Drawing Thanks

New colouring sheets have arrived on DrawingThanks.com! Colour your own Selkirk Block Party or Emerald Pig at the Bandstand.

Speaking of which, shoutout to Emerald Pig Theatrical Society for a delightful production of Romeo and Juliet! The passionate performances made me feel like I was seeing the play for the first time! I can’t wait to make a colouring sheet from this year’s production!

The Pride campaign continues! Meet three awesome folks who decided to join in on the portrait fun!

Firstly, my dear cousin, Andie (). She brings so much joy and colour to my life so I was thrilled when she asked to be drawn with a classic rainbow flag—Not to mention that lovely dress. I always love to doodle a good fabric pattern. Whether it’s a it’s a dry joke, a nerdy fact, or a fun portrait commission, Andie can always put a smile on my face. Thanks, Andie!

Next up is my new friend from across the pond, Vox (). They are a Q***r, Autistic, Disabled creative with ADHD. As soon as we got to chatting I felt in likeminded, neurodivergent community. They are a talented vocalist, poet, and songwriter. They will be hosting a by-donation online variety show tomorrow night at 6:30 UK time. All proceeds go to their top surgery! Check out their profile at to get your tickets and settle in for an entertaining night on the couch full of poetry, music, skits and covers! Thanks, Vox!

Last up is another new friend I met through this Pride Campaign, Vee (.chorabik). They are a local drag artist from Vancouver and go by the stage name, T. Winky D**k (.winky.dink). Vee’s portrait commission brought me a lot of joy because I was given the chance to learn about a flag I wasn’t yet acquainted with. In their portrait, Vee can be seen in front of the Genderfluid Le***an Flag. I am so grateful for this special opportunity to collectively lift each other up with information and advocacy and I’m thankful for all I’m learning from everyone who participates. Thanks, Vee!

I’ve been having so much fun drawing portraits for an exciting installation at Maple Ridge Public Library. I’ve been getting to know all the staff at ’s Maple Ridge branch through shared music, photos, and emails. What a treat to know everyone’s names when I visit now! My sense of community just became a little richer. A special part of this installation is that when it finally comes time to take it down, everyone gets to take a framed illustration of themself home!

Keep an eye out because I’ll be sharing photos of the install in early July—and if you ever see me in the library, come say hello!

Scroll through for the full story of a new portrait campaign I am launching for June and July! It’s time to stand in our Pride!

Through June and July I will be offering anyone who identifies as Disabled or LGBTQIA2S+ a free portrait in front of the flag that best represents you! I want to do this for free because I know firsthand how hard it can be to stand bravely in our truths. As a Trans non-binary person with BPD and ADHD, I have had my share of feeling othered. Drawing Thanks is not the space for that! Here, you are always welcome as you are and I want this gifted portrait to express that I see you and I support you! Now DM me your sassiest pose and flag of choice! 💃

I’ve been busy making lots of portraits for new installations lately. I’m very excited about all that is coming in June. You might recognize a few of these faces from the Maple Ridge Public Library! I am working together with to do a public installation of all the folks that keep our local branch running and full of knowledge, connection, and learning for everyone in . I’m also busy working on a sequel installation to “Constellations” at Albion Community Centre. “Foundations” will feature many of the folks who lead and nurture the creative spaces around us. I can’t wait to share more as it all comes together!

What a great day at Pride in the Park! I got to meet so many awesome, brave, sassy, fierce, punk, bold young creatives who were free to express themselves in ways that I could only dream of in my young emo days. It meant a lot to reflect on how far we have come as a society. We still have so far to go though—especially for the Trans community!

I was so happy to go home out of stock of pins, stickers, and postcards! People really showed up! I want to share a special thanks with my family and friends who are always there in these moments.

Shoutout to .fruity! We have been Insta friends for some time and finally got to share real in-person face time. The two of us are cooking up some fun art exchanges that we will be sure to share when we are done!

I also have to shoutout my friends at who were also in attendance today! Just wait until you see the collaboration we are working on too! It’s good to be in creative community.

It was an honour to represent this weekend. I can’t wait to get teaching the little ones this summer!

One of my favourite, most treasured opportunities that comes with being an artist is exchanging works with other creatives who I admire, learn from, and look up to. I experienced one of those lovely opportunities with my friend, Aileen, at .illustration recently. The first image is an illustration she made for my partner, , and I. It’s a scene of us dancing at our elopement last year. It has brought us both more joy than words can express. In exchange for this gorgeous illustration, I drew her little ones together for her. I hope it brings Aileen’s family as much joy as her illustration has brought ours.

Are you an artist who likes to do art exchanges? Tell us about a favourite exchange in the comments!

Fresh colour and texture added! If you use digital processes at any point in your art making, I highly recommend and all their amazing brushes. They transformed how I add finishing touches to my analog illustrations. I used many of their brush sets to finish this piece. Now that you’ve seen how I colour my colouring sheets, I want to see what you can do! Follow the link in my bio to the Drawing Thanks downloads page and download this colouring sheet today! If you post your finished piece and tag , I’ll send you something fun!

My love and I have been down with a nasty bug for nearly a week now, but we are slowly getting back to health! Here is another colouring sheet I made while I was restlessly stuck in bed over the last few days. Sly and The Family Stone have soundtracked so much of my art-making. Everyday People even came up in my interview with earlier this year. Follow the link on the Drawing Thanks media page to check that article out. Follow the link in my bio to download the Sly illustration. Hope you enjoy the colouring sheet!