October Critters on Bicycles Drawing Challenge!?

Kind of dropped the ball with the weekly updates. It was all just getting to be a bit much, when I'm never sure if anyone's actually even reading stuff!? I am on track to get to 6000Km by the end of the year. Just have to do an average of 20Km/day for the rest of the year (that will put me over, I can miss ten days and STILL make it to 6000Km!) 

This is sort of cycling related... 

I had this idea for an October Drawing Challenge...  

I like drawing critters. 

And bicycles. 

And often, critters ON bicycles. 

People often do drawing challenges through October (Inktober, etc) - sometimes working from a prompt list… 

So, I thought I might make my own prompt list this year. 31 Day of Critters on Bikes!? But what critters to draw? What bikes are they riding? What are they all wearing? 

That is where you come in! I thought I would draw 31 bicycle-riding-friends and followers as critters on bikes! 

If YOU were a critter of some sort, what would YOU be? 

What is YOUR favourite bike to ride? 

What do YOU wear while out riding it?  

More specific details are better - otherwise I have to just make shit up.  If you have pictures feel free to forward them to me in messenger or email. I will try to do the first 31 suggestions I get (there are NO GUARANTEES IN LIFE, however!). 

Just to be clear - these are, for the most part, going to be anthropomorphic animals, like the others I've been drawing recently - basically a clothed human body with an animal head (may or may not have tail) - unless you wish to be illustrated as a participant in World Naked Bike Ride Day!?

Fine print: 

You absolutely can use the image I post based on your suggestion (for non-commercial purposes- i.e. like, you can go ahead use it as a profile pic on social media, but not as a logo or in an ad for a business, without my permission.), but I would appreciate if you would link said image back to me (either my instagram or twitter accounts, or my art blog) 

I’m probably going to do these all in a sketchbook (I like keeping these things all together in one place!) so originals will not be for sale. 

I may or may not post the pictures here... They will definitley go on my Art Blog and Instagram and Twitter, so check them out there:

Art Blog: https://artgeekbrown.blogspot.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim.in.saskatoon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/timinsaskatoon

Bicycle Art - Purple Surly Karate Monkey!

 Felt like drawing today. Wasn't sure what to draw. Thought I might do a bike portrait of my Purple Surly Karate Monkey. 

(mostly done from memory, so somethings are a bit wonky... but... whatevs...) 

Purple Surly Karate Monkey! 35cmx28cm (14"x11") - ink on paper

I haven't done any critters on bikes for a while... maybe I should do more of those! 

Bike-Art-Tober

 October seems to have become the month of daily drawing challenges. I think it started with Inktober, but now there are many different ones - some with themes, others, not-so-much. I've decided to get in on it again this year - and trying to stick to bicucle related themes. You can find all my pics over on my Art Blog or on Istagram. 

Here are a few of the drawings I've done so far this year... 

My old Cannondale Super-V (800?) in the back alley behind the Bike Doctor.

From a photo c2004 - when I sold it. I barely rode the thing. Only full-suspension bike I ever owned. In fact, it was the last suspension bike I ever owned. 

This little piggy went for a gravel ride. 

Cheetah (in the sprinter's jersey, of course) rides past the Arc de Triomphe on the last stage of the Tour. 

Portrait of The Artist as a Turtle Making His Morning Smoothie with the "Kitchen Ninja" Blender. 

Okay this might be stretching the bicycle theme - it's a drawing of a cyclist!?  Wearing cycling socks!? preparing for his morning ride!?

I plan to post a new drawing, every day, all month. I may not post them all here - so check out the  Art Blog or my Istagram page! 

Carfree Chicken Cruises the Countryside

New Critters on Bikes over at the Art Blog:

Carfree Chicken Cruises the Countryside

Portrait of a Family of Cyclists

Just posted it over on the art blog... might as well post it here too... (it involving bikes and all).


Family Portrait 2010, November 2010, Acrylic on MDF, 81x59cm

Hauling Donkey

A late Mother's Day present...


Last weekend I got out for a couple of morning rides with Matt. I got all excited thinking I'd just carry on through the week - getting up and going for rides from 5:30 to 7PM before Amanda gets up and ready for work... then she remineded me she'd be in Ottawa all week (I think the kids would be a little freaked out to wake up and find there were no parents in the house at all!)... So, maybe next week.

Cyclocross Moose

Somehow I wildly misjudged the size this needed to be to fit into the frame. One would think after all these years I'd know how to operate a ruler...

In the picture frame most of the barricade and my signature are completely cut off and the top of the frame crops the top of the antlers and helmet... doh...

Ah well...

Touring Camel

SSSSSHHHHHHHHH!

Don't tell Amanda! (I just finished her Xmas present - I know, cutting it a bit close, but that's how I roll!)



Happy Holidays everyone! Stay warm - for those of you residing in cooler climes (like me)... or... stay cool - for those in more tropical climes (so not me!). I hope you all have a joyful and prosperous new year, free of tire punctures (I said "hope", we can always HOPE!).

More Critters on Bikes

Here is the next batch of paintings in the “Critters on Bikes” series that I have been painting for Amanda…

Can you guess which month I started them in…?





Like the Others these are all itty-bitty... like 3.5x4" or so...

(Not Quite) Devil's Night Alley Cat

OOOH! OOOH! You heard it here first (or... maybe not...) - Ryan from Bicycle Smile is organizing another Alley Cat which will be (not quite) on Devil's Night! how do I know...!? because I did the poster/spoke card!!



I think I might have to ride in this one...

or maybe I'll just give out candy...

More Paintings

I finished up a couple more paintings for Amanda (it's her birthday tomorrow... shhhhhh!). Hopefully she won't be checking in on my blog before then... she rarely does.

The colours kind of look funny (well.. different) on the screen... Ah well...

The original are quite small, they're ~3"x4.5".

Frames

Two years ago Amanda got a pile of picture frames of Xmas. I think my mom got them for her, she had pointed them out to her. They sat for a year. The following Xmas she put them up on the wall – with the silly “photos” that came in the frames – a very happy looking family in black and white… She hung them up thinking they would motivate her to fill them with something. They hung there for a year. You wouldn’t believe how many people asked if it was Amanda’s sister and her family… So this past Xmas I decided to take it upon myself to start filling them with things…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)

Bison on a Mountain Bike – this was her Xmas present. I snuck it into the frame Xmas eve after she had gone to bed. I thin it was Finnegan that finally pointed it out to her.


Snake on a Recumbent – This is her Valentine’s present. I just hung it up. We’ll have to see how long it takes for her to notice it this time… Probably one of the kids will point it out…

Winter Cycling

It's been a while, huh...? four months on and I still haven't posted the pics and half-written report from XC8. I haven't exactly been riding much. A nasty combination of surgery, snow, and children put the kibosh on that for this year...

Anyway, this is sort of fun and mildly cycling related... Amanda asked me to make a cake to take to work for a friend of ours that she works with... well indirectly... She's a cyclist and did her doctoral research on Polar Bears, so here's what I came up with...



Now I'm not about to take orders here - but if you're local and need a birthday cake for a bike geek, I may just be your man!

Hopefully, as we approach fairer cycling weather I'll get a bit more enthusiastic and post here a bit more...