cows and ghosts and elephants, oh my!

I planned a whole different set of art this week for #inktober ... but the art had other ideas. I showed my dad the art.

Dad: "Wow! These are really great!"
Me: "I think what you meant to say, was weird."
Dad: "No, I really think they're great. Maybe a little weird, but I like them!"

So, here are the seven #inktober pictures I did this week, including on for Illustration Friday. They're a little weird, but I like them. I hope you do too!

October 8: No idea what happened. This picture WAS supposed to have a cow and elephant, but no clue where the flowers came from, or why they happened. Then I added a ghost in the middle, just because.

October 9: This drawing set the tone and subject matter for all the rest of the art this week (and is also a nod to Tim Conway on The Carol Burnett Show).

October 10: I had the idea that the ghost could transform into things and the cow and elephant would wear Halloween costumes, and they'd all say or give a clue to what they're supposed to be.

 October 11: Clearly there are no costumes in this picture. I blame the spider.

October 12: This is where things start to go off the rails. I blame the elephant (and Illustration Friday - the theme this week is octopus). Originally the cow was an owl and said, "Who!" but the owl costume looked awful, so I made her wear an eye, in a nod to the book I have coming out in December (EWE AND AYE).

October 13: Now the elephant is just being silly.

October 14: And finally, the ghost and cow are once again dressed up for Halloween, but the elephant is not. (He's too distracted by the pumpkin pie, which he will probably share. Probably.)

So that was my crazy #inktober week! What are your characters (that you're writing or drawing) doing this week? Did you know they were going to do those things? Or was it a total surprise like my ghost, cow, and elephant?

I wonder what surprises the drawings for next week will bring? I guess I'll find out ... stay tuned!

Want to see my other inktober images? Click here to check them out.  

pups in usual and unusual Halloween costumes

More #inktober art! I've been having fun with putting puppies in Halloween costumes (some more unusual than others). On Sunday, the Pointer decided he wanted to point at things on Halloween. The cat provided a counter point.

On Monday, three puppies were dressed up like bugs, and the pumpkin was carved to look like a pup!

I couldn't resist adding some color to this one! Probably won't do that again this month, or at least not much - it's inktober, not watercolor-tober ... maybe next month.

Though I do like the way the color turned out, especially considering I was using a travel watercolor set and the not so great brush that came with it.

Last but not least for this series. On Tuesday, it was a battle between the Pie Rat and the Pirate! (I think maybe someone misunderstood what the costume theme was.)

Next time you might see a new animal or two. I'm thinking of inking some new characters wearing Halloween costumes!

Want to see my other inktober images? Click here to check them out.  

puppies, bats, pumpkins and cats, with a witch and mouse under a full moon too!

Two new drawings  (for #inktober and Illustration Friday)! The drawing from Friday, October 3rd features flapping bats. Poor puppy! He doesn't know the bats don't want to scare him; they just want to play.

The next drawing, from Saturday, October 4th, features a puppy in a pumpkin patch. There's lots to look at: a full moon (with a cat and a witch), bats, boats with dogs, and a mouse eating pumpkin pie!

Here's a detail of the two dogs in a boat:

The dog in the back looks like he's wearing a hat (he's not - just a slip of the pen). The puppy in front looks like a rabbit, according to my dad (she's not a rabbit - just a dog with long ears). Pretty good for inking a tiny boat (about 1" square) full of dogs at 2am! Next time I should use a magnifying glass. First I need to get a magnifying glass. ;)

My two latest drawings + weekly theme for IF (silence) inspired the lines below ... either that, or I've been thinking about horror films way too much (but it is October, so that's understandable, right?):

There's silence in the dead of night, when creatures creep and crawl, and flap and fly.

Then again, maybe I'm finally going to write a Halloween themed picture book! *crosses fingers*

Want to see my other inktober images? Click here to check them out.  

wishing for Halloween and pumpkin pie

Lots of wishes in this picture: the puppy is wishing that the pumpkin would magically turn into a pie, the ghost is wishing it was Halloween already, the cat is wishing the ghost wasn't real, and the bird is wishing that the cat, dog and ghost would go away already! The pumpkin isn't wishing for anything, because it's a pumpkin. (For #inktober and Illustration Friday).

I decided to participate in #inktober this year! Are you participating in #inktober?

Want to see my other inktober images? Click here to check them out.  

one dog, four ducks, and a pumpkin

Old English Sheep Dog wishes he were friends with the ducks (for #inktober and Illustration Friday).

Want to see my other inktober images? Click here to check them out.