The wind gets chillier by the day yet the sun still shines golden on every little thing besides the gray filter that hangs in the air. It's October, finally.
Well, we don't have real autumn in our land, but the feeling of it is always welcome. I crave the coziness of bonnets and cardigans, pumpkin pie and the fantastical cup of butterbeer along with "new" second-hand books. And along these things I fancy is the wonderful practice of Inktober. Every October of each year, anyone is welcome to create illustrations with the ever lovely ink. Of course it is welcome any time of the year but in this month there is a particular "specialness" about it that I love. I see so many artists uploading their artwork in Instagram and Twitter and with every post I delight in their whimsy and dark undertones.
And so I begin my own once again. 31 days of ink -- I am utterly delighted.
Day 1
I was feeling rather folksy. I was merely doodling around and she came by so I thought, why not?
Day 2
Nightmare & Ginny
Nightmare and Ginny are the characters I made up in our character design class in college. Nightmare stuck with me for so long a time I consider him a sort of friend. But of course, the thought of having him in every dark corner of the room, every crevice, scares me more than he should -- I shan't give him that credit, he feels too proud of himself. Oh and it was also my best friend Phoebe's birthday today.
Day 3
Kokoshnik
I am rather obsessed with kokoshniks, to say the least. To dive in to the details brings in such a wonderful feeling of calm.
Day 4
Edith Cushing
I devoured every bit of the film "Crimson Peak" with its Victorian Gothic essence. The heroine, Edith Cushing, is a marvelous woman whose courage is undeniably admirable.
Day 5
Mrs. Lovett
Ah, dear Mrs. Lovett. She is the reason why I have a rather slight aversion to questionable-looking meat pies. It has been years since I have watched Tim Burton's version of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and listened to various renditions of Stephen Sondheim's original musical and I daresay they have both influenced me greatly and continues to do so until now. There is nothing more beautifully terrifying than that of this mad woman and the man they call Todd, Sweeney Todd.
Day 6
Forest Dweller
She lives deep within the depths of the mysterious forest, sleeping high amongst the tallest trees and walking among the humblest of creatures. She feels every sigh of the wind and hears every word from every living being. Her touch lets her see into the lives of others, making them a part of her soul, their memories becoming hers as if their lives were hers as well. The remains of those who had lived with her she incorporates into her clothing as a way to let them live on, that even in death their lives will continue to be remembered and still be part of the forest.
Day 7
Jon "Black Wolf" and Pepper
There is a strange affection between these two. I have been trying to figure out what it is for some time now. I would rather say, Jon is indeed a Black Wolf, always making it hard for me to draw him. It has happened so many times now and not only did it take me many confusing turns with his inktober but also resulted in a massive headache on my part. Well, I suppose he has not finished his rebellion. He and Pepper are the characters in this story I have been making for a couple of years now. I would love to say we are friends at the very least. Haha!
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I do hope I could make one for each day as with every dip of my brush in the inkwell, or every stroke of the pen fills me with such peace and giddiness.
