Monica McFawn

Art

monicamcfawn

River the Tiger escaped from the Passages North ba

River the Tiger escaped from the Passages North back cover to remind you to submit to the Elinor Benedict Poetry Prize and the Ray Ventre Memorial Nonfiction Prize by April 15! Winning authors will receive a $1000 prize and publication in the print issue of Passages North. See the Passages North website for full details ✨🐅✨ #tigerart #mixedmedia #literarycontest #passagesnorth #markerart #paperart #colorpop

Clarice the magical elk/deer breaks through. Isn’t the ice beautiful? I felt a flicker of joy when I saw she could stand in this melting shattering puddle. I’ve had such a difficult couple months with my mental and physical health, and signs of healing are slow and far between. The fact that this bit of paper in a puddle could still enchant me...I’m going to hold onto that. #paperart #watercolor #copicmarkers #enchanted #magicalcreatures #depression #livingwithanxiety #chronicillnesslife

I finally felt good enough to stop by school and p

I finally felt good enough to stop by school and pick up the latest issue of Passages North! I’m honored to have my cover art appear and I’m floored at the lovely writing in this gorgeous volume! Thanks as always to Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Howard @jferhow and Managing Editor Audrey Bauman @haylin42 for collaborating with me on the design. My tigers are very happy with their new home 🐅🐅❤️ @passagesnorth #litmag #coverartwork #passagesnorth #tigerart #bookcover #litmagsofinstagram

I haven’t posted in a while because I wanted to

I haven’t posted in a while because I wanted to wait until I felt better. I thought I’d post these horses I drew on scratch paper as part of a series: “stuff I drew while I was sick”. But I’m still not well...and if I wait until I am it looks like I’ll have months of backlogged drawings...so here’s something from when I first started getting symptoms, when working in rainbow scratch paper was easier that getting out the markers or the paint. I had no idea then how much of a struggle I would have getting my health back. I’m getting better, but I keep having flare ups that take days to recover from. I’m struggling so much with the sense that I’m taking too long to get better, that I’ll never be better, that every flare up is permanent. I’ve decided to force myself to draw and post, because drawing reminds me that things can look bad and then turn out okay, that a problem can become something beautiful, and that drawing & healing are both long games...neither horse I drew here is perfect, but they both represent increments of improvement. I’m trying to look for the increments in my healing rather than the leaps. #horseart #healing #creativeprocess #chronicillness

Happy Valentines’ Day from Mica and Dawn! I’m

Happy Valentines’ Day from Mica and Dawn! I’m a little hesitant to post these watercolor images since I’m still a beginner and it shows. But @sailordn bought me these paints and has always inspired me to try new things, through both his encouragement and example. He started improv, comedy and acting when he was 50ish, and he’s as amazing as someone who’s been at it their whole lives. I feel honored to have him as a life and creative partner & look forward to many more years of creative arguments and laughter. (PS do you see the ❤️ in this image?) #valentinesday2021 #valentine #bemine #unicorns🦄 #unicornart #missionwatercolors

Patch the Ant readies his boat for spring sailing.

Patch the Ant readies his boat for spring sailing. I’ve had a rough month with being sick (notcovid), but I’m finally—albeit slowly—coming back. Feeling good enough to draw was one of the first signs I was getting better. I’ve been learning watercolor and this is an all-watercolor mini-painting. I like the thought of a little wooden boat cleaving through grass with Patch as captain. #watercolorpainting #stuartsemplepalette #bugart #comebackstronger #missionwatercolors #antart #ants

Bing and Kite greet each other on a snowy day. To

Bing and Kite greet each other on a snowy day. To avoid doom/stress scrolling, I set myself a new task: draw animals I don’t know well without googling any reference pics. Let them turn out inaccurate and silly, that’s the fun of it. This is what my brain thought a platypus looked like 🤣What unusual animals should I try next? #illustrationartists #scbwiillustrators #platypus #duckart #duckbill #markerart #inaccurateart #imaginationvsreality #shinhantouchmarkers #prismatic

Seasons Greetings from Rudolf the Rednose Snaildee

Seasons Greetings from Rudolf the Rednose Snaildeer! #seasonsgreetings #happyholidays #wintery #snailart #rudolph #rudolphtherednosedreindeer #markerart #papercrafts #snowflakes❄️

I drew Dotti the Otter on a day I received a reje

I drew Dotti the Otter on a day I received a rejection from an artistic opportunity. Just like the crow from a few posts back, Dotti ended up looking cheerful even though I felt anything but when I drew her. I think it’s interesting that my visual art seems less an outlet for my emotions than a counterbalance. Or perhaps it’s just because ✨otters✨ They are seriously fascinating. Did you know they have skin pockets in their arm pits where they carry food and rocks (to crack open mollusks)? I carry my wallet in my armpit often so I relate. Follow @friendsseaotters for more delightful otter facts (plus great videos and captions) and opportunities to help endangered otters and their habitats. #seaotter #scbwiillustrators #scbwimichigan #wildlifeconservation #seamammals #marinemammals #rejectionisredirection

They stole Georgia from her but they won’t the s

They stole Georgia from her but they won’t the steal the country💙❤️🇺🇸 Thank you Stacey Abrams. #election2020 #electionday #staceyabrams #bidenharris2020

Allow me to distract you with a snail discovery. 🐌🤩🎉#waitforit #snailsofinstagram #moosnail #newspecies

Just a quick drawing of That Woman from Michigan,

Just a quick drawing of That Woman from Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, on this voting day. Vote for a world where women leaders can do their jobs without threats of violence. Vote for a world where humane, humble, evidence-based leadership is valued over vitriol, violence and grandstanding. Vote for healing, vote for hope, VOTE. 💙🗳💙🌎💙#election2020 #biggretch #bidenharris2020 #bluewave2020 #governorwhitmer #voteblue2020 #thatwomanfrommichigan #wegotthis

And here’s Dada, another gorgeous Snailelphant o

And here’s Dada, another gorgeous Snailelphant out for a stroll 😻 #snailart #surrealart #magical #elephantart #spiral #picturebookillustration #snailshell #childrensbookillustration #scbwiillustrators

Say hello to Rene the Snailephant 🙂 I’ve been m

Say hello to Rene the Snailephant :) I’ve been making snail-mash up creatures when I’ve been stressed (so there are more where she came from.) She makes me happy 🤩 #snailart #elephantlove #elephant🐘 #paperart #cutpaper #photography #lakesuperior #markerart #childrensbookillustration #scbwiillustrators #picturebookillustration

Meet Demon on the Davenport™️ Halloween’s an

Meet Demon on the Davenport™️ Halloween’s answer to Elf on a Shelf,i.e. something I made while missing Halloween season from The Before Times. Kinda cute, huh? 🎃😈👻 #quarentinehalloween #halloween #demononthedavenport #inventinghashtags #friendlydemon #demonicamcfawn #halloween2020 #elfontheshelf

A little drawing I made several weeks ago. One of

A little drawing I made several weeks ago. One of my goals after attending the #scbwisummerspectacular is to draw more people (and not just faces). I’m going to call her Claudette. What do you think she’s thinking here? 🤔 #illustrationartists #drawingoftheday #selftaught #zigcleancolorrealbrush #zigcleancolor

“My story is hopeful. It leads one to be optimis

“My story is hopeful. It leads one to be optimistic about the future. What’s the difference between a bookkeeper in the garment district and a Supreme Court justice? One generation.” Thank you Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. For the work. For the hope. #ruthbaderginsburg #justiceginsburg #mayhermemorybeablessing #mayhermemorybearevolution

Portrait I made of Fritz, my friends @ssaschris an

Portrait I made of Fritz, my friends @ssaschris and @bryanpazyk gorgeous dog. It was challenging to get his unique markings just right, but I’m pretty happy with the result. #dogportrait #petportraitartist #petportrait #zigckeancolorrealbrush #bicoloreyes #illustrationoftheday #dogsofinstagram #touchmarkers #copicmarkers

Gracine the Toad disappeared after I cut her out a

Gracine the Toad disappeared after I cut her out and posed her in a bouquet (swipe left to see the last sighting of her). Seems to happen increasingly since Covid began...whether that’s because I’m more stressed and absent minded or because my drawings are becoming sentient, I just can’t say. Either way, I wish Gracine the best and hope to see her again one day ❤️🐸 #paperanimals #paperanimalsinaction #toadlove #toadart #toad #coviddiaries #ifyoulovesomethingletitgo #quarantinelife #markerartist #sentientart #sentientbeings

Three Belugas—Spindle, Lucinda and Gage—wish y

Three Belugas—Spindle, Lucinda and Gage—wish you a Labor Day free from work. Belugas are highly expressive, cooperative and playful. They can swim backwards and change the shape of their heads by blowing air around the sinuses. Also known as the Sea Canary for their varied and ever evolving vocalizations, Belugas have even been known to copy human speech. A captive Beluga named Noc mimicked the word “out” and tricked a diver into leaving his tank (since the diver thought a person was telling them to leave). Be like Noc and don’t be afraid to set boundaries for your piece of mind. ❤️🐳 #labordayweekend #happylaborday #belugawhale #belugaart #whaleart #touchmarkers #markerart #worksonpaper #seacanary #personalboundaries #worklifebalance

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