Monday 26 September 2022

Free October Pumpkin Illustration, And Some News...

October in pen and wash with the second O being a large orange pumpkin and the border one of rectangular autumnal leaves and berries, all set against a pale creamy yellow wash background, dotted with small gold gel pen polka dots.
Click, tap or right-click here to download this illustration

Hello there

Yes, it's early in the week again, but thought you would appreciate having chance to see (and download, if you'd like), the free illustration for October.


About this image: The end of a series

The original image was a sketch in Inktense paint pans and pen, (finished with gold gel pen dots) which I then scanned into the computer, and boosted a little in Photoshop, so that it got back to its pre-scanning brightness.


More importantly though, image is a landmark in that it's also the end of a series. Over the last year or so, I have created at least one free illustration for each of the months (sometimes more than one) and also for other events,  most recently, the Equinox.


With this October drawing, this "seasonal," set of illustrations feels complete, at least for now. The free seasonal illustrations will all stay here as long as the blog does. I have no plans to move them, and you're absolutely welcome to use them (as set out in my angel policy) for as long as I can foresee when writing this.


What's next?

Moving forward, am feeling a real pull to take this blog back to its roots. I used to post simply whenever there was something I really wanted to share with you (which often meant that I posted more than I do now, rather than less). I really want to go back to posting in this way, rather than on a schedule, that can end up feeling a bit forced for all of us.

I also used to post art (like the pic below) related to my participating in online challenges, and I may do that again too.

Hand lettered black Yay has hearts along each black line, on a vibrant, rainbow-airbrushed background.
"Yay!" One of my "Art Every Day Month"
images from November 2019




Honestly, it isn't all worked out yet...I just know I need to go back to the simplicity and joy of sharing work I enjoyed, along with the story of how it came be, and where it has ended up (be that a commercial design, or someone else simply enjoying it in their hands, or showing of what they've made based upon my design).

In this digital art piece, it is evening/nighttime, and a woman in white bridge, looking at a man with a lantern in a  rowing boat below her.
One of my first pieces of digital art,
from exactly 10 years ago-along with its story, here.



Honestly, there may also be more "how to", posts, because if I can learn to do this, really *anyone* who feels they really want to, can do it too, and I'd love more people to be able to experience the kind of joy that the last 10 years or so of art have brought me, for themselves.

There are also likely to be more (fun!) experiments as I love to share and try new things, and it keeps the energy high. Am thinking of things like this quiz, for instance...



Four bright feathers-each drawn in a different way. They link to a quiz...
Click here for the quiz...




What will the blog be like now?

Blogs at their best always feel to me like a cosy place in which stories like this can be shared, much more easily  than they can on other social media. (Which, I have to be honest, am using less and less. Please sign up here so that you always get to hear about my blog posts, if you currently follow me mostly on other social media).

So it feels as if  what's coming is that this can be a space of joy for all of us, rather than posting-or-reading-just-because-it's-Friday.


Will there still be freebies?

One thing you can be pretty confident about is that there will still be freebies. I've offered them whenever I can for the entire ten-years-plus of this blog, and I can't see that changing.


Most of all though...

Thank you *so much* for being here, for reading down this far, and for sticking around. It means a lot.

Watch out for new beginnings...soon...