INKtober 2014, Day 31!

Day 31: GIMME DA PUM'KIN

6x8 acrylic inks on Strathmore Mixed Media paper

Happy Halloween!

Here's something quick and silly to wrap up INKtober 2014. Rather than keep my major inked works confined to one month, I need to keep making them throughout the year. Stay tuned!

INKtober 2014, Day 30!

Day 30: Headcages

9x12 acrylic inks on Canson Montval watercolor paper

Title inspired by a Matthew Dear song ("Headcage"). I used to create a lot of 'word collages' in high school and college, when I was exploring the various styles I could use for Brainsick. It's a reboot of sorts for this piece:

12x9 Prismacolor markers and acrylic ink on bristol paper (2012)

This piece is from my little-used Strathmore Visual Journal. I first posted it here: Visual Journal: Splash page and first page!

Text for the new piece is generalized for the story, but also includes lines from Chapter 12.

INKtober 2014, Day 29!

Day 29: Best Left Unanswered

6x9 acrylic inks on Canson Montval watercolor paper

Liquitex Professional Acrylic ink! + watercolor paper + pen and ink = pure artistic relaxation.

Pieces like this one help me visualize the abstract portions of Brainsick. Perhaps this is what Paranoid experiences when he's hallucinating.

INKtober 2014, Day 28!

Day 28: Tyto viridis

5x7 acrylic ink on Stonehenge paper

A quick ink painting using a color I mixed myself. It had been sitting around long enough that it had partially solidified; I found what looked like plastic wrap on my brush tip.

No planning, just painting. Highly relaxing and a great way to finish up my small Stonehenge pad.

INKtober 2014, Day 27!

Day 27: Tailscuff Fights

6x9 technical pen on Canson Montval watercolor paper

Since I've created many looser pieces this month, I wanted to return to my tight-inked roots.

This is sorta-companion piece to Kritchpaw Fights. My goal is to draw Tailscuff, Kritchpaw, and Maubork in one big interaction scene. Although he is a gentle giant at heart, Tailscuff packs more than his fair share of punches when provoked.

Just the lineart for now. I want to shade this the way I did with Kritchpaw and Maubork for last year's INKtober.

INKtober 2014, Day 26 BONUS!

Day 26: Garden in Black and Red

6x9 brush and ink on Canson Montval watercolor paper

A quick abstract painting I made to wind down after drawing "Teeth For Voices Lost."

INKtober 2014, Day 26!

Day 26: Teeth For Voices Lost

6x9 pen and ink on bristol paper

At long last, I've adapted a sketch I like into a finalized piece I like even more. Hurrah!

I considered adding a neutral background via ink wash, but I decided to fill the negative space with words signifying Paranoid's shifting states. I haven't made art quite like this for some time.

Sketchbook page drawn while listening to Porcupine Tree.

I accidentally smudged the inks, but I didn't want to start over.

INKtober 2014, Day 25!

Day 25: Gesarkhe

9x12 brush and ink on bristol paper

 I created Gesarkhe four years ago. She is Ersphe's shepherding assistant.

Gesarkhe can assume different forms to suit her needs. Her design is a cross between a barn owl and a snow leopard, abstracted into something ethereal.

Brush pen sketches showing possible markings.

Marker sketch I chose to adapt.

Older work:

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INKtober 2014, Day 24!

Day 24: Curse of the Eye

6x8 pen and ink / brush and ink on Strathmore Mixed Media paper

Gargoyles is one of my favorite shows. I was hooked on it as a kid, and after rewatching it late last year, I realized how well it holds up. "Eye of the Beholder" is a Halloween-based episode featuring were-Fox. October 24th marked the 20th anniversary of the show's premiere!

This drawing was referenced from a screenshot; Fox is jumping out a window.

I should have used a larger sheet of paper...

INKtober 2014, Day 23!

Day 23: Stupid Bunny Suit

6x9 walnut / acrylic ink on Canson Montval watercolor paper

Donnie Darko is one of my favorite films. I just watched it for the first time since high school and realized that I'd never drawn Frank the rabbit. This was a loose, quick painting and so much fun!

INKtober 2014, Day 22!

Day 22: Coffee Bliss

6x8 brush pen on Strathmore Mixed Media paper

Today was crappy for various reasons. I enjoyed a mug of coffee after work and it helped me relax. Maybe this little barn owl is enjoying her coffee for the same reason.

Rough sketch on left; original idea on right.

INKtober 2014, Day 21!

Day 21: Finch-Finch

6x8 pen and ink on smooth bristol paper

I needed to draw something stupid to make me feel better about my art. I believe it helped.

Rough sketch on left; scan with intact sketch lines on right.

INKtober 2014, Day 20!

Day 20: Big Head

5x7 pen and ink on Stonehenge paper

Big Head is a secondary protagonist in Brainsick. True to his name, he is egotistical, argumentative, and of daunting intelligence - but underneath it all, still a playful young cat. He's a Singapura mix.

Although his proportions are off, this was a fun little drawing. I don't draw Big Head often enough.

INKtober 2014, Day 19!

Day 19: Two Tigresses

9x12 acrylic ink on Crescent Rendr paper

I meant it when I said Lily would have more of a spotlight this year than she did last year.

Crescent Rendr paper is fantastic. Markers, ink, Sharpies, nothing shows through on the other side of the page (though I've learned that certain markers will discolor the pages after time). I've used three Rendr sketchbooks in the past couple years and look forward to using more. This was drawn on a pad with removable sheets.

 Sketchbook pages exploring Lily's proportions and stylization. Drawn in September.

Confession: this actually started out as Day 5's drawing. I sketched it in Prismacolor marker.

Inking begun on the 19th and finished on the 20th.

 Hiro 45 nib on left, Hunt 513EF on right.

I used Hiro 45 and 60 1/2 to ink this piece.

What the drawing looks like in person, sketch lines and all!