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. 

INKvember 2016, #2: You Know Who Forever Belong To

INKvember 2016, #2: You Know Who Forever Belong To
9x12 technical pen, white gel pen, and gouache on Canson XL watercolor paper

Digital draft drawn December 6th, 2012.

Rough pencil sketch made to 'feel' the composition.

Poorly-lit reference selfies GO.

Fixed both Paranoid and Human Paranoid's faces.

Fixed Human Paranoid's legs using photos of people and sculptures as reference. 

Inking always begins with eyes and faces.

I wasn't satisfied with Human Paranoid's hand. Cut out faulty line with an X-Acto knife and lifted it from paper surface. One of the advantages of working on watercolor paper!

Hand looks better, though now it's too large.

DONE!

This illustration is inspired by the song "I Against I" by Massive Attack featuring Mos Def. It's long been a part of Paranoid's inspiration playlist.

I love using my technical pens on watercolor paper; its absorbency ensures rich, solid inks and high detail retention. After the craziness of Inktober, it was nice to spend four days finishing this piece!

INKtober 2016, Day 28!

INKtober 2016, Day 28: The Shepherd Waits
9x12 acrylic and walnut inks on Canson XL watercolor paper 

I love drawing the Faelbe - the lesser gods of my fantasy world - but I don't draw them nearly enough. The last time I drew Ersphe was for day 17 of Inktober 2013, my first Inktober run. But I accomplished one of my goals this year, which was to draw each of the Faelbe (the Five).

Ersphe's full name is Zouelram Ersphe, or Soul Shepherd.

INKtober 2016, Day 18!

INKtober 2016, Day 18: Comfort
9x12 acrylic and watercolor on Canson XL watercolor paper

A loose painting based off of an unused thumbnail for the first Inktober drawing of 2015!

INKtober 2016, Day 3!

INKtober 2016, Day 3: Specter of the Wood
9x12 mixed media on Canson Montval watercolor paper

Walnut ink added to tree-shapes.

The Black Mass is one of Paranoid's hallucinations. Seldom seen, it has a few standout appearances in the novel. I revamped its design earlier this year by taking elements from the earliest version - dating to 2005 - and combining them with more current forms. Happy with the result!

Coffee-stained watercolor paper with acrylic and walnut ink.

BRAINSICK: Elation

Elation
9x12 technical pen on Strathmore cold-pressed watercolor paper

Finished pencils!

Inking begins with my Pentel G-Tec-C.

My Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph technical pens!
Pentel G-Tec-C on far left.

Using my book of printed references as I ink!

Rapidograph #3 used to outline Lily's foreleg and paw.

Morning motivation: dynamic lighting!

Brainsick is not meant to be a 'happy' story. Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows. But god, did it feel amazing to draw something Brainsick-related that wasn't grim! (That's gonna revert by the time INKtober comes...)

Paranoid and Lily share a close brother-sister bond. Much of their interaction was inspired by my relationship with my brother, Cameron. Love you, Bub! :D