Month: October 2017

Farewell, Sketch Fest #92!

Ah, #EMGSketchFest 92, we hardly knew ye… but we had a heck of a time! We’re over the moon (literally, in some cases??) about the breadth of creativity in the gallery, and we can’t wait to see what our participating artists upload in the hours and days to come. (Did you know? Artists can upload finished versions of their works-in-progress!)

It’s time for our last sneak peek, this one celebrating Sketch Fest Sunday and autumn and Halloween.

“Krampus Santa” by Teri Sherman

Okay, okay, calm down. I know we’re all “You shall not pass!” at Christmas from our autumnal October shores, but Teri Sherman’s fantastically creepy illustration is totally Halloween-adjacent. Look at that Krampus!

“Selene” by Rowan Lewgalon

Deirde M. Murphy gave us the wonderful prompt “The Moon, wearing beautiful veils” and Rowan Lewgalon took it and ran with it beautifully. Her silvery-haired “Selene” can rule our glittering nights – and you can purchase a print for $15!

“Autumn Leaf Pixie” by Nathalie Reinholz

The joy of this little “Autumn Leaf Pixie” is contagious – fabulous work by artist Nathalie Reinholz! You can pick up this one-of-a-kind watercolor painting with colored pencils for only $20.

“Sugar Skull Stamp” by Afke van Herpt

Afke van Herpt decided to try something different this Sketch Fest, and made lovely and spooky little stamp! The stamp is inspired by a sugar skull, commonly associated with Dia de lost Muertos (which takes place at the end of October through the first couple days of November). You can pick up this 1.5″ stamp for $16.

“Autumn Tears” by Eimiel

Don’t cry, dryad! #EMGSketchFest 92 may be over, but there’s still tons of great art out there. Oh, wait, Eimiel’s dryad is crying “Autumn Tears” over the loss of her foliage in a lovely watercolor painting. No worries – they’ll be renewed!

We hope you enjoyed these sneak peeks during #EMGSketchFest weekend – now click over to the full gallery for more (a pouncing fox, a watchful King of the Forest, a spooky kitty)! And don’t forget to use our official hashtag of #EMGSketchFest when sharing on social media. See you next Sketch Fest!

(To be the first to hear about next Sketch Fest’s dates, follow us on Facebook.)

Sketch Festing the Night Away

Are you a fan of spooky fun? You have got to check out #EMGSketchFest 92! I’m serious – since it’s October, we have a ton of fun and spooky creations in the gallery. You can even pick up prints or original art of fantastic witches, ethereal owls, or even a gothic mermaid!

Okay, enough chatter. Let’s skip to the featured illustrations for the evening!

“Cute Ghost” by Nicole Madden

Nicole Madden brings us this ghostly cutie based on Sarah Alden’s “cute ghost” prompt. The bow-wearing ghosties are adorable, and we love the stripes and stitched-mouth look on her main figure!

“Colourful Leaves” by Peter C.M. Van Herpt

Peter captured the taste of autumn with this gorgeous pile of autumn leaves – look at the depth, and the richness of the colors! Derwent Colour Soft on Mi-Teintes.

“New Moon Unicorn” by Kathy Nutt

Kathy Nutt’s “New Moon Unicorn” is a celebration of stylized lines and wild beauty. All captured by Micron pen! An inspired interpretation of Beth “Boo” Moore’s “Dark Unicorn” prompt.

“Bewitching” by Maria J. William

We opened with a ghost; how can we not close with a witch? Maria J. William drew this bewitching beauty with colored pencils and white charcoal on toned paper. The original and prints are available!

We’re signing off for the night, but feel free to keep rocking #EMGSketchFest by visiting the gallery and even creating! (Don’t forget to use our official hashtag, #EMGSketchFest when posting to social media.)

Welcome to Sketch Fest Saturday 92!

Have you been enjoying your Saturday afternoon? We have! There are some spectacularly creative pieces in the #EMGSketchFest 92 gallery that you’re really missing out on if you haven’t been participating.

You don’t have to create anything to join in Sketch Fest – you can just turn up to admire the gallery and share your thoughts on social media! (Use our official hashtag, #EMGSketchFest, if you do.) And if you do create, it doesn’t have to be paintings or sketches – you can do sculpting, knitting, crochet, jewelry-making, whatever you’d like!

Let’s feature some illustrations to get you stoked and clicking through to the full shebang:

“Look at My Mushrooms!” by Shelley M. Walker

Shelley M. Walker shared a fairy with fetching mushroom, flower, and grass foliage atop its adorable head. “Look at my mushrooms!” they cry. How can we not?

“The Queen of the Night” by Mayumi Ogihara

“The Queen of the Night” and her compelling gaze is depicted courtesy of Mayumi Ogihara’s talent and Kathy Nutt’s “Crow Royalty” prompt! This work-in-progress is also up for grabs – Mayumi will be selling the original sketch for $27! 5×7-inch graphite sketch on Bristol.

“Crow Royalty” by Katerina Koukiotis

Speaking of “Crow Royalty,” Katerina Koukiotis brought us a chibi Jon Snow with tiny Ghost! He may know nothing, but we know he’s the most adorable Crow. 5×7-inch ink sketch.

“Ethereal Barn Owl” by Renee Erickson

You can almost feel the wind coming off of Renee Erickson’s “Ethereal Barn Owl“! Renee was inspired by Mayumi Ogihara’s prompt “Ethereal Owl”: “As soon as I read this prompt, the image of a barn owl with the back light filtering through it’s feathers came to mind. Thank you for the prompt Mayumi, I had fun painting this.” The original 12×16-inch oil on canvas may be available for purchase later, so check back!

“Black Unicorn Under a White Full Moon” by Amy Sue Stirland

Our last featured illustration for now is “Black Unicorn Under a White Full Moon” by Amy Sue Stirland! Amy’s notes read: “Doesn’t he look just majestic on that rise?!?” Yes. Yes, he does. “I was thinking of making him darker then realized that I liked being able to see his details. I might make an ACEO that has a full silhouette.” This 5×7-inch black and white pen inks and washes on tinted art paper can be purchased for $17!

We hope you enjoyed this little taste of #EMGSketchFest 92 – now get yourself to the full gallery and discover vampires, goblins, and foxes!

October Night Sketch Festin’!

Pssst! You still awake? We are! It’s Sketch Fest weekend and everyone’s invited to leave prompts, get inspired, and create some art – so tell your friends and join us for the next 36 hours of creative jamming!

Time for a peek behind the curtain:

“Mermaid” by Tialilsa Chapman

Tialilsa got us started with a couple of sketches today, including this alluring mermaid with her wild hair and tail of ocean colors.

See what else Sketch Fest #92 has in store – click on over to the full gallery. And don’t forget to use our official hashtag, #EMGSketchFest, on social media!

Spooktacular Coloring Book Giveaway!

Hello, everyone! October has arrived, and with it days that celebrate all things spooky up to the spookiest day of all: Halloween! To celebrate, we’re giving away THREE of our coloring books:

We’re giving away 1 copy each of:

Use our Rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway – you get 1 free entry, and then you can complete extra actions to earn more! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway