Tag: #animals&nature

Animal Activism, Free Spirit Merch, Traditional Art

Help Me Help Pets!

Free Spirit Meg

There are always those people during a crisis that say, “I wonder how this is affecting the animals?”

It’s me. I’m those people.

Currently thousands of pets are facing starvation in areas of China like Wuhan . People were forced to evacuate their homes because of the corona-virus thinking they could go back in a few days. Days turned into weeks and now pets are dying due to lack of food and water. Many worried pet owners are contacting local humane societies to help and check on their pets. Volunteers are trying to do everything they can to help these animals, trying to visit over 700 residences a day. I wanted to help so I created my latest piece called “Love ‘Em, Don’t Leave ‘Em”.

From now until May, 100% of the profits from this piece will go to Humane Society International which is an organization working with the smaller local groups that are currently fighting for these pets. When they aren’t saving pets, HSI focuses on removing dogs as a source of food and fighting for animal rights!

Stickers and pins are a great way to help out without having to spend a lot! They are both less than $5 and the money earned goes to a great cause!! Every little bit helps! If you’re strapped for cash and can’t donate right now, liking and sharing this post is a huge help as well. Let’s get as many people to see this as possible! Thank you so much for your help!

*Stickers 👉 rdbl.co/2UL5gKl 👈

*Pins 👉 rdbl.co/2wMRbnF 👈

*All Products 👉 rdbl.co/2QURymW 👈

It means so much to me to be able to do some good with my art. This has been a lifelong dream of mine and I love each and every one of you for helping me achieve it! Let’s save some animals!

Stay safe, free spirits!

Free Spirit Merch, FSM Updates, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

Spring is Being a Tees!

Free Spirit Meg

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!

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!

*******************************************

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.

((*Update* Edited – 4.1.2020*)) The first two months this piece was posted, I donated 100% of the profits to WIRED Australian Wildlife Rescue Organisation. With the help of other wildlife lovers, we raised enough to make a great donation! To keep the drive going to protect Australia’s wildlife no matter what issues they face, I will continue to collect 25% of all profits from this piece and make another donation at the end of the year. ))

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:

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.

Events, Sketchbook

Inktober 2019 #1 – Guar

Free Spirit Meg

Inktober has begun! This year, I have decided to follow a different prompt list from the official one. I am following a list created by The Elders Scrolls Online, which is a fantasy based video game. I don’t often give myself the opportunity to draw this subject even though I really enjoy it. I figured this would be a good way to scratch that itch. The first day’s prompt is a guar, a reptile-like creature.

Totem Animals, Traditional Art, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

Sloth Totem Drawing

Free Spirit Meg

I am very happy with how my “Sloth Totem” turned out! I stayed completely care-free the entire time I worked on this piece. I didn’t know how it would turn out in the end but I didn’t worry about it. I just let it happen and it happened well! I have shared this on social media and so far it is getting a lot of positive feedback.

I’m not entirely sure why people love sloths though! To be honest, I think they are a little creepy in real life. I can totally get on board with the calm and chill lifestyle though!

I will cover the symbolism of sloth after Inktober is completed. I shared a FSM Update to explain everything that is coming up in the next month! Make sure you give it a glance to see what’s in store!

Speaking of store, if you would like your own print of “Sloth Totem” it is available in my shop here.

You can also find home decor, apparel, accessories and more with my “Sloth Totem” piece. Click here.

Thanks for stopping by! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about sloths. Cute or creepy?

Stay chill, free spirits!

“The main thing is to relax and let your talents do the work.” -Charles Barkley

FSM Updates, Traditional Art

FSM Update – Projects Galore!

Free Spirit Meg

I have a lot going on in the near future. I have several projects in the making. Things are gradually slowing down with my landscaping job so I will have more time for my art!

We have two more days until Inktober so I will focus a lot of my time to completing this. I finally decided what theme I will follow this year and surprisingly it will not be horror! If there are any gamers out there you may know of Elder Scrolls Online, ESO for short. They have created their own prompt list for Inktober and it is my husband’s favorite game. He streams it live on Twitch.tv at RabidClown_Gaming. If you love the game too, check out his channel! I thought it would be neat to combine our interests this year and follow the ESO prompt list. If your not familiar with the game it deals with dragons, monsters, sorcerers, warriors, kings and queens….a huge realm of fantasy to vaguely sum it up! I enjoy drawing fantasy but never give myself the opportunity. Now it’s time to give it a turn.

I will also be spending all of October preparing for an Arts & Crafts Show that I will be participating in! It is November 3rd and I will share a separate post about this as the day draws closer with more details. I am currently working on a group of mini canvases. It has been a couple years since I’ve worked with the minis and I am having so much fun with it! It has also been a couple years since I have done an art show so my nerves are a little frazzled. For the most part though, I’m very confident in how it will turn out and I’m not procrastinating this time! That is a huge help for keep stress levels down!! XD Here is a sneak peek at some of the minis I will have at the show.

After Inktober and the art show, I’ll be picking back up with my totem animal symbolism posts. I had to take a break over the Summer because I am too busy working long hours with my landscaping job. Now that the colder months are ahead of us, the work load starts to ease up and I have more time to concentrate on my totems again. Since “Sloth” was a popular piece I will study this one and share with you what I find. After that I was thinking about tackling the panda. Who doesn’t love pandas, seriously!?

Aside from all of this (yes there is more), I have started dabbling with digital art. You may have already learned about this from reading my previous post, It’s A Digital Age. I am making mandalas on my laptop and phone using the program AutoDesk Sketchbook. It is so much fun and is just another way for me to express myself no matter where I am! I still have a lot to learn as far as digital art goes but I have made the first step. I would eventually like to get Adobe Illustrator since I am more familiar with it.

Prints available here.

That about sums up what artwork is ahead of me! Busy, busy, busy! I have never felt more motivated though! I’m confident I will be able to get everything done with ease and make strides with my talents!

Thanks for stopping by this week! Make sure to check back often to see my 2019 Inktober collection grow. I will share one sketch for everyday until the end of October! Share a comment below if you are participating and I’ll be sure to follow along with you!

Happy October, free spirits!

“Get busy living, or get busy dying.” – Stephen King

Artist Inspiration, Sketchbook

Inktober is Drawing Near!

Free Spirit Meg

I am looking forward to Inktober this year. I had a lot of fun with it last year. I followed the Inktober prompts as well as my own theme. Each sketch was from a horror/monster movie. This year I am thinking about doing something similar. I enjoy sticking with a horror theme to get geared up for Halloween! I have started a list of legendary monsters that I think I will stick to this year. Although, I do have another idea that I might change to at the last minute.

The official prompt list has been released and a lot of the prompts tie in with my legendary monsters so that will make things easier. Although it is always fun to try and come up with a creative idea that relates to the prompt.

This will be my fourth year participating in Inktober. Here are a few of my favorite sketches from previous years.

It’s nice to compare my work and see how I have improved over the years and also areas where I could still improve. It’s all about getting better, right? Practice makes perfect!

If you want to check out more, here are my previous posts related to Inktober. Inktober 2016 | Inktober 2017 ~ Part 1 & Part 2 | Inktober 2018

Are you participating in Inktober this year? What are your plans or thoughts? Leave a comment below! Or share a photo of your own sketches! Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time, free spirits!

“Ink is the transcript of thought.” ~Alphonse De Lamartine