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.

Painted Black Cat Coffee Mug by BoundingSquirrel
Look at more Black Mugs at zazzle

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

 

Which works out well for items like cards...

Happy Halloween Black Cat Cards by BoundingSquirrel
Shop for a different greeting card template online at zazzle

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 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.

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!

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!

Christmas in July and August...

I'm up to my old seasonally-inappropriate tricks again. Yes, in the warm and welcome heat of this July (and now August) in London,  I've given in to the gentle nags in Zazzle's newsletter...and have been producing Christmas designs!

Digital watercolour and glitter "Merry Christmas," bauble and fir branch (painted in Artrage 4)

So, I thought I'd post them as some work-in-process (not all are finished or uploaded yet).

All were made in Artrage 4 first.

This "Noel" repeating pattern started in ArtRage 4.

I used the "stencil" tool to create a "Noel" in "Brock Script" font, and then added red digital glitter to one of them. (I'm still getting over how wonderful even the idea of mess-free digital glitter can be).

Then, in Patternshop, having rotated the images, I first of all thought the glitter edges looked too messy. So I got rid of them. And then, they looked too "neat".

So the glitter edges, that make it look that bit more hand-printed have stayed in this version of the pattern...so far. (Update: This design will stay as it is. It was my first Christmas 2014 sale on Zazzle-in August :-) Many thanks to the buyer!)


Portable mistletoe

At the moment, the idea I've had most fun with is portable mistletoe. By adding a watercolour sprig of it to various items, there'll always be mistletoe around when you need it this Christmas, on designs like this one...

"Kiss Me, It's Christmas" Mistletoe Tees by BoundingSquirrel
Find other Christmas T-Shirts at zazzle.com

Don't know about you, but that's enough Christmassy stuff for now. I'm off to enjoy some sunshine! 

Digital Painting Process Overview *Video*: Clematis

Time for something a bit different today. Quite a few people have asked me what digital painting is about, or how they might begin it.

In an attempt to start answering these questions, I've made a process video (a new, new, and slightly scary idea for me!) of the latest digital painting.

Please bear in mind that this is a "1000ft overview", and that if you like and ask for more of this kind of thing, I can go into more detail in other videos.
Also please bear in mind, this is meant for people who haven't encountered digital painting before.


And with all that said, I present...the video. Enjoy!

 
PS. You can find the necklace highlighted in the video here.