Spooky Season - Free Colouring Page

There is Halloween candy in the grocery stores, the leaves are shedding, the days are getting shorter and shorter, I have pulled out my wool socks, and am contemplating the commitment to putting the dang fenders on my road bike. I love October… its the month of my first born, and I love the feeling of prepping to hunker down a little for the darker months. I am so grateful I am not going to spend the winter relentlessly checking the ‘Windy’ App and dreading the gusty pink bar and heavy rains that would make the boat toss, turn and drip for weeks. Those were the challenges of living aboard on the west coast in the winter months, and I am perfectly okay to let them go. Here in Vic, the weather is milder so camping, biking and hiking all year is doable… with a hot shower to come home to (I must be getting soft 🤣)!

October is also the month of Inktober, the daily Instagram drawing challenge that has been going on for a number of years. I have never quite made it to 31 as its a pretty hefty time commitment, but I may try this year (although I am busier with work so not sure if I can pull it off). I will post when I do, but don’t give me hard time if I find I have more fun things to do outside when I am not working because that just may happen.

Speaking of drawing, this months colouring page is something a little different. I do admit I like to geek out on the holiday stuff sometimes, and Halloween is no exception so a west coast version of Scooby Doo seemed fun. I could have easily made it more freaky, but for the sake of the kiddos out there I kept it light. Have fun!

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox when I occasionally send out a newsletter, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month (more like once every 4 haha)! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

Deep Sea Drift - Colouring Page

It is September already… what the heck!? Fall routines are around the corner… back to school shopping, fall sweaters, mushroom picking, and earlier sunsets. Tofitian’s are excited to be able to catch a breath after a busy tourist season once again. Even though I don’t work in the tourism industry per se, I still feel the pressure of everyone who does. Between keeping up with stock for the market and the shops that carry my work, and trying to remain creative while holding down the fort at home while Adam (who IS in the thick of the industry) is out on the water 10-12 hours per day can be a challenge. Not to mention clients needing work done, art shows, and holiday season preparation etc. Short stolen moments to enjoy the summer season in the form of a quick swim, beach walk, or ice cream cone is about all I got in this year… and now it is September.

Even though I love the temperatures in the summertime, fall IS my absolute favourite time of year. Cooler temperatures, wool sweaters and cozy socks. I get caught up on all my admin work, client projects and get to spend more time in the studio. I look forward to holiday preparation and if all goes well, may get an opportunity to enjoy the hot sunshine a couple of borders down. We’ll see…

So with school starting around the corner, here are some jelly fish (Moon Jellies, and Lion’s Mane jellyfish to be more specific) to colour. You’ll find it in the latest Tofino Time magazine too! Enjoy!

September Steller Sea Lions - Colouring Page

This summer has been a bit of a whirlwind and I cannot believe I am working on Septembers page already. I do apologies for August's LACK of page in Tofino Time. Between my brief holiday escape and some important articles that needed the space, I missed a month! No worry... back on track here. #tofinocolour

All Good Things Are Wild And Free

I have Salmon on the brain. It's inevitable at this time of year as Adam wakes up every morning before the crack of dawn to take guests out exploring Clayoquot Sound in search of Salmon, beach walking bears, whales, sea otters, bald eagles and other west coast critters. He loves to show people our back yard, and feels completely blessed that this is his 'work'. He comes home, all sun/wind or rain drenched and exhausted each day for about 90 days of the year, but still retains that enthusiasm to get up every morning during the season and introduce someone new to this beautiful place we are lucky enough to call home. This page is dedicated to him and all the other guides who put in the hours on the water, taking the time to educate people of the importance of protecting our coastline. If you are interested in donating to Salmon Enhancement Projects in Clayoquot Sound then please pop over to the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust and donate to the Clayoquot Sound Wild Salmon Fund.

In the meantime... Salmon may be varying versions of silver, but please feel free to colour my salmon with a little imagination in July's Tofino Time. #tofinocolour 

Celebrating Our Oceans - West Coast Colouring Page

World Oceans Day is coming up on June 8th, and it is a time to CELEBRATE our connection to the oceans no matter where we live. This months colouring page is inspired by just that. In the spirit of #oceanoptimism, I’d like to share what I LOVE about the ocean and why it is so important to me…

I have spent most of my life around or on the ocean and these are just some of the things that really stand out for me. The smell… all of them… even the stinky ones. The sound of eagles, wailing seagulls, whining crows, barking sea lions… even float planes and boats have a sound of people living and working on the sea. The excitement on small children faces as they fish off the dock for little perch. Fishing for and eating fresh caught wild salmon or cracking into Dungeness. Walking the beaches and watching the waves. Watching dogs race across the sand as they experience a true sense of freedom. Fond memories of sailing at night when pacific white sided dolphins come like rockets to a bow wake with phosphorescent fairy trails. The wind in my hair and the tangled mess it leaves behind. Paddle boarding in quiet bays where there are no people. Feeling the weather changes in the pressure of the air, and the water movement in the ebb and flow of the tides. Seeing whales jump and feed, or bears digging under rocks at the beach looking for snacks. Drawing ocean creatures and trying my best to capture the essence of them as best as I can (since I do not have gills of my own). Even my fair share of frightening moments on the ocean too… yet I come back for more. I feel so lucky to be living the life I have, and I have the ocean to thank for that.  

Whether we live on the coast or deep inland, the health of our oceans affects every one of us. Being aware of the value of our oceans and the current challenges that they face is our responsibility as human beings. With all the media out there talking climate change, ocean plastics, melting glaciers, oil spills and salmon farms it can be overwhelming. We can’t fix it all today, but we can pick one. Start with one. It is our responsibility to protect what we love and I feel the best way to do this is to inspire others to love and respect it too. I encourage all of you who haven’t seen the ocean, or who live deep within concrete walls to make a trip to the coast. It is the only true way to understand. It is only a matter of time before we reach the tipping point where little actions become normal behaviour and they impact the world in a positive way.  

Birds Eye View - Colouring Page

I always default on ocean themes, but after spending a week at an Island (and bird sanctuary) in Mexico I have started to appreciate birds just that much more. I always know spring is coming when I hear the Robins in the morning. At the docks, we see Gulls, Crows, Ravens, KingFishers, Barn Swallows, Herons, Bald Eagles and so many more that I don't even know the names of (my daughters birding buddies would be able to list them all off). Bald Eagles are significant in so many first nations stories and legends across BC, and I love that we are lucky to see healthy populations of them here in Tofino and Clayoquot Sound.   

Feel free to download May's colouring page (a little early treat). It will also be in May's Tofino Time magazine. Enjoy! :)