Halloween Magic and Happy October

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!

Shop the Halloween Collection Here

See you in a few short weeks in November! Happy Halloween, my Lovelies!

xoxo

Rachel