Inktober 2019: Reflections

Let's start off with a few notices:

• ALL of the illustrations from this year's Inktober have been scanned in, enhanced and uploaded to my website. You can see them here as well as over on my Instagram.

• ALL of the witchy pieces are available for you to buy as stickers, cards or prints on my Redbubble shop.

• If you want to know more about the art supplies I used, as well as information on my prompt list and inspiration, check out my last Blog Post. The only addition I made was for day 31; I used my Arteza Premium Gouache, and if you want to know what I thought about it check out my Inktober Instagram Story Highlight!

I don’t think I’ve been this productive in a while - it’s a good feeling!

I figured I'd start off with some quick-fire questions (mostly to prevent me rambling):

1. What's my favourite piece/s?
   Ancient Witch and Sea Witch are my two most favourite illustrations overall. They just make me smile and I love how they both turned out; I feel like every time I look at them I notice something new!

2. What's my least favourite piece/s?
   It’s a toss-up between Merchant Witch and Cat Witch. I just don’t think I executed either of these the way I wanted to - I think I could definitely do better.

3. What's been the biggest surprise?
   Probably the way that some of the pieces I thought would be the most difficult ended up turning out. Glitter Witch, Fire Witch and Autumn Witch were all pieces I was worried about because I didn’t know how I was going to make them work, and they actually ended up being some of the easiest and most fun illustrations to put together. I think the key here was simplicity and being creative with whatever medium I chose.

4. What's been the biggest lesson I've learned?
   That investing time at the beginning to really visualise the end result is a key component of planning. I’m a neurotic planner anyway, but this year I took the time to think about each of my captions, and which pieces I would film the process for, and which ones might take longer to work on due to the medium I chose - this saved me so much hassle overall because I knew my schedule was tailored to catering for these factors.

Overall, I'm really proud of what I've managed to achieve this year for Inktober. In case you haven't been following along over on Instagram, I went away to Cancun for a week in October, and so for most of this year I've been in two minds about whether or not to participate in the challenge at all. It was for my cousin's wedding and, if I'm honest, I really wanted to enjoy every second of the time I had with my family and completely disconnect from everything else. But the allure of Inktober was too much to resist and I decided, quite last minute, to bite the bullet and do it.

So, with the goal of trying to get the best out of both worlds, I spent the first 15 days of October illustrating all 31 pieces, including colouring, filming and editing most of the video footage. I made sure that I scheduled enough posts to cover the entire time I was away, plus the day after I got back, just to alleviate the pressure during the wedding/holiday.

Now, I won't say that this month hasn't been stressful. I pushed myself quite hard, I definitely zapped more energy from myself than I'd intended, and it certainly took its toll given that I’ve now got quite a bad cold. But I am really, really pleased that I committed to the work and have produced 31 illustrations that I'm really happy with. I'm also quite chuffed that I didn't miss an upload - I know it's not the be-all and end-all, but in the past I've had to play catch up at least twice and I can't quite believe I avoided that this year.

How have you found Inktober this year? Did you participate? How did you approach the challenge? If you didn’t take part this year, are you inspired to try in 2020? Let me know in the comments!

Thank you to everyone who has supported my work by liking, sharing, following and commenting - you’ve made this challenge extra special for me and I truly appreciate you all!

Don’t forget that you can find the full portfolio of illustrations here, and get stickers, cards and prints of them here!

Inktober 2019: Most Used Art Supplies

We’re about halfway through Inktober and I thought this would be a good time to talk about the art supplies I’ve been reaching for the most and how they’ve been delivering. I didn’t plan out a colour scheme or narrow down my tools the way I did last year, so it will be interesting to see if I use these consistently all the way to the end, or if I change things up in the next half of the challenge and opt for something different. I’m taking each piece as it comes and concentrating more on what works for that individual concept rather than worrying too much about making them all fit together. What’s interesting is that, despite this, there are patterns showing up that have created a cohesive look, and I hope I can continue that.

Here is my Prompt list for this year, in case you missed it over on my Instagram. The prompts themselves are courtesy of Juan Joltaire, but the art you see above is mine.

But I’ll be reflecting more when the challenge is over. For now, let’s take a closer look at the supplies I’ve been reaching for:

All of my sketching this year has been done with a standard 2B pencil, and I’ve used literally any eraser I’ve had to hand. I usually reach for a mechanical pencil, partly because of the convenience of not having to use a sharpener, but also because you can sketch far lighter lines that can be erased with less force, enabling your paper to stay relatively untouched. However, when I started doodling rough ideas in my sketchbook, I didn’t have one on me, and I’ve just ended up going with it.

I’m sorry I forgot to include a picture of the paper I’ve been using, but for reference it’s the Arteza 9”x12” Watercolour Paper. You can get a pack of 2, giving you 32 sheets in each which they claim you can use both sides of (I’m yet to put this to the test), and they’re fantastic value for money. I love this paper. It’s Cold Press, giving it a nice textured surface, weighted at 300 gm, and it works beautifully with watercolours, ink, gouache, markers and quite a few layers of water. It does start to buckle after a bit of wear and tear, which is pretty normal, but it does withstand a good amount of medium and I genuinely think it’s great for both beginners and more experienced artists. It’s made my Inktober a dream simply because it works so well with so many tools, so I can hop from markers to paint without needing to think it through too much.

I’m going to be painfully predictable here and mention some of the most famous and cult pens on the planet: Sakura Microns. I use the black ones, and mostly I’ve been reaching for 005, 01, 03 and 05. There isn’t much to say about these: they dry really quickly, they deliver really clean, satisfying lines, the ink lasts for quite a while (obviously this depends on how often you use them) and they mostly work well with other mediums. I’m not completely loyal to a particular brand when it comes to liners, mostly because I always want to keep trying new discoveries, but these are a favourite I know I can always rely on and come back to.

I’ve loved Jackson’s Indian Ink for years, so this was a no-brainer for me. All of the frame outlines, as well as larger areas of black are likely to be done with this ink. I’ve also diluted it down a couple of times for one or two pieces; it’s opaque, easy to work with, delivers every time and is available in different bottle sizes to suite you.

White ink can be a bit tricky; I’m still searching for a pot of it that works the way I want it to (more on that another day), but as I mostly use it for finer detailing and highlights, pens are the most convenient tool for me. I’ve used the Sakura Gelly Roll for years, and I’ve found that the larger nib sizes tend to deliver a more opaque line consistently, but overall they are good and do the job. However, this year I’ve discovered the Uni Ball Signo Broad Gel Pen, and I absolutely LOVE it! As the name would suggest, it does have a larger nib so it’s not great for really small detailing, but it’s perfect for outlines or details on a bigger scale. It’s smooth and opaque and really easy to use.

I only started getting into alcohol-based markers about a year ago, but I really do like the Winsor and Newton ProMarkers. I’m still not fantastic at blending, but they are such a fun and useful tool to have - especially for a challenge like Inktober where colours can really make the piece pop. I mostly use both skin tone sets - pretty much every single witch’s skin has been coloured with these - but the classic colours get used a lot too. They dry way faster than watercolours too, so I’ve reached for them more when I’ve been really pushed for time.

Buying the Arteza Real Brush Pens earlier this year has turned out to be one of the best decisions I could have made. I’ve used them so much for so many different things, and the colour range has made them invaluable for Inktober. I like that I can get a very precise line with the tip of the brush, but also use the whole thing to create full strokes. I’ve used them with water too, but that’s not really how I prefer to work with them - I’d rather use my watercolours, but that’s just my personal preference. I got the 48 set, but they’re available in sets both bigger and smaller.

I bought a set of around 12 Winsor and Newton Inks a few years ago at a WHSmith’s outlet, and these are the three remaining survivors! I couldn’t find the exact set I had, but the closest to it is their Henry Collection, which has 8 colours. This is a great way to try them out, and I’m so impressed that these have lasted as long as they have. I’ve used them in multiple illustrations so far this month, usually by diluting them down a little, or just applying them with a brush, and they’ve been a really fun asset. I also use them a lot in my sketchbook with my dip pen, and once this month is over I’m going to try to do more pieces like that because I find the process so relaxing.

Another purchase I’m super smug about making is the 6 Piece set of Metallic Inks that Liquitex do. It’s fantastic value for money and you get 4 metallic colours, a black and a white which, for me, makes up the perfect set. The bottles are really cool too - they each have a pipette that is super fun and convenient to use. Any gold, silver or bronze detailing or colours you can see are done with these and a brush - unless I’ve opted for a gel pen when I’ve had a tight deadline. These can be diluted for a magical wash of glitter, or built up to be really opaque and beautiful - I’m excited to do so much more with these!
BUT if you’d rather just by the colour you want on it’s own, you can get a look at all the shades here!

Pipettes are inexpensive and super handy, not just with wet mediums but also for random things, like watering a small cactus (don’t ask me how I know that). I’m putting together a post about the stranger tools I use day-to-day with my art, so if you’re interested in that - OR have any recommendations of your own to give me - make sure you leave me a comment below! I bought a multi-pack from Amazon ages ago and they’re still going strong. They’re great for wetting paints and brushes, diluting inks and, when used in reverse, siphoning excess water from an area.

My WHSmith Watercolour Tubes are still pretty new, and I’m still working out how to get the right amounf out without overdoing it, but they’ve been great for larger washes so far this month. I’ve always used palettes before now, so I’m still getting used to these, but I really love how pigmented these paints are, and they give such a beautiful finish to my illustrations.

I wish I could remember where my 12 Pan Watercolour Set is from - I’ve had it for so long that I can’t even remember how I got it! What I do know is that I adore it, and I’m sure you can tell that I’ve used it to death. The colours are still pigmented, easy to blend and work well together. This is usually my go-to for a lot of pieces, mostly because it’s familiar, but also because it has a great selection of colours. I’d really recommend something like this if you’re starting out with the medium, or just need something convenient to travel with. The most similar one I could find, based on images and reviews, is the Winsor and Newton Cotman Sketchers Pocket Box.

Another extremely convenient travel palette is this little beauty from Sennelier. It’s their Aqua Mini French Watercolour Set, and it contains 8 half pans with the shades:

• (574) Primary Yellow

• (675) French Vermillion

• (344) Cinerous Blue

• (314) French Ultramarine Blue

• (805) Phthalo Light Green

• (819) Sap Green

• (202) Burnt Umber

• (703) Payne's Gray

This palette is beautiful, and the quality of the paints is amazing. I love playing with this, and I’ve used it for a lot of my most favourite pieces. I’ve used it for a lot of the earthy tones this Inktober, and it’s delivered every time. My only wish is that the lid was clear on the other side so that there’s space within the palette to mix the colours. You can use the lid (and I do) but I’m never exactly sure about what the colour really looks like.

Inktober 2019, Day 3: Bog Witch

And so concludes the list of my most used supplies for Inktober so far! I hope you enjoyed it - I’ll be following up at the end of the month to see if I added anything new, or changed my mind about any of these along the way.

What are your go-to art supplies? Which tools have you been reaching for this Inktober? I’d love to know - let’s have a conversation in the comments!

If you enjoyed this post, please make sure you’re following me on Instagram to know when my next post will be up, and to see my work.
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Selu - The Goddess Challenge

I stumbled across Lyfe Illustration’s Goddess Challenge during my Inktober prep towards the end of last year, and I was so inspired by all of the Goddesses on her list that I couldn’t get the idea out of my head - I was itching to try it out for myself! However, I really can’t work a challenge month into my schedule right now without compromising the quality of the pieces, so I’ve decided to post one goddess a week for 31 weeks. With each post on my Instagram, you’ll get a corresponding blog post explaining the Goddess’s story, the culture she is from and my process in creating the piece. Every single goddess will be available to buy in my shop, and I will be working towards compiling a book together later in the year.

The first goddess on our list for this month's challenge is Selu and, like many deities across folklore, there are multiple versions of her story. She is recognised, revered and worshiped by nearly all of the Native American tribes, but she is generally associated with the harvest, wisdom, motherhood, hunting and magic. Depending on the tribe, her name can differ - although they all loosely translate to something along the lines of 'Corn Mother' or 'Corn Maiden'; the Aztecs recognise her as Chicomecoatl, whereas the Hopi call her 'Qocha Mana', and Selu is the Cherokee name, from the Tsalagi language. As I read more and more about her, my head was filled with images of a woman in a corn field, with really earthy colours and a calming, almost magical element, and to accompany my illustration I chose a story about her that incorporated all of those elements perfectly. 

As always, all of my sources are linked at the end of this post; in order to write my retelling I drew on multiple versions told by different people. If you know of a different version, please feel free to share it in the comments below 🙂  

Picture a world just after its Creation: untouched landscapes glittering with a magical purity that had never been seen before and has never been replicated since. It was unspoiled, perfect in every sense of the word, and had just become habitable for animals. The introduction of animals to such an environment caused some issues in how all of the elements balanced together, and an order had to be established in regards to hunting - a story we will revisit another time. After the animals came the humans, and according to the folklore, two of the earliest humans were Kanati, a man whose name meant 'The Lucky Hunter', and Selu which, as you already know, means 'Corn Mother'. Together, they shared a lucrative partnership: Kanati's prowess as a hunter ensured that they never went hungry, and it was Selu's job to prepare the meat he brought home. It is this link to Kanati that explains the associations between Selu and hunting. As the population had grown so rapidly due to humans hunting animals in the wild, a rule was put in place where families were only allowed to have one child, and Kanati and Selu were happy with their little boy. He, in turn, befriended a small boy in the village whom everyone referred to as 'The Wild Boy', and the two of them were often up to something mischievous together. On a side note, I still haven't found a name for their son, so if you happen to know what it is please let me know!

One day, the boys decided to secretly follow Kanati on his hunting expedition; they must have been extremely sneaky for a professional hunter to not notice them! They followed him through the forest until they came to a rocky formation, where Kanati skillfully moved the largest boulder to reveal a hidden cave. As they watched, still undetected, they saw an animal rush out into the path of a deadly arrow released by Kanati. 

Interests piqued, the boys returned to the cave the following day without Kanati, and after some struggling, moved the rock concealing its entrance. They hadn't realised that, within the cave, there were a plethora of different animals and they had essentially released them all back into the wild. Kanati, on his way to the cave for his routine hunt, encountered the escaped animals and realised that something disastrous had happened - when he ran into the two boys and heard their tale, his worst fears were confirmed. Sending them home, he tried to kill as many as he could before they all ran out into the world, but most of them had already escaped. Interestingly, this is how the Cherokee's explained the practice of hunting and why it is necessary.

Meanwhile, the boys returned home and told Selu what had happened. She told them to stay at home while she went to the storehouse, but of course they didn't listen, and it was whilst they were spying on her that they uncovered her big secret. Peeking into the storehouse, they saw that she had the ability to rub her stomach and produce corn, which she would fill baskets with. In some versions it is also stated that when she rubbed her sides she was able to produce beans. Now, in a couple of versions, it is the discovery of Selu's secret ability that leads to her death; often her in-laws or the villagers are so disgusted by where their corn is coming from that they accuse her of sorcery. It is thought that the cite of her burial will forever produce corn - in a few narratives she warns that the places where her corpse was rubbed or dragged are where corn will sprout from. In this particular tale however, things take a slightly different turn. 

Knowing her secret has been discovered, Selu and Kanati sit the boys down for a frank discussion: now that everything was out in the open they were destined to die, and a consequence of that would be that the boys would have to fend for themselves. The only possible alternative would be for them to drag Selu's body 7 times in a circle, and then 7 times over the soil in the circle, If the boys stayed up all night, a crop of corn would appear that morning. 

As I'm sure you can guess by now, the boys - who haven't been great at following instructions so far - didn't carry the instructions out properly. The consequence of this is that corn can only grow in certain places around the earth today, and it certainly doesn't appear overnight!        

I was so inspired by the magic in Selu’s story, and I instantly knew that I wanted a watercolour, galaxy-style sky surrounding her to encapsulate that. My brain also came alive with earthy tones, and they make up the majority of the piece. It’s not often I mix watercolours, inks and alcoholic markers, but I really love the way they work together. It was also a lot of fun to use masking fluid again - nothing is more satisfying than peeling that layer off in one go!

What do you think of my interpretation of Selu? Had you heard of her before? Have you done the Goddess Challenge yourself? Let me know your thoughts in the comments :)

Extra Links/Sources:

• https://www.pinterest.co.uk/puddlesofink/goddess-challenge-inspiration/ - My Pinterest board with Lyfe Illustration's prompt list (I'll be posting my own on my Instagram), and reference/inspiration images for every goddess in the challenge. I will be adding to it as we go along, so give it a follow if you're interested!

• https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/2012/08/12/goddess-selu/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_mythology

• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Corn-Mother

• http://www.orderwhitemoon.org/goddess/cornwoman/cornwoman.htm