INKtober 2015, Day 25!

INKtober 2015, Day 25: Fight Prep
5x8 Derwent Inktense on cold-pressed watercolor paper

Rough sketch compared to character studies from July.

I love drawing Kritchpaw. Now I need to catch up for poor Maubork and Tailscuff!

INKtober 2015, Day 23, Drawing 3!

INKtober 2015, Day 23 (3): Gravity's Angel
5x8 Derwent Inktense and acrylic ink on cold-pressed watercolor paper

Sketchbook studies made to improve composition.

A companion piece of sorts to "Cleansed in Silence." I want to remake it with tighter composition; I'm thinking something inspired by the late great Sergio Toppi, whose work I just recently discovered.

Another drawing with a fairly extensive playlist:

"Gravity Eyelids" - Porcupine Tree
"Into Dust" - Mazzy Star
"Black Celebration" - Depeche Mode
"Bring Me Back A Dog" - IAMX
"Province" - TV On The Radio
"No Maker Made Me" - IAMX
"Angel" - Massive Attack
"Roll Call" - Peter Murphy
"Shake Me" - Matthew Dear
"Cold Warning" - Gary Numan
"I'm With Stupid" - Pet Shop Boys

INKtober 2015, Day 23, Drawing 2!

INKtober 2015, Day 23 (2): Cleansed in Silence
5x8 Derwent Inktense and acrylic ink on cold-pressed watercolor paper

A rough sketch that turned into a decent finished piece. I adore Derwent Inktense pencils, but I don't use them nearly as much as I should. Inktense pencils are water soluble ink pencils. You can use them dry, but they yield stunning, vibrant colors when used with water.

I like this piece because I approached it the same way I approach sketches: perfection doesn't matter.

The playlist for this drawing is as follows:

"Cold" - VNV Nation*
"Cold" - Tears For Fears
"Rain Falls Down" - Assemblage 23
"Cars (Hybrid Version)" - Gary Numan
"Enjoy the Silence" - Depeche Mode
"Legion (Janus)" - VNV Nation
"Complacent" - Assemblage 23
"Psychobabble" - Frou Frou
"Sleep Together" - Porcupine Tree*
"Enjoy" - Bjork*

* How appropriate that some of Anne's themes popped up. VNV Nation's "Cold" is one of the most prominent among them: All I am and all you see / Is all I will and ever be.

INKtober 2015, Day 23, Drawing 1!

INKtober 2015, Day 23 (1): Lily in Ink and Waterbrush
5x8 acrylic ink on cold-pressed watercolor paper

Something a little different: I used a Niji waterbrush dipped in ink to create this portrait of Lily. With more practice, I think I could make some nice line art!

INKtober 2015, Day 20, Drawing 2!

INKtober 2015, Day 20 (2): Lily sketch
5x8 brush and ink on cold-pressed watercolor paper

Quick sketch of Lily. Meant as a warm-up along with Rant, but they were the only two drawings I made that night. 

INKtober 2015, Day 20, Drawing 1!

INKtober 2015, Day 20 (1): Rant sketch
8x5 brush and ink on cold-pressed watercolor paper

Just what it says: a quick sketch of Rant. I don't draw him nearly enough!

INKtober 2015, Day 19, Drawing 2!

INKtober 2015, Day 19 (2): Imprisoned
13x17 brush and ink on cold-pressed watercolor paper

One of the largest ink drawings I've made. I want to take it further with crisper lines and colors, but I quite like the roughness of it. Lily's pose more clearly shows weight in the sketch; I may need larger paper or a different orientation to fully capture it if I redo this piece.

INKtober 2015, Day 19, Drawing 1!

INktober 2015, Day 19 (1): Shame
9x12 brush and ink on stipple paper

Based on older sketches, this drawing represents Paranoid's vulnerability to introspection.

INKtober 2015, Day 18!

INKtober 2015, Day 18: Fight back, Brother
8x5 acrylic ink on cold-pressed watercolor paper

Sketchbook page drawn January 2, 2013.

Slack-jaw is grossly underrepresented in my drawings. She's like a sister to Depravity; though unrelated, they're outcomes of the same project. Despite her place in life, Slack-jaw is undaunted and optimistic, and speaks nothing but encouragement (and gentle reprimand) to Depravity.

As her name suggests, Slack-jaw's mouth is always partially open. She is a Tibetan mastiff x Leonberger cross.

INKtober 2015, Day 17, Drawing 2!

INKtober 2015, Day 17 (2): Disappearing
8x10 brush and ink on Kona Classic paper

there's no love where there is no love

we are helpless helpless

I will find a way to make you say the name of your forgiver

Drawn while listening to "Disappearing" by Peter Murphy, "Helpless Helpless" by Camouflage, and "Dislocated Day" by Porcupine Tree. The lyrics above are excerpted from each song in succession.

Under different circumstances, Anne could have been the perfect mentor to Finch. This is not the case.

INKtober 2015, Day 17, Drawing 1!

INKtober 2015, Day 17 (1): Wildcat Screech
approx. 7x11 brush and ink on smooth bristol paper

Quick brush and ink drawing created to the songs "Kingdom" by Dave Gahan and "Infected" by The The.

INKtober 2015, Day 16, Drawing 3!

INKtober 2015, Day 16 (3): Kneel at the Feet of the Choices You Make
9x12 technical pen / brush and ink on stipple paper

Draft compared to sketchbook page drawn last year.

00 Rapidograph used for Anne's hair.

Title borrowed from Massive Attack's song, "Bulletproof Love" (also called "Flat of the Blade").

There's a discrepancy in the lyrics that I can't seem to solve. They could be "Kneel at the feet..." or "Kneel at defeat at the choices you make." Either is appropriate to Finch's situation. This scene occurs 11 years prior to the start of Brainsick. Finch is 18; Anne is 38.

Sketched on the 15th, inking begun; finished on the 16th.

INKtober 2015, Day 16, Drawing 2!

INKtober 2015, Day 16 (2): Bittersweet Nostalgia
approx. 7x11 brush and ink on smooth bristol paper

It has yet to reach a finalized design, but this oak tree holds a significant place in Paranoid's heart.

INKtober 2015, Day 16, Drawing 1!

INKtober 2015, Day 16 (1): Paranoid studies
9x12 brush and ink on stipple paper

Quick brush and ink studies of Paranoid implementing some dry brush.

INKtober 2015, Day 15, Drawing 2!

INKtober 2015, Day 15 (2): Control
9x12 pen and ink on stipple paper

Sketchbook pages drawn June 6, 2012 (left) and April 20, 2014 (right).

Inspired by the eponymous VNV Nation song. Straight inks on stipple paper. 

Paranoid suffers another encounter with his human doppleganger...

INKtober 2015, Day 15, Drawing 1!

INKtober 2015, Day 15 (1): Tell Me Why
9x12 brush and ink on stipple paper

Tell me why I:

Cannot distinguish

(Reason extinguished)

Cannot cope

(Loss of hope)

Cannot feel

(Unwilling to heal)

Cannot fight

(Wrong is what's right)

Written May 7, 2008

Sketch compared to sketchbook drawing from last year.

Sketchbook page from Brain Drain 17.5

I was inspired to try dry brush after reading Greg Ruth's The Lost Boy. If you haven't heard of Ruth, do yourself a favor and check out his work!

My drawing is not fully dry-brushed; the darkest brushstrokes are wet ink. But I kept drawing until the ink began to run out, creating heavy textures. Relaxing and engaging!

INKtober 2015, Day 14!

INKtober 2015, Day 14: Threats Unseen
9x12 acrylic ink (dip pen) on smooth bristol paper

Sketchbook page drawn August 23.

Day 14 marked the departure from my uber-combination challenge and the return to my story-based drawings. I was getting stuck with my Drawlloween / 30 Day Monster Girl / Goretober prompts; this was a welcome change.

I'm not going to abandon the combo challenge entirely. I want to create ink drawings throughout the remainder of the year. INKtober shouldn't be the sole time I use ink!

Threats Unseen is a quick, rough drawing - and I was so happy to make it after overthinking most of my previous drawings for the month. Its sketchbook concept is one of my favorites.

INKtober 2015, Day 13!

INKtober 2015, Day 13: Bug Gams
7x11 brush pen on marker paper

Yup, my mind sank into the deep end of weirdness on this one. Woo!