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! 

 

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. 

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. 

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.

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... 

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

Day Thirty-One

And here we are at Day Thirty-One… 

I did drawings ALMOST half the days… almost… 

(Actually I DID manage to do some drawing EVERY DAY… I just didn’t do things I felt like sharing every day - a lot were preliminary/practice drawings for the ones that I DID post) 

My friend Shawn in Portland organizes this 3-Speed Challenge every October. I mean, it's a whole THING - registration fees, you get an official log book and patches and stickers and stuff... Loots like a lot of fun. I do make a point to ride the Brompton at least once every October (the only bike have with just three speeds), but I just don't ride it enough to participate in the challenge.

Day Thirty

I'd originally planned something else for today, but then noticed the Art Placement Challenge prompt was "Automatic" and the Inktober prompt was "Slither" and I immediately thought of a snake on an e-bike... so... 

Snake on an E-Bike

Dispensed with worrying about backgrounds today - and probably tomorrow... just to get SOMETHING done! 

Day Twenty-Nine

 

Day Twenty-Seven

I've missed a few days...

Like, MORE than a few days...

Trying really hard to stay motivated and not let the ALL OR NOTHING well-I-missed-one-day-so-I-won't-have-completed-the-challenge-so-no-point-in-continuing thinking...

The above illustration is actualy just one in a series of a number of practice pieces for a friend.

These are some of the others. 

Not sold on that background. I kind of want to do a more "urban" background... buildings and people... but that feels like it might be a bit busy...

...AND a lot of work!? 

Day Twenty-Four

 

The prompt for the Art Placement Drawing challenge was "Messy" and the prompt for Inktober was  "Extinct", so....  

Day Thirteen

 Wait... Thirteen!? But... it's the 22nd!? 

Yeah, I'm backing up a bit and veering away from the critters on bikes theme this morning… the prompt for Day 13 on the Art Placement Drawing Challenge was Fish Club and, having watched a lot of Bojack Horseman lately, THIS is IMMEDIATELY what came to mind and I knew I had to do it… well, I didn’t QUITE get to doing it in time for the 13th… but here it is, a week late… like everything in Saskatchewan these days… 

Day Eighteen

 

Bikepackers at Sunset. 

Really, they should have stopped long before sunset and set up camp... Maybe they're on a epic Enduro race and trying to get just a few more kilometres in before a couple hours of sleep...?

The prompt, for the 18th, (on the Art Placement drawing challenge list) was Contre-Jour. 

Day Fifteen

Wolfie McWolfson setting up for a wicked tailwhip.

Day Fourteen

I'm back! 

“My bikes okay… Oh, nah, it’s just a scratch…”

Years ago I worked in a bike store. After a weekend race a young woman brought in her bike to be looked at as she’d had quite the crash. The bike was totally fine. She had road rash all down one side of her body. I jokingly wondered aloud if she’d purposely fallen in such a way as to take the worst of it to protect her bike and, without missing a beat she said: “Skin gowns back, paint jobs don’t… “

I wasn’t trying to draw her or her bike here. (She was a human, for one thing, not a cat!) I just remembered the incident WHILE drawing this!