Category: Art

Day 4 – 100 Animals and Pinterest

On By MelIn Art, Artworks 2025, inktoberLeave a comment

The first 10-15 animal took definitely some effort. Effort to sit down, and effort to sketch. Now I am at the point where I am starting to have fun.

I have been using Pinterest a lot to look up reference images and create boards. I only now discovered that Pinterest is drowning under a flood of AI-generated junk. What once was a useful platform for photographs, has turned info an AI dump which is flooded with ads. I didn’t notice it at first because I hadn’t been on Pinterest in months, but it became especially apparent when looking up images of birds and suddenly I was faced with only AI generated non-existent bird species. Beside the creepy look of AI generated imagery, they look like the same same garbage the more you look at them.

ink animal drawings _Melanie Franz 2025

I have been listening to a lot of illustrator and artist podcast and the discussion with the issue of anything AI generated. While there are the fast-fashion consumers that don’t see anything wrong with anything AI generated, there are the traditional artists. Art lives through its imperfections. No human generated art, being it music, painting, sculpture will ever be 100% perfect. They might be close but not perfect. And it is this imperfections that gives the artwork its soul and life.

ink animal drawings _Melanie Franz 2025

Have you been noticing that Pinterest is collapsing under the weight of AI-generated garbage?

Opportunities for Growth

On By MelIn ArtLeave a comment

2025 is the year of changes. Time to embrace them and make the most out of it. The changes are not always positive, but even those are an opportunity for growth and to turn them into positive outcomes. So we are still hanging in there…

You are a flyer too? Check out my Etsy for Aerial Acrobatic prints.

Happy Easter!

On By MelIn Art, Artworks 2025, Etsy3 Comments

I realized the last post has been a while. I was busy enjoying the sun in the Algarve in Portugal.

Despite the lack of updates on my blog, I have been busy with my Etsy designs and was working on my never ending book project. BUT the end is near and I can hopefully get started on the next adventure one soon!

In the meantime here is a little easter bunny for you.

Download, print, fold, cut and pass it on.

Easter card 5×7 Rabbit yellowDownload

Last Minute Valentine’s Card

On By MelIn Art, Artworks 2025, EtsyLeave a comment

Are you in need of a last minute Valentine´s card or friendship card?

Then look no further. Here is your card to download. Print, fold, cut and voila!

Honey Badger – To my partner in crime

Blue footed booby – To my partner in crime

More you can find on my Etsy.

Let me know which one is your favourite.

Hyvää ystävänpäivää (Happy Friend’s day!) Thanks for following 🙂

Be my Bird

On By MelIn Art, Artworks 2025, EtsyLeave a comment

Another “friendship” card. Inspired by an Irish friend. Still in need of a last minute Valentine’s card? Take a look here on my Etsy.

Honey Badger coming your way

On By MelIn Art, Artworks 2025, EtsyLeave a comment

I am all into drawing honey badgers again. If you can be anything, be a honey badger!

Printable card available on Etsy.

Something Something

On By MelIn Art, Artworks 2025, EtsyLeave a comment

Yes, I have been busy. Drawing, working, editing illustrations, my first proper commission. So much so that I forgot all about the blog.

Valentine’s day is just around a corner. I prefer Friendship Day, Ystävänpäivä as they call it in Finland. Still missing a card? I put some up on my ETSY Shop.

Good morning

On By MelIn Art, Artworks 2025, inktober1 Comment

Mood today…
Did I mention I have been drawing birds, just for fun. Any animal you would like to see next?

Print you can get here on Etsy.

Birds of a feather flock together…

On By MelIn Art, Artworks 2025, inktoberLeave a comment

I finally tidied up my desk and came across all those ink bottles I bought over the years. Thought it was time to give some of those different colours a try. I usually just go straight for black ink but I quite like the look of the indigo one, the bird on the far left.

Do you use colours other than black Indian ink?

Oh Crab!

On By MelIn Art, Artworks 2025, EtsyLeave a comment

Process is slow, but still process. In between my day job and working on my book I relax by coming up with new Etsy prints. Voila!

Happy New Year!

On By MelIn Art, Artworks 2025, Illustration1 Comment

A new year and new adventures… who knows what will happen this year?

For once I started it super motivated.
#1 – Draw a crab

#2 – Finish my Madame Woof Woof illustration project!

Number 1 is done and number 2 is in the works.
What are your new year resolutions?

Crab and herring ink drawing_Melanie Franz

Last Minute Printable Christmas cards round 2

On By MelIn Art, Artwork 2024, christmas, EtsyLeave a comment

Here are some more printable cards I have been designing. Way too late as every year.

Let me know which one is you favourite?

Subscribe to my newsletter and I’ll be sending out another round of printable versions tomorrow, in case you are in need of that last minute Christmas card.

Of course if you like to support my art you can also go to my Etsy for more printable posters and cards 😉

Happy Holidays!

Blue-footed Booby Christmas card

On By MelIn Art, Artwork 2024, christmas

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Mural – Part III

On By MelIn Art, Artwork 2024, MuralsLeave a comment

After the mess of the first round of photos (here are part I and part II) you must be curious how the whole thing actually turned out.

Well,… what do you think?

I didn’t notice that the photo turned out a bit blurry when I took them because the sun was blinding. So the pictured are just as unfocused and random as the mural itself….

Mural finished_Melanie Franz

Mural – Part II

On By MelIn Art, Artwork 2024, Murals1 Comment

How it started (go here for part I), how it’s going.

The only request I had for the mural, was to put a horse in it.

I went in with zero plan or structure because I wanted to put paint on the wall. Realized the paint is shit and with no plan it will be going no where so I started sketching out the scene on paper after all. The sketch turned out quite nice. Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of it.

So what followed was a second round of “sketching it out” directly with paint.

Hello Mr Aerial Fox

On By MelIn Art, Artwork 2024, EtsyLeave a comment

It was about time for him to make a come back… Let’s call it my Inktober contribution.

Find the printable version here. And a selection of all aerial foxes here.

From this…

Aerial fox _ Inktober_Melanie Franz

to this…

Aerial Mr Fox ink drawing _Melanie Franz
Aerial Mr Fox ink drawing _Melanie Franz

Life is better upside down

On By MelIn Art, Artwork 20243 Comments

It’s been a month since I was on a hoop. I was forced to take a break due to a pulled arm muscle. Patience is not one of my strengths, but I am trying to be smart this time and not make it worse. So I have been doing the next best thing, drawing Mr Fox the aerialist. It has been a while since he has made an appearance.

Wanna hang with me?

On By MelIn Art, Artwork 2024, Illustration, inktober1 Comment

Here is the almost finished opossum. I haven´t been hanging upside down for almost a month now due to an elbow injury , but I might attempt going back to aerial hoop this week to start with some easy training again.

Anyone else here who likes to hang upside down?

What animal would you like to see next?

What are you doing?

On By MelIn Art, Artwork 2024, Etsy2 Comments

Yes, what am I doing? For being a professional project manager, my art projects are currently all over the place in different stages of progress….
Instead of focusing on finishing my book, I get distracted by animal drawings and designs for Etsy….