual sketchbook, please let me know. Thanks!

Day 16: The Finished Fish Pattern

 Hello again. Remember those fish motifs from yesterday? (And my commitment last week to show you how long things really take?). Well, both of those things combined mean that Day 16 involved me simply making and finishing the fish pattern, including-eventually, finding just the right background colour.

As you might expect for a fishy pattern, it looks great on a shower curtain..

But it also makes a fun and whimsical floor cushion, 

and very cute on pouches (in various sizes-great by themselves or to act as a "wrapper" for other gifts).

Have fun with this-the full selection of items bearing this design is here.

More tomorrow.

Day 15: Fish Motifs and the Start of Inktober

 

Day 15 involves more fish, but this time co-ordinating themselves a bit better, colour-wise, and hopefully looking more goldfish and koi-carpish, for an upcoimg pattern.

In case you're thinking there's something really fishy going on here (yeah, pause to groan, that's fair :-) ), I'd been thinking about a fish pattern for a while, but was spurred into action by it being, not just Day 15 of my own minnow-like daily sketch challenge (OK, time to call the pun police...) but day one of the huge online art challenge that is Inktober. And Day One's prompt for that challenge is/was "fish".

And if you're thinking, "Isn't there some controversy around Inktober this year?", yes, you're right, But as I don't know the ins and outs of it and only want to enjoy pen and wash as normal, my thinking this year is simply to enjoy it, and to take advantage of the very many prompt lists for the event as and when they sound fun, as a way of being able to travel alongside more artists and designers, and so make my own 100-day daily challenge feel less daunting.

(And yes, for the purists, I know that some people tut at the idea of adding colour to an Inktober sketch. But art without colour? I won't say it *never* happens here, but it's rare).

Does all that make sense? I hope so. In any event, watch out for these fishy folk on a pattern near you soon.

More tomorrow.