September in Ragonia (2021) (Patreon)

Hello Patrons and a happy month's end to you! I'm writing to you from my Seattle studio, swaddled in a big cozy sweater, a steady rain falling on our dried-out city, with Pumpkin snoozing in her cardboard box on the shelf and my newly made Rainy Autumn Folk playlist lilting from my speakers. 

Whoops, Zach came in to tell me he's heating up our leftover vegan mac n' cheese, so Pumpkin woke up to glare down at us haha.

We are now officially into my absolutely favorite time of year. With the increasing autumn darkness and rains I find myself reflecting on my past, in a way that the stress of 2020 didn't allow for. Looking back over autumns past, over earlier moments in my career, my old art and journals. I'm feeling introspective, and it feels really good. 

Before we look back on this month, I want to take a moment to welcome our new patrons: Evelyn, Esteve, Francesca, Eddie, Hannah, Josh, and Cristina! 

Thank you so much for your patronage and for joining us here on the Ragonia Patreon! Feel free to introduce yourself and say hi on the Community page. It's a great way to get to know some fellow artists and art fans! I hope you find a lot of useful and entertaining content, and don't hesitate to let me know if there's any way I can make it even more awesome.

Alright now for the September update:

THE BOOK MARCHES ON

Okay you guys I'm SO close to finishing the art for the book project I've been illustrating since last spring. I have about ten pages left, but my editor has offered at least another month for me to finish (since they're still working on a different part of the book.) So what I have left to do on this project is:

• Finish the last 10 pages (out of 120)
• Add the embellishments on most pages (little floaty decorative marks)
• Hand letter the quotes (the editor is still confirming them)
• Thumbnail, sketch, and finish the cover (but that will be in the spring)

I've been saying this every month, but this time next month I SHOULD be done with the final art, and just have the cover and lettering to do. We'll see!

ADOBE LIVE DTIYS W/ CODI BEAR

This month I was invited to do a very cool collaboration with illustrator Codi Bear for her livestream show on Behance! She invited me to choose a theme (I chose "Autumn Bus Stop") then we each drew a DTIYS (Draw This In Your Style) illustration for the theme. Then we swapped and drew the other's piece on livestream.

You can watch the VOD of the livestream here for Part One, and here for Part Two!

And if you'd like to check out some other artist's DTIYS versions of our pieces, then take a look at the #adobelivedtiys tag! I know Ragonia Patron Nene made an awesome EMBROIDERED version of mine!! Thanks for your embroidery goodness, Nene!

INKTOBER 2021

YEEHAW BUDDIES, I'M GONNA DO INKTOBER AGAIN!! It's gonna happen!!

You've probably already heard me tell this story but Inktober is very important to me because completing this drawing challenge for the first time in 2017 was one of the earliest sparks of my current career path. I was working in a restaurant and hadn't drawn seriously since high school. I took an hour or two every day to create a complete piece, tried a BUNCH of different stylistic techniques, and felt so empowered by the experience that I started to contemplate a career in art.

Ever since it's been this awesome month that just encourages me to push through and make finished pieces, without my tendency to overthink an idea so much that I don't make anything. In 2020 I made 4 drawings but dropped off because I was so overwhelmed by all things 2020.

But now I'm feeling good and READY TO RUMBLE!

This year I'll be following Mab Grave's Drawlloween Club prompt list. 

Lately I've been feeling very inspired by vintage Halloween kitsch, decor, and art, and want to lean into that with these themes! I also want to try to experiment with more textural and wobbly lineart, weirder shapes and compositions, and more exaggeration. We'll see. 

My inspiration for Inktober throughout the month will be:

• My Inktober Mood Board! 
• My Halloween Music playlist 
• My friend's Rockabilly/Surf/Rock Halloween playlist 
• And this Vintage Halloween music playlist! 

Maybe I'll make process videos! Maybe I'll live stream! Maybe I'll have a bunch of awesome art at the end of the month! We'll see! What I definitely will do is try my best to have fun and just draw something.

Me, trying me best

Now how about you! Are you doing Inktober this year? Have you done it before? Does it stress you out or do you love it? How do you like to incorporate the challenge into your workday?

Got any plans for October? Did you do anything that you're proud of in September? Got any scary movies/video games/ tv shows/books to recommend  to me? I was thinking of playing/streaming Amnesia  since I've been craving a good Haunted House for years but there aren't really any in Washington (and also Covid.)

Thanks for catching up on September, I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings!

See you in OCTOBER!