Monday, October 31, 2022

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! 

Sunday, October 30, 2022

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! 

 





40 Days of 40K - Noise Marines

 I've been less committed to this challenge the last few days, but I wasn't going to miss doing a NOISE MARINE!!

J'Frer of the Soroibus Tortus Noise Marine band

Another illustration based on a miniature of my own... 

Soroibus Tortus - from left to right; J'Frer, Marcus, D'Snydr, Ajax, and Fingur. They are part of a small detachment of Emperor's Choldren led by Deamon Prince Garfongdong. 

Saturday, October 29, 2022

Friday, October 28, 2022

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. 

40(+) Days of 40K - sort of...

 I needed to do something different, so I started on this last night. All the drawings for these challenges I've been working on have been in these little 8"x8" watercolur sketchbooks, which are fun... but I don't LOVE working that small.. and I needed to do something different. 

I prepared a handful of watercolour sheets, taping them down to boards a few weeks (months!?) back, so they'd be ready for any moment I felt the urge to use them... 

That urge struck last night while watching RuPaul's Drag Race with Amanda. 

Still 40K inspired, but not really following any of the prompts from the 40 Days of 40K Challenge. I'm not even sure what I was thinking...? Is this a ganger in the underhive? Is it a member of a Rogue Trader's crew preparing for boarding action?! I don't know. Just a dude with a bolter and a chainsword (and his faithful servo skull companion) ready for action. 

Watch the Corners - 28x35.5cm (11x14) - Ink on Paper 


Thursday, October 27, 2022

40 Days of 40K - Dreadnought

 Day 27 - Dreadnought

Hey, anybody else remember when Wraithlords were just called "Eldar Dreadnoughts"...? I do.. so that's the Dreadnought you're gettin gfrom me today!

Wraithlord Melynaearian

(Again, based on one of my own minis!)


Critters on Bicycles - Michelle the Ladybug

 

Michelle the ladybug rides and draws.

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

40 Days of 40K - Grey Knight

 #22 - Grey Knight

Brother Patrick - Grey Knight Purgator with Psilencer.

Based on this miniature from my own small force of Grey Knights. 

40 Days of 40K - Crisis Suit

 #23 - Crisis Suit

Getting a little out of order, as I haven't quite finished #22 - Grey Knights. Perhaps later today. Tomorrow, I might jump ahead to #27 - just so the days match up with the prompt number, and just catch up with 24-26 when I can... 

T'au Crisis Suit.

I was originally going to do a Crisis Suit when the T'au prompt came up a week or so ago, but then looked ahead and realized it showed up as a prompt of its own. 

Critters on Bicycles - Kevin the Frog

 

Kevin the Frog on a Jamis mountain bike.

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

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

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

40 Days of 40K - Terminator

 

The prompt was just "Terminator", so I chose to do a CHAOS Terminator of the Emperor's Children chapter. 

I forgot to add a few more spikes... 


49 Days of 40K - Kroot

This would be half way... but there are 50 pages in the sketchbook I've been doing them in, so... I've added 10 more to my list. You can see the full list in the pages, here:

40 Days of 40K Challenge 

For today, though... 

Kroot! Xenos Mercenaries often found in the employ of the T'au. 


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! 

Monday, October 24, 2022

40 Days of 40K - Chaos Cultist

 Day19 - Chaos Cultist 

This particular cultist is a devotee of Slaanesh, the dark god of excess and indulgence. 

Next up should be today's Critters on Bicycles, followed by a couple more 40 Days of 40K - Kroot and Terminator. 

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! 

Sunday, October 23, 2022

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.

40 Days of 40K - Krieg

Day 18 - Death Korps of Krieg

Death Korps of Krieg Trooper



40Days of 40K - Custodes

Day 17 - Custodes

Not going to lie, I kind of prefer the old school, Rogue Trader era Adeptus Custodes.

You know, the ones that guarded the Emperor on his Golden Throne and never, EVER LEFT HOLY TERRA and stalked around the throne room in leather pants, black capes, bare chests, and conical helmets, like some weird BDSM enthusiasts with an Eldar kink…?

Does he look a little like he’s LARPing 300 (the movie)...?

40 Days of 40K - Grot

 Day 16(-ish)...?

Grot Tank Commander 

Saturday, October 22, 2022

Critters on Bicycles - Shawn the Frog

 

Shawn the frog on a Penny-Farthing

Disruptions

 There have been some disruptions to my process this weekend... 

Amanda has been doing some online kids yoga teacher training this weekend. It started Friday morning and goes until Sunday evening. While doing this she is obbupying the space that I normally use to make and post art. 

I do have a secondary space that I often sit in that I sit in, sometimes (where I drew the picture above from) but it is in plain veiw of the computers camera, so I feel a little awkward about sitting there drawing and painting in the background... 

Still working on stuff... just a bit slower... and not getting to post it here as quickly. 

Thursday, October 20, 2022

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

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. 

40 Days of 40K - Votann Warrior

 Day 15 - Votann Warrior

The Votann - the name for the SPACE DWARVES newly re-introduced to the universe of Warhammer 40,000 (previously called "Squats"). This drawing is based more on one of the older Squats I had back in the day, rocking a giant plasma gun that was almost as big as he was... 

40 Days of 40K - Harlequin

 Day 14 - Harlequin

Harlequin Death Jester

The Harlequins are some of the oldest Warhammer 40,000 miniatures I still have with their original paint job. Purchased and painted in the late 80s, they've been rebased a few times, but were well painted enough that I just can't strip and repaint them - as I've done with most of the other miniatures I still own from that era! 

40K - Harlequins - on Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog

I seem to be doing these a bit faster than just ONE per day. If I managed two per day, I could be caught up by Sunday... 

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Critters on Bicycles - Chris & Jenn the American Bison

Jenn suggested "Bison on a tandem bike wearing flannel hunting gear." I kind of assumed the other bison would be her partner Chris... But maybe the two bison were meant to be her... or... her and someone else. I apologize if I am super wrong about this... in my defence, I DID say to provide as many details as possible, as I'll just have to make shit up to fill any gaps... 

I tried doing this as a two page spread. Indeed, this one picture is one of the main reasons I picked THIS sketchbook over the other options

Chris the American Bison as a stoker on a tandem

Jenn the American Bison as the captain on a tandem.


Monday, October 17, 2022

40 Days of 40K - Chaos Daemon

 Day 13. 

Daemonette of Slaanesh

40 Days of 40K - Necron

 Day 12

Necron Deathmark. 

Critters on Bicycles - Mark the Whippet

 

Mark the Whippet rocking an old pink Bianchi road bike! 

True Story; it actually used to be my pink Bianchi, but I have too damned many bikes and I'm starting to try and get rid of a few, so I traded it away to him for a few of his graphic novels. It's a lovely bike. I'm so thrilled to see SOMEONE out enjoying it as much as I did, back in the day!

Critters on Bicycles - Bruce the Platypus

 Holy Carp! I entirely forgot to post this as well!? 

Bruce the Platypus rides his Tricycle. 

Not, technically, a BIcycle, but I let it slide... 

Initially, he requested the platypus be riding a "four-wheeled tricycle"...? I just... I just don't even... 

Critters on Bicycles - Nicole the Giraffe

 Whoopsie... kind of forgot to post these ones over the weekend... 

Nicole the Giraffe rides her old blue bike. 

Critters on Bicycles - Ben the Spider

Catching up with yesterday's

Ben the Spider rides a unicycle!

Sunday, October 16, 2022

Saturday, October 15, 2022

40 Days of 40K - Adepta Sororitas

Day TEN!

A Battle Sister of the Adepta Sororitas

Yikes! Might have gone a little overboard on the shading... moving on though.

Next up - Genestealer Cultist! 

Friday, October 14, 2022

40 Days of 40K - Adeptus Mechanicus

Day 9

Adeptus Mechanicus - Sicarian Ruststalker Princeps 

40 Days of 40K - T'au

 Day 8 (-ish?)

T'au Pathfinder