SPECTREGRAPH inspo: acrylic ghoulie

I recently read SPECTREGRAPH by James Tynion IV and Christian Ward (lettering by Aditya Bidkar), and GOOD GAWD is it gorgeous!

Since I was nursing a cold the last few days, I finally cozied up and devoured it in one sitting. If you dig horror comics or haunted house stories, please check it out. I was struck by Ward's compositions and use of color, so I pulled out my M. Graham watercolors and acrylic inks and had fun. <3

Began with a wash of Phthalocyanine Blue watercolor with Reflex Rose acrylic ink. For fun, I mixed Reflex Yellow with Turquoise for a lovely green hue. Inks are Amsterdam and Daler-Rowney FW.

I've had my M. Graham watercolors since college. Their binder is honey; you can leave these paints on a palette for years and they will easily re-wet! This was a good reminder to USE THEM MORE OFTEN. They're challenging, but I need to challenge myself artistically. I feel like I hit a plateau ages ago. Life Happens and all that jazz, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't explore or experiment!

UV reactive colors are a BLAST. I'd like to invest in a UV flashlight down the road for artwork and rockhounding. :D

I touched up my painting with Fluorescent Pink and Yellow Posca paint pens. Super easy way to break up shapes and add visual contrast!

Honestly, I'd loved how this gradation turned out—but those chompers were screaming for more contrast. XD Voila!

11" x 15" watercolor and acrylic inks on watercolor paper

*inhales* THIS WAS FUN TO MAKE AND I MISS HAVING FUN MAKING ART!!

I've struggled to connect with my art since dropping it as a career path. Turns out that monetizing creative outlets is a good way to potentially kill them. It's a self-perpetuating rollercoaster. In 2021, I drew / wrote / scribbled 1,057 sketchbook pages across multiple sketchbooks; mostly Brainsick-related scenes, journal entries, and AU shenanigans. I thought I was enjoying myself, but I was terrified of 'losing' my skills! 

(I did enjoy much of it, and writing things down is one of the easiest ways to un-jumble my brain, but it did little to nothing to ease my anxiety.)

In recognizing my mental trifecta of ADHD, autism, and OCD, I've had to teach myself that it's okay if it takes me longer to create / feel UP TO creating than what I was force-fed during college. "DRAW EVERY DAY OR YOU'RE NOT A REAL ARTIST!!" is bullshit. My head worlds grow with me; they're living, breathing entities, and I don't have to publish them to feel like I've accomplished something. I may not fully understand my own characters until I hear a certain song, read a particular book, or even experience something in life that mirrors their fictional lives.