The Critter Co Blog

When you do any kind of creative work, you're bound to get the question: Where do you get your inspiration? And while everyone will have a hundred different responses to this in their own art practice alone, I thought I'd share 5 ways in which I get inspiration with you.

Hello!

The Marvel Bunnies always have a soft spot in my heart, both because of my love for Marvel and because of the reception the Bunnies have gotten!

I've decided that I will be keeping a few of the crowd favourites in my shop more-or-less on an on going basis (Steve, Wanda, Loki, and Peter), but some of the characters I've decided to retire.

And here we are, pretty much at the end of the build. With the exception of the fridge and the end of the cabinet around that, I've finished the van. In this post I take you through the walls, cabinet/bed, painting, sink/toilet, and the sewing projects. Pulling these things together was so hard, but really rewarding because at the end of each step things became closer and closer to the finish line.

Wiring/electrical, auto carpeting, ceiling paneling, and the floor. A few challenges in this portion of the build, especially with the floor. But this is when things really started to feel like a camper van and I got even more excited about having this ready for trips!

The first four steps in my conversion process for my Ford Transit Connect Van Build. I break down the celling fan, back window, roof rack, and soundproofing/insulation thought process. This isn't a how-to, but if you're interested in my thought process through these steps and how I landed on my decisions then read on!

I wasn't sure exactly how to start this portion of the retelling of my van build. Do I do it by time or by category (electric, ceiling, floor, etc) or by some other way? I decided to just start the retelling and however it unfolds will be the way I intended it to go :D.

Maybe we should start with inspiration. The inspiring examples of van builds online are endless! And I mean endless.

(Marvel Bunnies will be available from May 1st to May 31st).

Thanks for all your support and patience!

My idea was always to have a place where I could create on the road. Maybe a mobile studio that I could also use as my shop base so I could travel, fulfill online orders, and create new art. As usual, the first concepts that I had were, uh, a bit overwhelming, lol. I can have the tendency to want to do the biggest, best, most perfect thing and that became a bit of a road block. SO I decided to start a bit smaller.

Today I followed a tutorial by The Lazy Illustrator called Step by Step Procreate Tutorial | Pastel Dreamy Landscape Drawing on iPad Pro which gave the steps for a soft & graphic illustration. 

Today I followed a tutorial by Calvin at Drifter Studio called Watercolor Procreate Tutorial // Sleeping Cat Watercolor Illustration. In this tutorial Calvin shows his process for digital watercolour illustrations. I found this tutorial to be helpful for multiple reasons. 

This week I found a tutorial by Art By Melody on YouTube called Procreate Tutorial Step by Step for Beginners - Minimal Landscape Illustration. In this tutorial you are shown how to use Alpha Lock, clipping masks, brush texture shading & erasing textured shading.

I have been wanting to learn Procreate for quite some time but there were two obstacles:

1. I didn’t have an apple pencil & an iPad that was compatible

2. The prospect of learning Procreate seemed very daunting.