Inktober 2015: Paranormal Explorations, Batch One

I've been participating in this year's Inktober pretty well so far--only missed a few days and caught up right away! I decided to theme my illustrations for Inktober under the paranormal and supernatural. I am personally very intrigued and drawn to this subject matter so I knew it would be enticing for me to draw something new from within those realms each day. Also, there's Halloween! Who doesn't love creepy stuff in October? I also decided to standardize my sizes for ease of creation and sale. I'm working on 4.5x6 in. bristol board. Each Inktober drawing is available for sale for $25, including shipping! If you'd like to keep an eye on my Inktober originals for sale, follow my Facebook event.

Now, without further ado, let the creepiness begin...

black-eyed children

Victorian-era ghost

Nosferatu

ghosts in a graveyard... classic Halloween iconography!

shadow people

animal psi

doppleganger

ectoplasm

deva, or nature spirit

sleep paralysis

bloody mary

vampire

graveyard mystery

faceless woman ghost

pumpkins and a black cat... another classic Halloween iconography!

If you'd like to check out the rest of the month's Inktober drawings, you can also follow my Facebook fan page or stalk me on Instagram @datbootietho

I'll post the rest of the Inktober drawings in November. Enjoy the rest of October whether you're participating in Inktober, basking in the autumn season (of which I am very jealous of you since I'm in the constant sun of LA), or preparing your costume for upcoming parties and trick-or-treating!

New Illustration Process: Studies and References

I'm working on a new illustration involving a young woman using a ouija board to contact a strange spirit. It's in the beginning stages so there's been a lot of thumbnail sketches, studies, and I took some photo references to work on lighting, pose, and mood.

First, head studies. This really helps me to flush out the character and figure out who the girl is. I know I want the character to be a young woman, between 18-20, and very goth/rocker chick in style with perhaps a dash of nerd.

Some preliminary head studies. They're getting somewhere and I think I'll combine a few elements from a couple and flush her out further before drawing the illustration.

After deciding upon a pose and composition via my thumbnails, I took some photo references to establish the lighting and poses. I'll use more than just one, but these are vital for nailing those details. Also when taking my own photo references I often will stumble upon new ideas for poses or story-telling.

Next will be a few more sketches to solidify the character, sketch some concepts for the ghost, and search for more reference for her outfit, the ghost's clothing, and details in the environment. Then to the drawing! I will be using watercolor and inkwash, along with inking lineart separately and then bringing that into Photoshop to merge it with the watercolor. This should be fun!

More to come in the following week or two!

Happy Halloween!

A sexy ghost lady greets you this Halloween!

Have a great day, everyone! October, you were a blast.

Eerie Experience

May I present to you the first completed illustration for my thesis! (with thumbnail and sketch)

The first step in a long and fun process.

Have a great weekend, everyone!