Monday, 6 December 2021

Whimsical Creatures


Last month, for the first time since the pandemic started, I took an in-person art class called "Drawing Whimsical Creatures in Ink and Watercolour." Every participant had to be double-vaxxed, masked and socially distanced so it was as safe as it could be.

The required level of artistic ability was not demanding, so the class was more goofy fun than hard work. The whimsical creatures were all quite cartoonish in nature and quick to do. They are ideally suited for making and illustrating greeting cards for various occasions.

Because the critters are meant to be whimsical, they actually look better when painted in bright unrealistic colours, rather than trying to reflect an animal's natural colour scheme (those results look boring, for the most part).

I've amalgamated some of my best results to show you --






[Art and photos © Debra She Who Seeks, November 2021]

48 comments:

Valerie said...

These are wonderful!

Travel said...

Wonderful sheep, and I love the purple cow.

Marie Smith said...

Love these! How wonderful to be back at a class again!

Sixpence Notthewiser said...

OMG how fun!
I am totally into the cow with the flower, the cheeky kitty and the literate sheep!!

XOXOX

Moving with Mitchell said...

wool wool wool... These are so good! I love the idea of the class and would really enjoy it. You have a natural talent and a great sense of whimsy.

Frank said...

Really cute drawings...you are talented! Like the bears, the mouse with pink ear and the green puppy.

sillygirl said...

Love them all!

Bob said...

I love these, especially the cats [go figure]but the cow makes me smile, too.
Such a gift you have.

Ol'Buzzard said...

Love the cat's ass.
the Ol'Buzzard

Boud said...

These are really fun. You definitely have a touch for it. I hope we'll see more. Yes on the fantasy colors, too, they work a treat.

Marcia LaRue said...

OMG ... all of your whimsical drawings are so cute and totally identifiable! Love them all!

Mistress Maddie said...

I love the first one!!!! Of course the bird is a cutie!!! And the dog and mice are adorable!!!

I have bear friends that would buy those bears if they were on greeting cards. Could She Who Seeks Greeting be on the horizon?

Lady M said...

I never saw a purple cow, I never hope to see one. But I can tell you anyhow, I'd rather see than be one. A poem from my childhood. Great work Debra, especially the cat with the butt hole on display. Very clever.

Debi said...

Well Done! Your personality shines through each perfect one!

Old Lurker said...

And here I thought you would post more memes.

That blue kitty painting is quite NSFW!

I second Mitchell's observation that the woolly sheep is brilliant.

Agnes Goldberg-DeWoofs said...

Oh dear, I don't think I could even mange those drawings. How cute they'd be as framed wall hangings.

Katrina said...

I love these! They're so quirky and joyful. What a great idea for a class!

pam nash said...

Cute, cute, and cute! The feed me cat hit home because that is something the Demon Duo say all the time.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

I'm really, really impressed with this precious doggie on the bottom right. He looks quite huggable.
Great whimsical fun, Debra.
Thank you for sharing. You made me smile (again).

e said...

These are wonderful! Really charming! I know you are retired, but a second career as a children's book illustrator is a definite possibility for you!

I agree with Mistress Maddie, greeting cards with these critters would sell!

Parnassus said...

Hello Debra, These are all fun, but if I had to pick one it might be the blue bird on the line. I like the way the two ovals make up its body, nad its general attitude. Also, I am gong to send the giraffes to my sister--that is her favorite animal since she was little!
--Jim

Breenlantern said...

Love Love Love these drawings/doodles. I love when people artistically express themselves or try new forms of creativity. Great job!

Sassybear
www.idleeyesandadormy.com

Guillaume said...

They're cool and whimsical.

Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness said...

I love the butter sheep the most but all of these are great. I took a similar class once. Drawing on the Left Side Of The Brain. I drew my fingers very well. I need to dig those out.

Mike said...

You're a master artist compared to what I would do. And yes, a lot of these could be greeting cards.

Barbara said...

You really put a smile on my face. I love those types of drawings. Glad you were able to go to an in-person class.

Tundra Bunny said...

Your critters are awesome! Hard to pick favourites, but I really liked the doggo wearing a sweater, the blue Tabby, the polar bear with a toque, the giraffes and of course, the sheep... the mouse picking daisies (or is it a white lab rat?) made me smile too!

Unknown said...

These are really cute. Love the dog in the colorful sweater.

Lovely said...

These are all cute! I'm sure you had a fun time.
xoxo
Lovely
www.mynameislovely.com

G. B. Miller said...

Excellent! Love the green doggo at the end.

Adam said...

Nice artwork

Busy Bee Suz said...

They are all so cute and whimsical! You can do serious and fun. Love the cat butt. ;0

Kay G. said...

I like them all but I would love to have a card with the sheep. I like to give a bottle of wine as a gift called Sheep Thrills. Wouldn't your sheep be perfect to go along with it?😊

Polly said...

Oh Debra, they are gorgeous, I love them all, especially the mouse and giraffes. I might borrow some of your ideas when I go to my art group :-)

Onevikinggirl said...

These are really very good (and funny, we need funny these days).

Anne Johnson said...

I'm a sucker for a whimsical mouse.

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

How fun Debra, love the Colorful whimsical critters.

Kirk said...

Oh, wow, these are great. You're quite the cartoonist.

roughterrain crane said...

They are so cute!

junemac2 said...

Oh these are so cute and beautifully done. Definitely a talent you have there. I need to try these sometime.
Hugs June

DVArtist said...

All of these are too cute.

yellowdoggranny said...

I love the blue asshole cat..soo much.

Liz Hinds said...

Aw, they're great. I'd love to do something like that.

baili said...

oh these are so cute ,pretty and adorable !!!!!!!!!!!!

i loved the purple cow and birds though everyone is amazingly sweet and cool :)

glad you enjoyed the art class and shared your brilliant pieces with us loved them all !

Rommy said...

Bwahahahahahahhahaha, you nailed the expression on the cat showing its butthole.

Magic Love Crow said...

These are so precious Deb! Love them all!
I want to take a dancing class! Seriously, I do, but it's just to "find" one! Especially now!
Big Hugs!

The Dancing Crone said...

OMG Debra! These made me laugh out loud! You've really found the way to capture the fun quirkiness and unique personalities of our furry best buds!! Can't wait to see the results of your class in March! If you aren't frozen solid. How's the Polar vortex working for you? We see it on the news but here in the banana belt we've got grey, warm, rainy days!

Debra She Who Seeks said...

@ The Dancing Crone -- Thank you, Francie! We are absolutely frozen solid here. It was nearly -40C here last night (-50 with windchill) and the Polar Vortex will not be leaving us until early January. Brrrrrrr!