• Inktober 2021 #25 – Splat

    I had a hard time thinking of something to do for this prompt but I have already skipped a couple prompts for lack of inspiration and I don’t want to skip too many. So, with that being said, this was the best I could come up with for the word splat!

    My parents property had a creek that ran right along side it. It traveled through the fields and was a pretty long stretch of water. My dad would walk down the creek and go duck hunting with one of his dogs every once and a while. One of the days, I wanted to go with him. I didn’t care much about hunting but I was always up for an adventure outdoors.

    We walked for a while and didn’t see much until finally we saw some ducks in the water. They started to fly up and my dad shot one before it could get too far. His dog retrieved it, like a good hunting dog does. My dad handed the duck to me and told me to hold it by the neck, so I did. I carried it for a few minutes like this.

    It seemed pretty large when it was up close and I held my arm out so it didn’t knock up against my body. It’s body started to sway back and forth from the weight and then before I realized what even happened, the duck’s head popped off and it’s body fell to the ground. I stopped and stood there for a second, just staring at this now severed duck head I was holding in my hand. There wasn’t a bunch of blood or anything. I don’t remember any blood at all to be honest. Just a duck head…in my hand. My dad was ahead of me and didn’t see what had happened until I finally said, “Uuuuummm, daaaaaaaaad!?” I was so shocked at that moment that I didn’t even know what to do. I wasn’t scared of it but just totally shocked by what had happened. I don’t know how else to explain it. So I just stood there, holding this head and staring at it. My dad carried the duck the rest of the way home but I don’t really remember what happened other than that. I just remember being completely paralyzed by the headless duck…or rather a bodyless duck. I also remember that I never went hunting with my dad again. 😆

    So…yea…that’s my “splat” story! Sorry, I know I have a lot of animal lovers that follow me but then again it is Halloween time, right? Just a spooky story about the headless duck…bodyless duck…something like that! 😛

    Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed my sketch. It was nice to do an animal again after drawing so many people portraits. I am not good at drawing people nor do I really enjoy it but that’s the point of Inktober right? To practice something we’re not good at so we can get better. I feel like I have improved, or at least see where I can improve. Plus, I just like having this collection of sketches that I can go back to and remember good times with my dad. …Or traumatizing times! 🤣 Sorry Mr. Duck.

    Don’t lose your heads, free spirits!

  • Inktober 2021 #22 – Open

    I instantly knew what I was going to do for the prompt Open. I have a picture on my wall in my studio of my dad and I participating in my 4-H groups Open Fun Show.

    My 4-H group put on an Open Fun Show every year. It was called an Open Show because anyone was allowed to participate, not just 4-H’ers. It was called a Fun Show because it had classes that were fun and quirky. One class you had to balance an egg on a spoon while on horseback. Another class was called Ribbon Pleasure where you had a partner that you rode your horse next to, each of you holding the end of the same ribbon. Whoever was the last duo riding without tearing or letting go of the ribbon won!

    The class that I did with my dad was called Lead Line. It was a class that got the parents involved. The kids would lead there parent atop their horse, walking, trotting, whatever the announcer said. Then half way through, they would switch places and the parents would lead the kids.

    My horse was named Phoenix. He was technically a horse but he was only one inch taller than a pony’s height. So my dude was still pretty short. Plus, he was a lazy little horse. He never wanted to do anything but graze and sleep.

    My dad was 6’2 and not a small man. Phoenix wasn’t thrilled about having to carry my dad around. I think he would have rathered my mom on board but she had recently hurt her ankle so she wouldn’t have been able to lead me around the arena, trotting along. So my dad it was, sorry Phoenix. He had this look like, Great, lucky me.

    He was a trooper and hauled my dad’s heavy ars around the arena. Luckily he only had to do a few laps around so it wasn’t long before he had me back in the saddle. He would much rather deal with a little girl than a full grown man.

    It was the only class I ever did with my dad and we took 3rd place. Good job Phoenix! I guess we got marked down because they saw Phoenix rolling his eyes. 🙄 Just kidding! 😜

    I hope you enjoyed today’s story and sketch. Check back soon for more Inktober sketches!

    Have some fun, free spirits!

  • Inktober 2021 #11 – Sour

    The eleventh prompt for Inktober is “Sour” and is probably going to be my personal favorite. Unfortunately for my dad, he was the one left sour!

    My mom, dad and I had just sat down to dinner with our own generous helpings of hot spaghetti! We were hungry and just about ready to take our first bite when we heard the ever so familiar sound of a rumbling thunder on the ground outside. It’s the sound that horses make when they get out of the pasture and run like hell towards road!! They rushed passed the windows in the room we were in and we all immediately jumped up and ran outside to catch them!

    When the horses get out, you go into an instant state of action! The only thought in your brain is to catch the horses before they get to the road! So thats what we all did! It took a while but long story short, we wrangled up the horses and got them back in the pasture.

    We were relieved the chaos was over and happily returned to our dinner that was waiting for us this entire time. It was only then that we realized what we had done.

    My dear and beloved corgi, Phoebe, was left in the house all alone while we were running around outside. When we walked back in the dining room we saw Phoebe in my dad’s chair, two bites away from finishing his plate of spaghetti.

    Now Phoebe loved my mom and me but her relationship with my dad was different. They more or less just tolerated each other. My dad was okay with animals, as long as they had a job to earn their keep. The cats caught mice, the hunting dogs hunted and the chickens laid eggs. But Phoebe was my chubby little companion who was lazy (except when chasing chickens), spoiled and did whatever she wanted. My dad would never do anything to Phoebe because she was my best friend and she knew it. She seemed to mess with him because of this like…Haha, what are you gonna do about? She enjoyed picking on him.

    So the fact that she went for my dads plate instead my mine or my moms just made it all the more hysterical. Although, my dad was not laughing. The spoiled corgi struck again!

    My mom and I gave a little from our plates and no one walked away hungry. Especially not Phoebe who had the largest serving out of all of us.

    It’s a memory that my mom and I still laugh about today. I’m glad I was able to share it with you through my Inktober project.

    Thanks for reading! Check back tomorrow to see #12, Stuck.

    Protect your spaghetti, free spirits!

  • Earth Day is Everyday!

    Earth Day is Everyday!

    Happy Earth Day everyone! I was able to get outside today and enjoy some bitter winds and periods of light snow, how about you? Wait, isn’t it Spring? Well, I guess Mother Earth can do whatever she wants today, as she does everyday but what the hell! We love her anyway!

    Since the entire world is in quarantine, lets appreciate how this can help the environment and see the good that can come from a negative event. This is also the perfect time to get lost in nature. Explore the woods, sit in the trees, soak up the sun or just lay in the grass. Plant a tree, plant a flower, put up a bird feeder or just recycle something. There are so many simple ways to help Earth and enjoy it at the same time. Just pick one!

    I decided to create a compilation of some of my favorite Earth related images that I have posted on my blog so far. I hope you enjoy them and I hope you enjoy your Earth Day!

    Stay earthy, free spirits!

  • Spring is Being a Tees!

    Spring is Being a Tees!

    Warm weather is on it’s way! We made it folks. We survived another Winter! Although, I don’t know about everyone else but this was one of the most mild Winters we have had in a long time. We had maybe two good snowstorms but other than that just rain and wind. Now it’s already getting into the high 50’s and low 60’s; I live in upstate New York! That’s insane!

    So it’s time to put away the hoodies and get some new spring tees out. Let your skin soak up the sunshine and sport one of my awesome tees that I have available on Teepublic. I never formally announced my arrival to Teepublic but I now have a store through going on a few months now. I just ordered one of my tees before starting this entry so I am very excited to get that in the mail! This is the one I ordered:

    I love the color! It matches my mandala beautifully! There are so many colors to choose from and I have a bunch more designs in my shop so check it out and let me know what your favorite one is!

    Thanks for stopping by! I hope you had a great season! Sending warm wishes and happy Spring vibes your way! Check back soon for more artwork and awesome merch!

    Spring forward, free spirits!

  • Animal Oddity – Cardinal Duality

    Animal Oddity – Cardinal Duality

    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!

  • Inktober 2019 #3 – Khajiit

    Inktober 2019 #3 – Khajiit

    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.

  • Inktober 2019 #2 – Wrathstone

    Inktober 2019 #2 – Wrathstone