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Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

Animal Oddity – Cardinal Duality

Free Spirit Meg

I am always on the look out for the newest biological discovery. I love cryptozoology and I find it fascinating when scientists discover things about animals and nature that seemed improbable or maybe even impossible. The weird, the strange, the oddities of nature. Long story short, I came across an article that inspired my latest piece.

The article was explaining the rare occurence of a hermaphrodite cardinal. Half of the bird is female and the other half is male. When this occurs it is called a bilateral gynandromorph. Gynandromorph comes from the greek words “gyne” (female), “andro” (male) and “morph” (form or shape). There are several species known to have hermaphrodites such as reptiles, crustaceans, and even butterflies! Scientists believe that all birds are capable of producing gynandromorph offspring but it has only been noticed in birds that vary in color between males and females, such as the cardinal.

Mostly cardinals have been spotted perfectly split down the middle with a vibrant red on one side and a calm yellow on the other. When I saw the image of one, taken by a Pennsylvania couple at their backyard feeder, I was amazed by the beauty of it’s plumage. I immediately added this animal oddity to my list and couldn’t wait to get started!

I have always wanted to create a piece based on duality. It was interesting to create two sides that are similar to each other but at the same time exact opposites. The female side is done with circles where as the male side I used a square pattern. The colors are also opposing yet the shadowing and vibrance is the same.

I’m very happy with how the cardinal turned out. I never intended to create as many bird drawings as I have, it just kind of happened. I just love feathers and their patterns and colors! I am naturally drawn to birds so therefore they are naturally drawn by me! See what I did there! 😉 I used Arteza water color pencils and Prismacolor art markers along with a micron pen to get the thin black lines. I can only hope that maybe one day I will see one of these beauty’s with my own two eyes!

Have you ever seen a hermaphrodite cardinal or maybe another species in the wild? The butterflies would be really cool to come across too! Share your story in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by this week! Check back soon as I will discuss the symbolism of having cardinal as a totem!

Stay vibrant, free spirits!

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I have “Cardinal Duality” prints and other cool stuff available in my shop!

Check them out here!

Animal Activism, Artist Inspiration, Free Spirit Merch, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

Help Save Australian Wildlife

Free Spirit Meg

It is devastating the harm that the recent fires in Australia have caused. The fires started in November of 2019 due to extreme drought and record breaking heat waves. Over 100 fires are still active today all around the country, causing more threat to everyone around. So far, over 7 million acres have gone up in flames and with it an estimated 500 million animals. Many organisations are working tirelessly to rescue and treat as many animals as they can.

Wildlife conservation and animal welfare are two topics I am very passionate about. It has been my dream to reach the point with my artwork that I could make a difference when help is needed. That’s why I am excited to reveal my latest piece I have been working on in honor of Australia’s wildlife.

I put a lot of heART into this piece and I am so pleased with how it turned out! It is now available in my shops at Redbubble, TeePublic and soon Society6. 50% of profits on any and all products with this design will be donated to WIRED Australian Wildlife Rescue Organisation.

Help me raise money to further protect the Australian wildlife! Animal Activism through Art! I cannot wait to start making a difference by combining my greatest passions, art and animals! Thank you for stopping by today! Please share and get the word out!

Here are some other organisations accepting donations:

Free Spirit Merch, FSM Updates

ART THIEF!! Santosa Bay on Amazon

Free Spirit Meg

🚫⛔🚫ART THIEF!!! 🚫⛔🚫 I am so mad!! Santosa Bay on Amazon has stolen my Mother Bear design and is selling it!! They have attached Free Spirit Meg and MPhoenix in the title of the product. This is NOT ME!! Please do NOT buy any work of mine from Amazon. I only sell my work on Redbubble, Society6 and Teepublic. I have sent a request to amazon to have it removed but I didn’t get any kind of time reference to when they will even be able to address the issue or contact me. I also contacted the seller telling them to remove it immediately. Is there anything else I can do?? I’m freaking out and I’m beyond furious about this. I work my ass off to create my work, pour my heart and soul into it, spend hours editing, uploading and designing these products. And people just rip it off to make a quick buck! They take advantage of small time, independent artists in hopes of not getting caught. I really hope amazon is willing to work with me on this but from research online it seems like they dont have a good procedure for this kind of thing, if any. If anyone has any tips or advice, I would appreciate it. I thought I ensured all of my work was watermarked but I will have to go back through everything and double check. Other artists, I recommend watermarking EVERYTHING and going to the shop and making sure none of your work is stolen. They have a lot of random stuff on there.
Santosa Bay -> amzn.to/35nVcuW

Free Spirit Merch, FSM Updates

Small Business Saturday

Free Spirit Meg

There are so many deals going on this weekend!! Today is also Small Business Saturday! There are many small and local businesses out there to include independent artists. It is exciting to see all these people living passionately and working for themselves, supporting each other. It’s a wonderful time to build a dream! I’m very thankful to be a part of it.

My Redbubble Shop is 25- 60% off everything! You can find art prints and home decor such as blankets, pillows, tapestries, and more! There is also a great selection in clothing in men’s, women’s and kids! There are even have socks with my art on them! Finally socks you can get for Christmas and be happy about!

  • Mother Bear

My Society6 Shop is celebrating the weekend with up to 50% everything and FREE shipping! That’s always the best! This shop has unique gifts like beach towels, yoga mats and even furniture!

  • Beach Towels!

I have also recently created an account with TeePublic! Now I can offer little trinkets such as magnets and pins! (I am secretly obsessed with pins) All my tees in this shop are currently $13 and everything else is up to 35% off! Check it out to see all the new products!

Art makes a perfect gift and I appreciate each and every supporter! Every sale helps my business and helps me grow as a true artist. It’s also my bread and butter; as it is for all the entrepreneurs trying to build a life for themselves and their family. Even if you have never purchased a product, every follow, like, share or shout out makes a big difference! In honor of our most recent holiday, I just wanted to say how thankful I am for everyone who has helped me along this journey and for everyone that continues to show their support and love by shopping small!

Thanks for stopping by today and enjoy shopping from the comfort of your own home! Check back soon as I will be starting my animal symbolism posts again! Yay!

Until next time,

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer

Events, Sketchbook

Inktober 2019 #3 – Khajiit

Free Spirit Meg

The Khajiit are a broad range of creatures that look like cats or cat humanoids. I drew this one to look like our kitten, Little Exmoor. He only had one eye and we called him pirate kitty. He was a sweet cat and we miss him a lot. I was really excited to be able to draw this piece in his memory.