Portraits & Pomegranates
Happy Halloween! Oh, how I love this time of year. I’ve been extremely busy reveling in the autumn season, and I’m honestly surprised by the amount of work I was able to complete these past few months! Let’s take a look, shall we?
One of my favorite things about October is that it’s Inktober season! This year, I made a Cabinet of Curiosities themed prompt list. It was so much fun to work through, and it was amazing to see everyone else’s art throughout the month! Check them all out using the Instagram hashtag #sadinktober24.
The last drawing for Day 31, “Display”, was based on a piece I made this past month! It’s been almost a year since I brought out my supplies for nature specimens, and I had forgotten how much I enjoy working with them. Check it out over on the Oddities page of my portfolio!
The Mini Prints for these past two months have been some of my better ones I think! I’ve been really trying to nail the “medieval woodcut” look with these stamps, and I think that the inspiration really shines through. I did a cat skull for September, and a winged skull gravestone for October! I already have a few sketches for November’s print… maybe I’ll do a little spooky series for the next few months, even though I typically have seasonal themes for my minis.
Even though I was focused on Inktober for the majority of the month, I did manage to get some digital art practice in! I made another illustration for the UPS.com virtual assistant, which marks a full year of doing all four seasons. This one is super cute in my opinion, but I may be a bit biased. See it live here until wintertime!
These past two months have been positively full of autumn activity. As a last hurrah to send off summer, I went flower picking with my sister & my cousin Kassidy!
Later on, Kassidy took me to the most magical cafe called Tallulah 1882. They have a small love letter writing station, and it was so cute reading the notes left behind. We also went on a short hike to see the gorge!
Living in North Georgia of course means a yearly trip to the touristy alpine city of Helen for Oktoberfest. It’s super kitschy, but Seth & I love it all the same. A few friends of ours rented an Airbnb in the mountains, and it was a lovely weekend all in all. Seth also took me up to the Dillard House for lunch, where we got to pet some farm animals (like the big fella below). It made me want to paint some goats!
A few other highlights have been a local ghost tour during the supermoon, apple picking up in Elijay, and adopting a new red maranta plant.
Here are a few things that I’ve been enjoying or have been particularly inspired by:
Cemeteries: I have always loved the iconography of resting places for the dead. This year, I went to the “Tunes from the Tombs” festival in Oakland Cemetery, and it was a such beautiful day. I’ve always been fond of walking through the graves, seeing the names & memorials of people from the past, and wondering who they used to be.
Hauntings: Whether it’s a forest, a house, or even an old object, I’ve been absolutely fascinated with tales of ghosts returning to this world.
Warm oranges: Growing up, I would’ve said that orange was my least favorite color. I know, I was an utter fool for thinking so! I’ve been using so many pumpkin spice-adjacent hues in my work lately. Autumn color palettes are some of my favorites.
Soup season: There’s hardly anything more cozy than bundling up with a warm bowl of soup. Experimenting with different ingredients for various types of soups has brought me so much joy lately, and we also thrifted some cute mini kettles for them! They’re so easy to make, and taste so good. Do you have a favorite soup?
Here are a few things that I’ve been up to lately:
Reading: Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie, one of my favorite mystery authors!
Playing: Arkham Horror (the board game version, not the card game) is perfect for this time of year! I love the Lovecraftian artwork.
Watching: Over the Garden Wall, my all-time favorite miniseries! It perfectly captures the coziness of autumn, and we have a little party for it every year.
Listening to: My favorite song by Hozier is “In a Week”, and it evokes a lot of imagery that reminds me of the transitory seasons.
Cooking: Banana nut duck bread (iykyk), but they’re actually just banana muffins with little rubber duckling tops!
Making: I’ve actually figured out how to make decent pumpkin spice lattes at home! Another drink I love making is a poison apple cocktail. We use edible glitter & apple skulls for extra magic!
It’s hard to believe that the year is almost drawing to a close. As we wrap up 2024, I’ll be focusing on adding at least four more entries to the Nature Compendium, one wintery illustration inspired by the Swan Lake ballet (yes, I’m still obsessed with Black Swan), and of course, more mini prints! I’ve also been having the itch to return to printmaking & woodcarving again. What are you looking forward to as the holidays approach? Let me know in the comments below!
Love always,
Stephanie
