Critters on Bicycles - Amanda Rides her Kona Coco

 Back to doing these for an October Challenge... I guess...?

Amanda Rides her Kona Coco. 

Critters on Bicycles - Shannon Again

Our friend Shannon had a house-warming party earlier this year, to which I was invited... and... I missed it... 

Then she had a birthday party... and, again... I missed it... 

Both times I'd meant to have this finished to bring as a gift.... and... didn't... 

(that might have been a small part of the reason I didn't go to either... but mostly I just can't stand gatherings....). 

It is finished now... 

Shannon the Hedgehog rides her vintage cruiser bike named "Geraldine".

I drew Shannon last year in the 2022 Critters on Bicycles Challenge Sketchbook:

Critters on Bicycles - Shannon the Hedgehog

I'll be seeing her tomorrow, so I won't be posting this on Instagram until after that... because... SURPRISE... but I'm relatively certain she does NOT follow this blog... so... 

Kind of dropped the ball with getting going on any of these drawing challenges for October... Kind of thought I'd do some MORE Critters on bicycles - to finish filling that sketchbook, as I... didn't get around to doing that... yet... 

There are 20 pages left in that sketchbook... There are a few left in the 40/50 days of 40K Challenge Sketchbook as well, which I also was working on last October... maybe I could finish that one up too (There are 11 to do to finish the initial 40... but there are 10 extra pages in the book that I's planned to do another 10 characters on!)... 

We shall see.  

Critters on Bicycles - Edie Rides a Mountain Bike

ANOTHER Critter on a bike! 

I haven't done one of these for a while! I did this one as a surprise for a friend who... well... hasn't been having a great time. Was in hospital most of the summer... then back in last week for some surgery... 

Edie the Red Boston Terrier Rides a Mountain Bike

(Edie is her dog: Edie the Boston on Instagram) 

It's been a slow year, art-wise... Hoping things will pick up in teh next few months. Maybe I need to get in on one of those October drawing challenges to kickstart things... I still have space in the Critters on Bicycles sketchbook that I started LAST October?! Maybe I just need to finish filling THAT up... 

Critters on Bicycles - Aubrie and Tyler Race Cyclocross

 It's been a long time since I rode cyclocross. I kind of miss it. Sometimes. 

It's definitely been too long since I worked on any of these Critters on Bicycles! I definitely miss these. Feeling a little out of practice, but hopefully I can keep the momentum going and finish up the book - 19 pages to go!

Aubrie

Tyler

This was done as a two-page spread in the Critters on Bicycles Sketchbook. 

Still chugging along... well past October... 

Critters on Bicycles - Shawn the Great Horned Owl

Holy Mackerel… has it been almost two months since I did one of these!? 

Well I’m back at it and today I bring you Shawn the Great Horned Owl and his three speed Raleigh. 

Unlike most I’ve done as part of this project, Shawn didn’t make this request, but I simply couldn’t fill a sketchbook full of friends (and followers) as critters and their bicycles and NOT include such an inspiring bicycling artist as Shawn!? 

Find out more about Shawn over the the Urban Adventure League! 

(or on instagram at @urbanadventureleaguepdx)

Critters on Bikes - Tyrannosaurus on a Fat Bike

 Wasn't going to let DINOVEMBER slide on by without drawing ONE dinosaur on a bicycle...

Tyrannosaurus on a Fat Bike - 35cmx28cm (14"x11") - ink on paper

Critters on Bikes - Tim the Turtle Races Cyclocross

 True story - I used to race cyclocross... 

Well... 

It wasn't so much "race" as it was "show up at races and ride around the course being passed by everyone"... 

but, y'know, it was a thing I did... 

Tim the Turtle Races Cylclocross

Critters on Bicycles - Cory the Peregrin Falcon

 

Cory the Peregrin Falcon on his old purple Concorde mountain bike. 

Oh, how I coveted that purple mountain bike. 

Now I have my own purple mountain bike (the PURPLE SURLY KARATE MONKEY!). When I look at my own, I think of that old purple Concorde. I think less about how I coveted that bike, however, and more about how I miss riding places with Cory. 

And that is 31 critters on bicycle drawings in 31 days. This is probably the most productive/successful Inktober/October-Drawing-Challenge EVER, for me. Not only did I do a critter on a bicycle each day, MOST days I did one or two ADDITIONAL drawings (mostly for the 40 Days of 40K challenge)!? It was a bit nuts. But it was kind of awesome. 

I’m not done thought. There are 60 pages in the sketchbook I’m doing these in, so, I was going to try and just keep going with a drawing in each every day until the end of November to fill up BOTH books (Critters on Bicycles AND 40+ Days of 40K)… But I think that might be a bit much. I do want to keep this momentum going, however, so I will try to do a drawing in ONE of the sketchbooks each day, which means I would finish up around the end of December. 

Of course, I also have some other things I’ve been wanting to work on… so I’ll be doing that as well… 

Maybe it will be the end of January that I finish both books…? 

It’s only just occurred to me NOW, as I’m finishing the 31st drawing, that what I COULD have done to FILL the sketchbook, in one month, was to use only one side of each page - and on the opposing page written something - about the person and/or critter and/or bike… ugh… Maybe NEXT year I’ll remember to do this! 

Critters on Bicycles - Gerald the Old Grey Squirrel

Gerald the Old Grey Squirrel rocks his Echo trials bike. 

I did another picture of Gerald bake in June... but apparently didn't post it on this blog!? You can see it here on instagram - different bike, tho. Gerald contacted me just a week or so ago with his suggestion. If he hadn't, I was going to do another one of him on his bmx anyway... Just because he's such an inspiring dude! 

 

Critters on Bicycles - Susan the Raccoon

 

Susan the Raccoon rides her red Trek mountain bike! 

Critters on Bicycles - Mothra the Ruby Throated Hummingbirb

 

Mothra the Ruby Throated Hummingbirb rides a penny-farthing. 

Honestly, I had no idea I had so many friends that owned or wanted to ride a penny-farthing. This is only the second one I've drawn, but a few of the others that fired off a dozen suggestions (instead of, y'know, reading the instructions) almost universally included a penny-farthing among their list... 

I can't believe this month is almost over, and I've drawn a Critter on a Bicycle EVERY DAY, ALL MONTH!? And, on top of that, almost every day I ALSO drew a picture for the 40 Days of 40K Challenge!? This has definitely been the most productive october-art-challenge-month ever. 

I had planned on continuing doing one every day until I finished the sketchbook - which has 60 pages (30 sheets, two sides). That would have carried me all to nearly the end of November... but I think I'm going to power through to the end of the month and then do a few more (finishing up the suggestions I have so far) and then lay off for a bit and do some other stuff. 

I would like to finish off the sketchbook - filling it with Critters on Bicycles - maybe by the end of the year... but that might be a bit ambitious, if I'm not doing them as regularly. 

We shall see. 

Critters on Bicycles - Michelle the Ladybug

 

Michelle the ladybug rides and draws.

Critters on Bicycles - Kevin the Frog

 

Kevin the Frog on a Jamis mountain bike.

Kind of rushed on this one and smudged things... 

Critters on Bicycles - Katherine the Cat

 Another bicycle that was so big, it needed a two page spread! 

Katherine the Cat hauls her kitties around in a Babboe City cargo bike!

Katherine

Kitties

Critters on Bicycles - Jonathan the Mountain Goat

Another suggestion from blogger I follow!

Posting this a little late as I didn't get it done until late... 

Jonathan the Mountain Goat rides his Specialized Roubaix road bike all around the Palouse. 

Because Jonathan had inquired about how long these take... I though I'd try and remember to take a few process shots... 

Usually I do a few quick simple sketches - to get the body position and bike sorted out in my head, and maybe a sketch of the animal or at least the animal's head on it's own to nail down the key features that will make it read as that particular animal. At this point I've been drawing critters on bikes for 24 days straight and I was feeling pretty confident that I had the idea in my head, so I went straight to pencilling in the Critters on Bicycles 2022 Sketchbook! and I got the bike position wrong and the horns were veering off the page, so I erased it ALL and started over again. 

Once the pencilling is all in, I do a quick sketch outline of everything with a very fine rapidograph pen (3x0/.25mm). I also added in a background for this one. 

I don't always do this... but I through it would be much easier to do the background as mostly washes, and do them first, so I painted in some blocking fluid on the foreground stuff, so I could wash right over it and everything I wanted for the foreground would stay fresh and white.  

I know some people just do pencils and then just colour from there... but my pencils tend to be VERY MESSY - they would definitely show through colour and I'd have a hard time remembering WHICH pencil line to follow... so I do this quick fine "best fit" line and erase all those messy, messy scratches all over the page. 

Then I worked on some of the 40K Challenge pictures while that all dried. I came back to these a few times while waiting for stuff to dry on the Mountain Goat. 

Blocking fluid thoroughly dry, I washed in a few colours that weren't touching each other, then waited for them to dry... 

Background done, I peeled off the blocking fluid. 

Next I would start in on the foreground colours, and then finally do the black outlines again. I meant to take a picture of the foreground colours being done before the black outlines are inked back in... but I forgot. Only as I got to this point I thought, I should look at a clock and see how long this takes. From starting in on foreground colours and final outline inking, took me about 2 hours.... Then there was taking pictures, editing, typing all this... 

Onto TODAY's drawing! 

Fitz the Otter on a Downhill Mountain Bike

Fitz-Badger, a blogger that I follow, suggested an "Otter on an agile off-road bike". 

I figured that DH bikes have to be pretty agile to race over wildly uneven ground at insane speeds... 

The suggestion also reminded me of Oscar the Otter - from a children's book that I read with my kids, many, MANY times who was very interested in sliding down hills... So, if an otter were to ride a mountain bike, it would make sense that it would be riding a downhill bike. 

Fitz the Otter on a Downhill Mountain Bike! 

Critters on Bikes - Kathy the Rabbit

 A fellow Saskatoon artist I follow on Instagram suggested she might be a rabbit! 

Kathy the rabbit riding her blue three-speed.

Critters on Bicycles - Shawn the Frog

 

Shawn the frog on a Penny-Farthing

Critters on Bicycles - Barb the Barn Owl

Day 20

Barb the Barn Owl on a blue cruiser. 

Critters on Bicycles - Jason the American Red Squirrel

 Day 19... over half way... almost two-thirds... of the FIRST 30... 

(the sketchbook has 60 pages, so I figure I'll just keep going into November!) 

Jason the American Red Squirrel on a black Felt mountain bike.