- Oct 15, 2025
Happy October my Beautiful Butterflies!!!
I'm coming into your inbox a little late this month because Ricky, Leonora, and I have just returned from a magnificent and magical vacation in Italy and Slovenia (I'll share pics next month). I'm back to work, trying to catch my breath and floating in the post-trip high for as long as possible despite massive jet lag.
I popped into your inbox right before my trip to share my new Printable Halloween Collection, and now that I'm back, I wanted to showcase both the new and old pieces I made for Halloween a little more.
It's a truly basic sentiment, but I LOVE this time of year. Everything feels both whimsical and spooky. The weather starts to cool down (albeit slowly here in Houston), the humidity starts to drop, and all of the fun decorations, fall wardrobes, and fall flavors start to appear. This new season is perfectly described by an artist I follow, Nina Crosford
"For me, autumn feels like a fresher start than January in many ways. It may have something to do with the fact that I was born at this time of year so it naturally feels like the start of something. Also, new school terms, new stationery, new routines etc. There is a lot of newness around this time and rather than lament the end of summer, I try to really savour the excitement of seasonal shifts and new beginnings."
I was the odd kid who was excited for summer to end and school to begin. It meant so much new excitement, and it meant one step closer to crisp fall. So, on that note, let's dive into some new (and old) Halloween art! I decided to keep the post itself simple, with mostly pics and a tiny bit of reading. You can shop my Halloween art here
This Trick or Treat Print is an oldie but a goodie. I hand-painted the entire scene...a tedious labor of love but inspired by the excitement of trick or treating as a kid.
Okay, so this "Howl-o-Ween" print may be my fav of the new collection. I loved drawing all of these cute pups and thinking of all the different costumes they would wear. The puppy skeleton may or may not be inspired by my Frankie!
Below is the original sketch for my silly Halloween puppies!
Below is a compilation of a lovely little ghost series I painted a few years back. They legit make me feel so incredibly cozy!
Can't have Halloween without a cozy fall print in the mix. I made this a while back for Christmas, but repurposed the art and changed up the colors to introduce fall.
I love drawing costumes and outfits. When I was really young, I wanted to be a fashion designer, because I loved drawing clothes so much. What I didn't realize at the time was that the excitement was for the illustrations and story for character creation, not the clothes themselves (though I do love clothes :)
Below is the original sketch for this print!
This skeleton print makes me chuckle every time I see her. It also makes me think of a few friends of mine (I'm sure they'll text me when they read this :)
Rounding third and heading home with these last two prints. I thought the "tis the season" verbiage was such a fun twist, and the art was perfect to re-purpose for the "Graveyard Smash" print.
I hope you enjoyed trick-or-treating down Halloween lane with me for this simple post.
Feel free to check them out in my shop. Most of them are available to download and print at home, so perfect for last-minute decorations and Halloween cards!
See you in a few short weeks in November! Happy Halloween, my Lovelies!
xoxo
Rachel
- Sep 3, 2025
Happy September my Sassy Sasquatches! (see what I did there?!?)
Last month I promised that I would share more about my completed Big Foot Collection!! To give a bit of back story in case you're new, I took a lovely vacay with my husband and daughter to Sedona, Arizona in the Spring. We spent a week hiking and basking in the beautiful scenery. While on a hike a man asked genuinely if we spotted Bigfoot, and alas the idea and push to create a Bigfoot Collection was born (see pic below from our trip).
It took a long time to pull together with other projects I was working on, but I officially completed the collection last month. I created several iterations of the line, trying to decide which fit best. I created them in a mix of watercolor and pencil drawings. While I normally love watercolor hands down, the pencil drawings felt better to me. I shared a behind-the-scenes post a few months back, but now that everything is done and ready for viewing, I wanted to share it with you for this month's post. Before we jump in let's take a look at the sketches that started it all.
I compiled everything into a lovely pattern mixing together all my Bigfoots and all of my little adventure hiking illustrations.
Then I went through and put together art prints using the elements I created. Some with just lettering and some with the nature pieces too. You can scroll below to check them out! You'll find a link to shop everything below or you can click the buttons here:
The last step to this collection was uploading the pattern to Spoonflower so you can purchase on fabric! The exciting bonus: I included all the different iterations I made on Spoonflower. So you can purchase in watercolor, line drawing, and pencil drawing. I included a snippet of those below.
I hope you love the collection as much as I do! I'd love to hear what your favorite one is!
I'm keeping my post short and sweet this month since we're coming off of Labor Day weekend and I know your inboxes are full enough!
You can shop my prints in my Etsy Shop here:
You can shop the fabric line here:
Hope you have a wonderful September!
xoxo
Rachel
As an artist and illustrator, I often find myself brimming with ideas for new work! While some concepts come to fruition very quickly, many remain trapped in my mind longer than I'd prefer. Sometimes it can feel so overwhelming that they all start to merge into a jumbled mess of scribbles in my brain (see pic above). To unlock my creativity and explore my imagination, I decided to embark on a personal challenge: a fun drawing exercise to create as many little quirky illustrations as possible in just 40 minutes!
So, how did I approach this challenge? What did I create? And what can you learn from my experience? Let’s dive into this exciting journey of doodles and creativity!
If you'd like to watch me draw, click the video below! It's short and sweet because I know your time is precious!
1. Setting the Stage for Doodling!
Creating a focused and relaxing environment was essential. I mosied over to my drawing table, tidied it up for the first time in ages, and got settled in. I opted for my ipad over paper for the doodles so I could move quickly. To truly immerse myself, I turned off my phone and other distractions, ensuring that every second of my 40-minute drawing challenge was pure art time.
2. Generating Art Prompt Ideas
Before I pressed start on my timer, I brainstormed potential themes and prompts to keep things lively. I wrote down some silly ideas I've had so that I could tackle them quickly. Some of my favorite concepts included:
Silly Goose Club
All Oopsies, No Daisies
Dilly Dally
Animals on the move
I like to play, but I like structure too, so the list gave me the best of both worlds.
3. The Countdown Begins!
With my prompts set and my timer ready, I jumped right in! The first drawing was some "cheese and quiet" as it was getting close to lunch-time and mama was getting hungry!
I sketched quickly, focusing on enjoying the challenge.
4. Embracing Imperfection
As the seconds ticked away, I realized that my drawings did not need to be perfect. There is beauty in imperfection, and embracing this mindset kept me engaged and having fun. Once I completed each drawing, I created a blank page on my iPad and moved on to the next prompt.
5. Style and Self-Talk
As the 40 minutes went by, I found myself wanting to add some detail to a few illustrations, but I stopped myself from doing that! By keeping detail at a minimum and creating line-drawings only, I could make more illustrations. I said "Rachel, you can return to any of the doodles you want to expand on after the 40 minutes are up!" - Wise words....so I listened.
6. Reflecting on the Experience
When the timer finally went off, I paused to reflect on all of the doodles I made. In just 40 minutes, I created about 18 quirky illustrations, untangling the jumbled knot of ideas in my head just a teeny bit!
7. Tips for Your Own Fun Drawing Challenge
Set a Time Limit: Choose a duration that feels both manageable and challenging. About 30 to 40 minutes worked well for me, but maybe 5-10 minutes is more manageable for you.
Prepare Your Space: Creating an inspiring, distraction-free environment can maximize your creativity. Find a comfortable spot filled with your favorite supplies.
Brainstorm Art Prompts: Write down fun ideas in advance. Having them prepared will let you focus entirely on creating instead of searching for prompts during the challenge.
Embrace Imperfection: The goal is to enjoy the process! Your drawings don’t need to be perfect; rather, they should reflect your unique imagination.
Reflect Afterwards: After you finish, take a moment to appreciate what you created!! There is no good or bad here; this reflection encourages growth and boosts your confidence as an artist.
Wrapping it Up
This was the first time I did a timed drawing challenge, and it really was so much fun! And now I have doodles to go back to, expand on, edit, and morph into fully-fleshed out drawings.
If you are an art lover or just seeking a creative outlet, I encourage you to try a similar drawing challenge. You might surprise yourself with what you can create in a short timeframe! I thought I would make about 10 drawings, and wound up with 18!!! (See them all together below)
Now, it’s your turn! Grab your supplies and discover where just 10 minutes of creativity might lead you! I'd love to see what you come up with!
I hope you enjoyed this post. I thought it would be fun to try something new and different!!
I will see you all next month!
xoxo
Rachel
