SHOP
I have two new prints available in my INPRNT shop!
Ghost in the Garden
The Pumpkin Patch
They are both available as 8” x 10” prints and start at $15 plus shipping! Check it out!
COMICS
In case you missed it, here’s the comic from September!
The Ghost in the Garden was actually my 2nd comic for September too. It was time to do another single-panel comic, where I usually experiment with style and do an illustration with my comic characters. This was the first time I included just one character, but it was a lot of fun to just focus on a spooky scene for Ghost.
My single-panel comics are usually seasonal as well, so with Ghost as the character, Halloween made way more sense than just like Autumn. I was also taking a course on kawaii-style illustration at the same time. I really admire that style, but never know how to approach in my own work. So I thought it’d be fun to try for this comic, and it totally was! I really liked how it turned out!
ART
Obviously I managed to stay pretty busy in September. I am so excited to be doing illustration work again, and not just sketching all the time. I’m even managing to still do some sketching, like my breakfast sketches, while also working on my comics, and illustration projects. Usually I focus on one or other, so it’s nice to have more balance to do both — the practice and learning part, and the ideas and creating part!
Most of the work outside of my sketchbook has been digital. I do my first illustration drafts in my sketchbook, but the rest of the process has been in Procreate. So I’m kinda wanting do some illustrations in physical media too, like ink and acrylic markers. They are a little more intimidating, since they require a lot more planning in advance, since I can’t edit in the same way as I do digitally…
I did some breakfast sketches this last week as a bit of practice. I underestimated the patience required. They dry quickly, but not immediately. So it got a little messy… oops! I’m still just learning. I can’t decide if I like it more than gouache. I definitely like that it’s drawing and not painting, but I’m struggling to figure out the best paper for it, and the palette is definitely more limited since it doesn’t mix well… Still fun though!
I’ll also get plenty of practice in inks this month — it’s Inktober!! YAY!!!
I never do the official Inktober challenge. But I love doing a 31 day ink drawing challenge. I’ve made my own prompts, or picked a theme. Last year I did #mosstober which was a lot of fun, using emojis as prompts. (You can see the sketchbook tour here!)
This year I’ve decided to do #peachtober! Many of the artists I follow on social media are participating, which is how I heard about it. I like the prompts, so it should be fun. I’ve got a dedicated sketchbook, some ink pens ready to go, and a small selection of Copic markers. I’ve never used them before, but they intrigue me, so this should be a fun way to try them out!
I’m mostly just going to focus on making cute characters and compositions for each prompt. The markers will be just to try out shading, without having to worry about color palettes. It’ll be very cartoony, of course. But I’m definitely planning on experimenting with different styles of cartooning, since there are so many ways to approach it. And it’s mostly just a matter of decision making for each part of a cartoon’s design. I don’t have a consistent approach right now, so I’m just practicing a lot to see what looks right and feels most intuitive for my own work!
I’m so excited and can’t wait to share the results of #peachtober!
Here’s day one! Got it done this morning!
BOOKS
This last month I started reading some manga again, since I’ve been trying some anime-style art lately. It’s honestly been hit and miss. But I did start reading Sailor Moon and it’s been pretty good. I’m actually reading it while watching the show, so it’s been entertaining to compare the two. I’m enjoying them both!
MISC.
This was also the month of video games. I won’t list them all, but I will say The Procession to Calvary was my favorite. It was the most fun, and just absolutely bizarre. It was horrifying and I loved it.
I also started watching my first Korean drama, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? It’s been really good! It’s a super sweet rom-com, but also very very dramatic. I like the characters a lot, but weirdly I think the side characters and plots might be my favorites. Huh. Can’t say that happens often.
October is the month of spooky scary movie marathon! I have no idea what’s on our list this year. But it doesn’t matter. It’s going to be awesome!
Are you doing an art challenge for October? Do you have any movies you love to watch for Halloween? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
Summer Child Designs 