Drawings and Stuff

Hi! My name's Diane. I'm a mechanical engineer who likes to draw for fun.

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Meet Mina the Gentle! I finished this little one weeks ago and only just recently took her out for her photo shoot. She’s made of chenille yarn and is just the softest thing ever.

As all my mushrooms are, made using the mushroom sprite pattern book by @craftyintentions.

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I have made a unicorn! This is a test for a Christmas present. I modified the cow pattern by @crochetedbybogusia (on Instagram) and am very pleased with how it turned out. The pattern calls for DK yarn but I’m really hoping to use some chenille for the body (white chenille, pray for me), so I used worsted and it came out Large. I have some modifications for the final including making the snout a little less oval and maybe making the mane longer, but overall I think this test turned out great! I also love that the mane can flop back and forth.

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My latest mushroom friend, Mosscap the Bashful. Again from the @craftyintentions pattern book, but I went a little rogue. I modified the arm pattern to make them just the length I wanted, and used a cap pattern that isn’t designed to go with this body type.

I made this one using yarn from my mom’s stash and I loooove how the speckles look! And that teacup (made by @supernova_revenant and @cutlass.king on Instagram) ended up being just the perfect size. There are like 8 rocks in each leg so they can free stand. I need to see if I can find some stronger magnets for future use though, the ones I used just barely hold through the crochet.

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I made a snail, also from @craftyintentions pattern book! This is the smallest of 3 sizes and its body is still about as long as my hand. One day I’ll work up to the big one. But I do really love the wiggly eyes of this little guy.

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Meet Cornflower the Studious, a diligent scholar of the magical arts.

This is another mushroom from @craftyintentions mushroom sprite pattern book, made with input from my husband @commanderjim. This one was a lot faster to crochet!

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Meet Puck the Adventurous, firstborn. He has already gone on so many adventures!

I got a new pattern book for Christmas and have been going hard at the crochet ever since. The is from @craftyintentions book Crochet Snails & Mushroom Sprites. The colorwork in the cap was entirely unnecessary and took way longer than a normal cap but I love how it came out. I also made him a little bag based on the saddlebag pattern with an added detachable strap (featuring a Larry pin by @auds.oddities (on Instagram) which was the perfect finishing touch).

Check out below the cut (if I did it right) to see a fun comparison between my Christmas 2024 and Christmas 2025 crochet projects.

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Drawtober Prompt 6: Enchanted Masquerade

The forest felt much, much older on the far side of the river. Beatrice started to catch glimpses of other figures moving through the trees, and lively voices floating on the breeze. Then she noticed bonfires further on, burning in a rainbow of colors. “Ooh, this one’s perfect!” exclaimed the princess before she darted forward to snatch something off of a nearby tree, and then ran off towards the bonfires. That brought Beatrice’s attention to the hundreds of masks that seemed to sprout from the trunks of the trees. “I think I shall be something else tonight,” said the toad as he selected a mask that looked like an owl’s head. Then he, too, hopped off to join the revelry. Beatrice looked at the many options and found herself drawn to a mask that almost seemed to be made of ivy leaves. The fairies chittered in approval and began to flit around her in excitement. The Messenger bowed as she glanced back at it, urging her on. So she put on her mask and went to the nearest bonfire, and was quickly swept up in the dance. It wound through the trees and around the fires, full of laughter and merriment, with all manner of creatures wearing all manner of masks. Beatrice did not know how much time passed but she danced until her legs were too wobbly to stand on. So she lay down on a cushion of moss and swiftly fell asleep with a smile on her face, listening as the revelers continued on with their masquerade dance.

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Beatrice woke in the garden of her grandmother’s house just as dawn was breaking. She lifted her head from a pile of dry ivy leaves and shook the dew from her coat. “Just a dream..?” she whispered to herself. But it was a good dream, and her heart felt lighter for it. She stuck her hands into the empty pockets of her coat to warm them up. And as she turned to head inside, a small bottle partially filled with pearlescent dust swung from a cord around her neck.

I managed to finish on time despite just completing another 24 hours of travel! I hope you all enjoyed Beatrice’s story.

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Drawtober Prompt 5: Troll Toll

The Messenger continued on through the forest, trailed by Beatrice and the fairies, the toad, and the princess. After a time they came across a river spanned by a tall stone bridge. Before they could cross, a large shadowy figure stepped out from under the bridge and blocked their way. In the glow from the Messenger’s candles, this shadow resolved into the imposing figure of a troll. He held out his hand expectantly. “Oh dear,” said the toad. “I forgot about the toll, and my pockets are empty.” The princess pouted. “Well don’t look at me, this dress doesn’t even HAVE pockets.” Beatrice dug through her coat for all the useful items she had left: a skeleton key, two tortoiseshell buttons, and a shiny-smooth river rock. She held everything out towards the troll. He considered these offerings for a moment before swiping everything from her hand with a satisfied nod, and then slowly ambled back under the bridge. The way was now clear. “Well done, you didn’t even need to wait for change!” exclaimed the toad. The Messenger stepped out onto the bridge, and Beatrice followed excitedly. She could tell their journey was almost at an end.

A day late again. Work trips make drawing challenges extra challenging.

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Drawtober Prompt 4: Spellbound Princess

As the small party followed along behind the Messenger, Beatrice wondered where they would end up next. She didn’t have long to wait. They soon found themselves standing in front of a cozy-looking hut, and the Messenger did not look inclined to move on. “Ah, this cottage belongs to the Princess of the Forest. Of course she must join us.” The toad stepped forward to knock on the door. “Come in!” cried a voice from inside. The toad opened the door and he and Beatrice stepped inside. The cottage was filled with stacks of books, and they found the Princess lounging belly-down among them on a bed of moss. She was far younger than Beatrice expected, elegantly dressed in a spider silk gown and crowned with fiery autumn leaves, and entirely spellbound by the book in front of her. “I can’t leave, I just got to the best part! And I don’t even have a bookmark to save my place.” The toad hopped from foot to foot in agitation and whispered, “Oh this won’t do! The Princess of the Forest must attend, its tradition!” The fairies chittered in agreement. Beatrice thought a moment, then dug around in her coat pocket. She pulled out a short length of shiny ribbon, black as night, and draped it over the book. The Princess let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine, I’ll get my shoes.” A few minutes of searching around the book stacks later and the ever-growing troupe was on its way again.

A day late, but that’s what happens when you deal with 24 hours of international travel.

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Drawtober Prompt 3: Mushroom Fairy

The toad told Beatrice all about his favorite stars as they walked arm in arm behind the Messenger. Beatrice was so engrossed that she didn’t notice the steadily increasing quantity of mushrooms until they were quite literally everywhere. Sprouting up from the moss, among the ferns, over fallen logs, and from the living tree trunks all around them. And among the field of mushrooms flitted large, slender-winged bugs—no, fairies! Beatrice gawped as the small creatures zigzagged through the air, darting close in curiosity before zipping away again. She did not stop gawping until they came across a woman sitting on a mossy rock. She oddly looked both old and young, and somehow not human at all, though Beatrice couldn’t quite tell how. “Oh, it’s you.” The woman’s soft voice had a strange echo, as if it was made of many small voices all speaking together. “I am far too tired to dance this year, and my children cannot go without a chaperone.” She looked about sadly at the flitting fairies. Then she noticed Beatrice, and her gaze sharpened. “You. Will you take them to dance?” Beatrice gawped again, then nodded enthusiastically. She was suddenly surrounded by a whirlwind of wings as a half dozen fairies settled on her head and shoulders with excited chitters. The woman smiled. “Here, take this. May it protect them…and you.” She offered Beatrice a small glowing mushroom. Beatrice stuck her hand into her coat pocket and fished out a glass bottle on a string—useful thing indeed—and gently placed the mushroom in the bottle before putting it around her neck. The Messenger had already continued some way into the trees and Beatrice ran to catch up, careful not to dislodge any of her passengers.

Man, October is going by so fast! And these stories are getting progressively longer…

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Drawtober Prompt 2: Toad Astrologer

Beatrice followed the Messenger through the trees, the glow from its candles lighting her way. Its bony joints clacked gently in the quiet of the night. After a time they came to a clearing, where Beatrice saw an exceptionally large, impeccably dressed toad muttering excitedly to himself. He was hopping around a small brass telescope on a tripod, so distracted with making adjustments that he startled when they approached. “Ah, the Messenger! The stars are so perfectly aligned I entirely lost track of the time. Come, would you like to see before I pack everything away?” The toad gestured at the telescope and Beatrice stepped forward eagerly. Upon closer inspection, the brass body of the telescope was intricately engraved. Beatrice put her eye to the glass and the stars jumped into focus, bright and colorful as an impressionist painting. They flickered and danced like no stars she had seen before. “The Dancer constellation is in rare form tonight, you don’t normally get a performance like that.” The toad began to fold up the telescope and pack it in a case. “And nothing better to see it with than this—a family heirloom it is. I’m a 5th generation astrologer, wouldn’t you know? But now, we best be off!” Beatrice took the toad’s offered arm with a smile, and they continued into the woods.

VERY proud of how this turned out. And it didn’t take very long, thank goodness!

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Drawtober Prompt 1: Candlelit Messenger

Beatrice stood in the darkened garden, waiting. Maybe she was crazy, but they were selling the house soon and this was her last chance. Her grandmother had often told her stories about the woods behind the house and the strange things that could happen there on All Hallow’s Eve. So she stood, in the dark and the cold, waiting. She had put on her sturdiest boots and filled her coat pockets with useful things just in case, but the longer she waited, the sillier she felt. Maybe they were just stories after all. But just as she was about to turn away, she noticed a faint glow through the trees. As she watched, the glow grew brighter, until a skeletal deer stepped out of the woods. Its great antlers were topped with candles—just as her grandmother described. This was the Candlelit Messenger, come to guide her on her journey.

I’ve been very tired lately so I’m doing things a little different this year. Instead of full illustrations, I’m going to draw items from Beatrice’s little story.

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Another thing I’ve done this year is get into crochet. I got a couple woobles kits for Christmas and as soon as I finished those I immediately started drafting my own cat patterns. Once I perfect the body shape I have at least 3 other amigurumi projects I want to tackle. 🙃

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Whoops, it’s almost October and I have posted literally nothing all year. I guess this is what happens when you plan a wedding and get burned out. 🙃

I made a ton of signage for the wedding, the welcome sign being my masterpiece (progress shots under the cut). I also designed a wax seal-style logo that I turned into a hand-carved stamp (also under the cut), and stickers that we used on our wedding favor tags.

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Drawtober 2024 Prompt 6: Monster

“Mashford Market does Monster Mondays. It’s kind of like Senior Sunday, but for the folks who don’t like drawing attention from the more ‘average’ customers. Mr. Wolfe always comes in on Mondays. You’d think he would be used to it, being a circus star and everything, but I guess even celebrities can get tired of the stares.”

(Whoo, I did it! 😮‍💨 This month was a little rough with everything else I had going on but it was definitely fun to reuse characters from previous Drawtober challenges. They officially all belong to the same universe now! Happy Halloween!)

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Drawtober 2024 Prompt 5: Ghost

“Every once and a while we’ll get some ghosts in the store. The older ones often need a bit of extra help, getting familiar with more modern products. The baking mixes are usually a big hit.”

(3 days to draw up the last one 😱)

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Drawtober 2024 Prompt 4: Undead

“The local zombies have found that ground beef makes a pretty reasonable substitute for brains. Unfortunately they sometimes get a little…excited, and forget to take their meal outside the store.”

(Managed to gain a day despite being sick 🥲)