Creature Discomforts

Autumn is right around the corner... sigh. I've prepared a few illustrations in the spirit of Halloween for my Etsy shop. Here are three of my creature discomforts.

The Spider (above) is the first of three. It's an original graphite pencil, ink, water colour and felt illustration of a garden spider with her egg sac. Like the others in this small series, it measures 5” x 7” and was done on smooth, heavy weight acid-free Canson sheet. Sadly, my scanner gives it all a bit of a sepia tone which is absent in the original.

I have a certain fascination and admiration for the spider. She is the ultimate weaver, sewer and knitter. To me she symbolises the handmade trades that use thread and yarns to create their work. Weaver, seamstress and knitters, for example - and to some extent, the artist that leaves a web of fine lines on a sheet of paper to create his or her artwork. Regardless, she remains one of my creature discomforts; I admire her from a safe distance.

The Little Brown Bat

Original illustration of a little brown bat in full flight.

5” X 7” multi-media illustration on smooth, heavy weight acid-free Canson sheet.

I have a little brown bat living behind one of my shutters. I’m very grateful for it because it eats a tremendous amount of mosquitoes during the warm seasons. (Needless to say, I hate mosquitoes.) And what about those awesome wings! However bats remain one of my creature discomforts. They can hang outside as much as they want, but not inside.

The Cat

Original illustration of an angry tabby.

5” x 7” multi-media illustration on smooth, heavy weight acid-free Canson sheet.

I have to place cats in my creature discomforts because I’m terribly allergic to them. My mother was and still is an avid cat lover; as far as I can remember, cats were always present in our home. As a child, I was in a constant state of congestion and the over exposure to them left me with Asthma. Nevertheless, I still love cats and I enjoy using them as artwork subjects. It gives me a chance to be close to them without experiencing any allergies.