Working steadily this past few months, but also battling depression and the paralysis that comes with it. Focusing on my art helps, but it’s been a difficult time. Thankfully, Etsy sales have picked up and festival season is in full swing. It makes a big difference.
I’ve been a whirlwind of productivity, so instead of listing everything I’ve worked on these past few months, I’ve chosen highlights.
My Personal Favorite Works:
Thirteen Ghosts: The Complete Black Zodiac
This was a love letter to a cult classic I’ve enjoyed since it debuted in 2001. A Vincent Price and William Castle fan since I was a little girl, I grew up with the original and it’s sibling House on Haunted Hill. This remake, though cheesy, has beautiful character designs. I’d wanted to cosplay some of them for awhile, but didn’t trust my design skills for a huge project like that. Now that I’m painting full time, I had a chance to revisit the ghosts and their stories. It was a wonderful experience, but it was also an exercise that taught me some valuable skills.
If you check out my video on the Great Child and Dire Mother, you’ll notice I use an under painting (Dr. PH Martin’s Hydrus watercolors) for a luminous effect before adding more layers of less permanent watercolor. This was a huge breakthrough for me, and set the stage for my future pieces and I keep honing my technique.
Madam Leota
My absolute favorite character from Walt Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride — a ride I’m absolutely obsessed with. I can discuss everything from the history of its planning to the various tricks, but I really wanted to grow up to be as cool as Madam Leota when I was a kid (minus the decapitation).
This piece let me use the techniques I learned with the Thirteen Ghosts of creating an under painting then layering watercolor. I experimented with soft pastels for an eerie glow and textures effect, then added line work with a line brush and ink.
See more views and closeups of her here.
Rapunzel from Tangled
This was the epitome of all my techniques thus far, and done by request from one of my followers. Under painting, soft pastels, watercolor, bold line art, and then adding acrylic via Posca paint pens help her glow.
Creep on In
My biggest challenge with this painting was creating a tribute to Jordan Peele’s movie Us without giving anything away: See my review here.
This was also my first time using Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper, and I was very skeptical. Something that expensive, I thought, had better be worth it! And it really was. I was able to get a smooth gradient and my masking fluid did an uncharacteristically good job on the paper without leaving gaps. The rabbit itself was a mixture of ink washes and spatters, and the scissors were Coliro watercolors for a unique texture and shine.
Little God Swamp
I just can’t stop making paintings based on the new horror movies I see for Dead, Buried, and Back! I got to see this one as an advanced press viewing, and it was amazing: See my review here.
It also left me wanting to build on what I’ve learned. I used my fancy Arches paper, my Dr. PH Martin’s Hydrus watercolors, my liner brushes, and my ink to create a piece that has layers of fog and mystery. This is my first creepy landscape painting, but it certainly won’t be my last.
Waves Crashing on Rocks
A fluid acrylic painting measuring 12″ x 12″ on wrapped canvas, this one stands out for me because it uses one of my favorite color palettes along with some experimentation with loose and micro glitters. I keep returning to the ocean as a favorite subject. I can tell I’m missing the sea.
See more views and closeups here.
Yandere Of Chaos
Very pleased with this one! If you remember my original watercolor sketch, I used it as the basis for this cleaned up digital art piece. It’s the first digital art I’ve done in ages, and I’m really proud that it turned out so well!
So why are you depressed?
It was a tough choosing favorites. I’m really seeing my style and approaches develop, and it’s probably the most exciting moment of my creative life as I have these breakthroughs. I know that eventually it’ll probably taper off though, and that distresses me. Probably it’s the source of my underlying depression: the fear that once my creative energies taper off to normal levels, I’ll never have this degree of a constant creative high again.
Does this seem irrational, or have you experienced something like it? Let me know in the comments.
Morbid Smile 