I'M DOING INKTOBER! >W< + process photos~ (Patreon)

Oh. My. Gosh. It's October, happy Halloween 1st!!! ahaha AAAAAAA I'm so excited, I love this time of year so much. Everything in my apartment smells of pumpkin spice and apples lately and it's the best thing. 

I'm happy to share that I'm doing Inktober this year as well! Σ(*ﾉ´>ω<｡`)ﾉ I was actually thinking of sitting it out this year, but decided at the last moment to participate. It feels so nice breaking out my traditional tools again (I'm trying out some new ones this year!) and applying what I've learned over the last few months! I don't have a theme this year, I want to take it day by day instead and see what I can come up with and just have fun with it! *w* 

Here are my new inking best friends! A friend of mine (hi Annie!) got me these awhile back and I'm finally getting around to using them. I've been loving really thin lines recently and these are perfect for just that! Super easy to use, great pigmentation, and the tiiiiniest nib you can imagine. I used these to ink all of the plants and the witch. :3 

Some resources before we proceed:

 Working with copic markers! 

How I plan out traditional artwork! 

Materials aka What I use! 

Ok onto the process pics! ^u^ 

Step 1 - Pencil sketch

I used a Prismacolor Col Erase pencil in Rose to lightly sketch my drawing! I like to work out all the little details before moving on so that I know exactly what needs to be inked. 

*Tip: Try to sketch with a light hand! This makes it easier to erase lines and make the final drawing look neat! 

Step 2 - Inking

Using the Microns I showed earlier (specifically size 005 and 01) I ink parts that I know I want to stand out/bring forward. I purposely leave some lines in the sketch form so I can go over them later with color pencil instead. This helps create a softer look to the piece. A lot of art is about contrast, if everything is dark and heavy, nothing stands out. Leaving some parts un-inked helps create contrast and visual appeal! ^^

Step 3 - Color swatches

A very important step! Before I take on the task of coloring in the piece (you can't erase marker!!) I like to make sure that the colors I'm choosing will work well together. Today's choices went smoothly, I managed to get it on the first try, but oftentimes I'll have to do several color/palette swatches before I decide on one that I like. xD 

Step 4 - COLOR IT IN!!!

Next step is to start coloring! :3 I have a pretty flat style when it comes to coloring with markers (few shadows and highlights) so it's usually just one layer of color. I like to take my time with this part and make sure I stay in the lines I inked. Out of habit, I start with the character first. 

Moving on to the plants! Same process here, just take your time. I often get asked how I get the color so smooth/no streaks. It really is just about going slowly and evenly so that the ink distributes well! ^^ I also start going over the un-inked parts from earlier with color pencil. Notice how it adds detail without making the piece look overly busy? 

So I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the house until that was all that was left to do LOL. I ended up inking most of the lines to bring out the fun details. The house is a character too in a way! 

Added in the finishing colors on the house and details (stars on the watering can, etc.) to bring everything together! ^^ 

THE AFTERMATH OF DAY 1 LOL

It's interesting, I can already feel a change in my approach to traditional artwork even though it's only Day 1. Like I'm tackling it in new ways even compared to a few months ago with the pieces I did for Mermay. It's really exciting applying the new techniques I've learned since and seeing it show up this month. 

Let's have fun this month! ^^ If you're participating in Inktober as well I hope you enjoy yourself and find new ways to be and explore your creativity! :3<3 

To $5 patrons, the weekly sketchdump will be going up tomorrow instead of today. I apologize, last week was hectic so I didn't have the chance to draw much. TuT Thank you so much for your understanding! <3 

I'm wishing you a FANG-TASTIC (hehe) and SPOOKY month of October! Love you lots! >w< 

Vicki