Have a good Saturday? We sure did! And while it may be drawing to a close, there’s still a lovely Sketch Fest Sunday to go.
Let’s dive into a few featured illustrations here on the blog! Then visit the full gallery.
“Summer Fishing” by Amy Sue Stirland
In the dog days of summer, it’s lovely to sit and fish by a cooling waterfall – particularly if you’re a fairy lad. Amy Sue Stirland painted this lovely scene in watercolors on 3″ x 5″ Bristol. Purchase the original painting for $15!
“Vintage Fairy” by Linzi Fay
This gorgeous “Vintage Fairy” by Linzi Fay is sketched on 5.5″ x 8.5″ toned tan paper. Linzi said, “I used an old vintage photograph to draw this fairy” for that extra touch of authenticity. You can hang the original on your wall for $28.
“Gothic Elf” by Elma Bree
Elma Bree created this rose-and-thorn-draped “Gothic Elf,” inspired by Mayumi Ogihara’s prompt.
“Goblin King” by Sally Gilroy
This graphite sketch of the “Goblin King” by Sally Gilroy has captured the mischief and amusement that Jareth radiates on the regular.
“Moon Fox” by Julie Rabischung
This whimsical and lovely “Moon Fox” was created by Julie Rabischung with ink, white gouache, and watercolors on toned Canson paper. You can buy the original 4″ x 6″ watercolor for $20 or pick up a print for $7.
We’re to bed, the sooner to embrace a creative morrow. Say you’ll join us! There’s still time to sign up – it’s free! – and contribute a prompt. Make sure you leave comments for the artists, too, they’re a hungry lot.
Having a relaxing first Sunday in November? We hope you are! And if you’d like to enjoy some art, you should head over to our #EMGSkechFest gallery – it’s still going for another hour and we’ve got some fantastic art to share with all!
Let’s have some featured illustrations:
“Snow Queen” by Katerina Koukiotis
We’re entering the Snow Queen’s winter domain, and she’s watching us closely with something that looks a lot like delighted anticipation. Prompted by Edward Cammarota, Katerina Koukiotis drew her snow queen in pencil and pastels with white gel pen. You can get a LE ACEO print of this 5×7 original for $6.
“Poppy” by Sally Gilroy
When a sweet little dormouse offers you poppies, how can you say no? Sally Gilroy drew “Poppy” in pastels and markers, inspired by Julie Cooper’s prompt.
“Sugar Plum Fairy” by Elma Bree
Elma Bree started this “Sugar Plum Fairy” inspired by Keira Knightley’s poster for The Nutcracker and the Four Realms using watercolor colors, pastels, and sparkles.
“Dragon and Fairy” by Amy Sue Stirland
Inspired by Julie Cooper’s prompt, “the littlest dragon and fairy,” Amy Sue Stirland sketched this tiny dragon and their fairy friend. Amy commented: “Wonder if the fairy is trying out a growth spell?” This 8.5×5.5 drawing will be finished with watercolors and the completed original is up for sale!
“Pugicorn” by Charlie Galvin
And, at last, the promised pugicorn! Charlie Galvin painted “Pugicorn” from Julie Cooper’s whimsical prompt. “I took my sketch of the pugicorn and transferred to a 6×6 Fluid watercolor block,” Charlie explained. “I spent a few hours painting and adding detail. I’m very happy with how it turned out.”
What an AMAZING Sketch Fest! There was so much energy and enthusiasm, and it means a lot to me that you guys had fun and got involved. #EMGSketchFest is one of my favorite projects, and it would be really boring (and pretty pointless) if it was just me. 🙂
Fifty artists participated, making more than 325 sketches, and there were so many lovely comments and wonderful prompts to work from. Thank you for helping us make this one of the biggest and most beautiful events we’ve had in a while!
Thank you so much to everyone who came out and played this weekend at Sketch Fest #100!
Be well,
Ellen
It’s true, everyone! When all was said and done, Sketch Fest #100 featured 50 participating artists and 382 total uploaded creations to the gallery. Wow! You absolutely owe it to yourself to wander through all of the artwork and maybe buy a sketch or original – there are some really amazing pieces in there just waiting to hang on your wall.
Now, let’s announce all of our prize winners:
Comments Keep Us Going – Our 5 random winners are: Julie Cooper, who wins a 6×8 print with matching magnet by Maria William; Katerina Koukiotis, who wins a collection of 3 5×7 prints by Sarah Alden; ElmaBree, who wins a postcard of “Sea of Stars” and stickers by Nathalie Edelhirsch; Rosie Wells, who wins an original ACEO of your choice by Jenny Heidewald; and Mayumi Ogihara, who wins a coloring book of her choice by Selina Fenech.
Most Popular Prompt – This one was a tie between Nicole Madden and Rosie Wells! They will each receive a mystery bag (3 ACEO prints each) by Mayumi Ogihara.
Super Supporter of Sketch Fest #100– The person who purchased the highest value of art this Sketch Fest was Julie Cooper, with Ed Cammarato as our runner-up! Julie and Ed will both receive a selection of ACEO prints by Katerina Koukiotis (one of each she does this Sketch Fest).
Most Creative Use of Prompt– We had a really tough time choosing the winner of this category – so we’re awarding two Honorable Mentions as well! The artist with the most creative use of a prompt this Sketch Fest was Rosie Wells for “Operation: Fluffy Cuddles,” and she will receive an 11×17 print, an 8.5 x 11 print, and her choice of coloring sheet or bookmark by Sheryl Abid. Our two Honorable Mentions are Amy Sue Stirland for “Glittering Eye Blank Book” and Deirdre M. Murphy with “Warning, DM Whimsical When Bored” – they will each receive one print from Cindy Hill!
Sketch-crazy! – Jenny Heidewald submitted THIRTY-ONE sketches during the official #EMGSketchFest 100 hours! She wins a copy of From The Deep coloring book by Ellen Million.
Opening Bell Artist – The first artist to submit a sketch was Milkycat with “Storm of Petals,” and she wins a print from Cindy Hill!
First Hurdle Artist – Tara N Colna was the first artist to submit five sketches this Sketch Fest, and she’ll receive a customized original 4″ x 6″ character portrait from Julie Rabischung!
First 3D Artist – Afke van Herpt was the first artist to submit a 3-dimensional sketch or other work, such as sculpture, jewelry, crocheted piece, etc. and has won a wee dragon charm by Whimsical Dreams Art!
Collaboration – The best collaborative work, here defined as the best collaboration between prompt and art, was selected by our guest judges Afke and Ronja! Katerina Romanova wins this prize for “Shy,” and will receive an ACEO by Afke van Herpt and her niece Ronja!
Submission by Someone 12 or Under – Shell’s 7-year-old daughter Willow took this prize for “Am I A Rainbow?“! Our guest judges Afke and Ronja made the selection, and Willow wins an ACEO from them.
Sketch Fest Newbies – We had four new participants in our 100th Sketch Fest: Ellen Moore, Ellen Wilberg, J. Ryan Decker, and Regina Mailloux. Each of our newbies will receive an ACEO print and postcard.
And here’s our last series of featured illustrations – we hope you enjoy this final taste of Sketch Fest #100!
“Happy 100!” by Francis Bax
First up is this gorgeous example of handlettering in watercolour brushpen and tangles in black fineliners in honor of our 100th Sketch Fest. Thanks for this, Francis Bax!
“Mr. Meowington” by Maria J. William
We can’t get over how adorable Maria J. William’s “Mr. Meowington” is! This colored pencil, white charcoal, and white acrylic illustration is on toned paper and measures approximately 6×8. You can pick up prints of this fine feline for only $7-$10!
“Glittering Eye Blank Book” by Amy Sue Stirland
“Glittering Eye Blank Book” by Amy Sue Stirland is an upcycled plain spiral bound blank book with Velcro closure and won one of our Honorable Mentions for Most Creative Use of a Prompt. Amy said, “This was a book that was given out by a major company as a promotional item. I have reworked the cover for the prompt.. only one eye, and the scales are raised and nicely shimmery.” It measures 5.5 ” x 4 ” and contains 20lb weight white pages numbering 80.
“Heart of Peacocks” by Julie Cooper
Of her “Heart of Peacocks,” Julie Cooper says, “This is the first decent peacock I have managed to do. I might colour but not too sure.” We love this bird and hope you do!
“Oni Fox” by Erika Harm
We’re thrilled with this strikingly colorful ACEO from Erika Harm! Here’s what she says about “Oni Fox“: “I wanted to blend the idea of an oni and a kitsune into one mask. Ink!” You can pick up the original artwork for just $15!
“Alarune” by Ellen Million
Ellen Million, the founder of our Sketch Fest feast, created several fantastic art cards this Sketch Fest! Here’s her interpretation of an alarune. You can pick up the original ACEO drawing for only $8!
“Waiting for Autumn to Come” by Janna Prosvirina
Our last featured piece is this lovely illustration by Janna Prosvirina. “Waiting for Autumn to Come” is ink pen on Bristol measuring 4″ x 6″. You can grab the original ink sketch for $12, and you can get a download to print out as a coloring page for only $3.
That’s it for #EMGSketchFest 100, a truly remarkable milestone. We can’t wait to see you at Sketch Fest #101, which will be August 24-26, so mark your calendars!
Wow. Our artists have just been blowing us away, helping us celebrate #EMGSketchFest 100 in true style! We can’t get over all the remarkable portraits, funny and whimsical illustrations, 3D art and so much more – there’s acrylic pouring in the gallery, everyone! It’s amazing!
You MUST check it out – and let us tease you into clicking over there.
“Sunshine” by Monika Holloway
The sheer amount of character Monika Holloway captures in “Sunshine” simply radiates off the page. Graphic pencil on 7×9 cotton paper.
“Bubbles” by Elisa Ferguson
Elisa Ferguson’s “Bubbles” captivates us with its vibrant colors! Here’s what Elisa said about this piece: “Bubbles float through all water, but they really like mermaids! This red haired beauty really likes her bubbles.”
“Koi Mermaid” by Becca “Boo” Moore
A “Koi Mermaid” gives a coy flick of her tail in this sketch by Becca “Boo” Moore. “I enjoy drawing mermaids and koi, so whenever I can combine them, I’m happy!” Becca commented. The colored version of this is available for only $25!
“Remembrance” by Mitzi Sato-Wiuff
Mitzi Sato-Wiuff’s “Remembrance” makes us pause at the wistfulness so artfully captured in the graceful line of her neck, her lowered eyelids, and her parted lips. Sakura Micron in sepia on 5×7 Bristol vellum.
“Seahorse” by Elma Bree
This “Seahorse” from Elma Bree looks like it’s rather been caught out of turn! Those bubbles and that eye look surprised. Elma said she’ll be finishing the 5×7 sketch on watercolor paper with watercolor markers. You can pick up the original for $8!
“A Green Man” by Ellen Moore
We love to see people playing with three-dimensional art, and this greenman from Sketch Fest newcomer Ellen Moore puts a smile on our faces! This fellow was made with Sculpey and measures 2×2.5. Ellen thinks it might end up being a brooch or a necklace.
“Moon Princess” by Mayumi Ogihara
Our last featured illustration for now is this gorgeous portrait from Mayumi Ogihara – this “Moon Princess” glows pensively under the lambent light of the moon. This illustration was done in Col-Erase brown, white charcoal, and white acrylic paint on 5×7 toned paper. You can purchase the original sketch for only $30!
What are you waiting for? Hop on over to the #EMGSketchFest 100 gallery and celebrate the rest of Sketch Fest with us! Leave comments for the artists, share your favorite pieces with your friends (makes sure to use our official hashtag on social media), and register now so you can participate in next Sketch Fest as well. There’s just over an hour to go!
It’s Saturday afternoon, y’all, and you know what that means – it’s another Sketch Fest Saturday! We’ve been having a grand time over in the Sketch Fest gallery, with folks sharing a belly-baring earthdrragon, unicorns galore, sexy ladies, a sleeping moon princess, and even a hippocampicorn! Don’t believe me? Take a look at the featured illustrations below and then dive in to Sketch Fest #99!
“Sun Queen” by RCoots
This is RCoots’ first Sketch Fest, and they submitted this exciting and promising sketch. Here’s what they said about “Sun Queen“: “Thought more about the sun as stars than our sun in particular. When I give this shade and color, she’ll have dark skin with stars scattered over her shoulders and solar flares as her ‘clothing’. She’s holding stars in each of the major color/temp classifications over her head.”
“sun fae” by Julie Rabischung
From Julie Rabischung: “To celebrate the opening of Sketchfest and yesterday’s Summer solstice/ First day of summer ! Thank you Heather for the lovely prompt.” Julie’s sun fae is resplendent in colored pencils, markers and ink gel pens on 4×6 bristol. The original sketch is available for only $12!
“Queen of Bees” by Kathy Nutt
Kathy Nutt’s first sketch this weekend is of a “Queen of Bees” from Julie Rabischung’s prompt, a gorgeous and sweet beginning of royal flora and fauna. This is a WIP and she uploaded a high contrast digital copy of her pencil sketch.
“Unifun Girl” by Elisa Ferguson
Unicorn girls just want to have fun, and this rainbow unicorn girl doubly so! Or, as artist Elisa Ferguson put it, “Some girls are out for fun, this girl is out for tons of it. Unicorns make everything magical.” She’s not wrong!
“Pearls and Amethyst” by ElmaBree
ElmaBree drew this quick little gem inspired by Julie Rabischung’s prompt “Pearls and Amethyst.”
That’s it for now, and we hope you enjoyed these featured illustrations! Tell the artists what you think and head on over to the Sketch Fest #99 gallery to comment on their artwork. You can also register to suggest some prompts of your own, or even get creative with us!
Just remember: when talking about Sketch Fest on social media this weekend, make sure you use our official hashtag of #EMGSketchFest! And click back to our blog later to enjoy some more featured illustrations.
It’s been a wonderful day at #EMGSketchFest, and many of our participants clearly have summer and MerMay on their minds! You’ll find many interesting mermaids in the gallery, along with flower fairies, attentive dryads, and tiger ladies.
Let’s take a peek at the gallery!
Tiger Lady by Ellen Million
Ellen Million, the founder of our Sketch Fest feast, began sketching this “Tiger Lady.” As she says, “big cats are such fun to draw.”
“Asian Mermaid” by ElmaBree
ElmaBree shared this rough sketch of a mermaid wearing Asian jewelry, inspired by Mayumi Ogihara’s prompt!
Twisted Tale by Kir Talmage
Kir Talmage created this inspired ribbon motif twisting and turning with the words of a twisted tale! Ink pen on paper.
“Dryad” by Becca “Boo” Moore
Becca “Boo” Moore drew a nymph and her tree in spring (as prompted by Edward Cammarota). She says, “Nature Nymphs are known as Dryads (sea/river nymphs are called Naiads) and boy are they fun to draw!”
“Small One” by Elisa Ferguson
Elisa Ferguson was also inspired by Edward Cammarota’s spring nymph prompt. In “Small One,” she says, “A nymph has decided to help a small tree grow!”
That’s it for now! The #EMGSketchFest 98 gallery keeps growing, so check it out and drop off some prompts for our participants. And if you have some time, get creative this weekend with us!
We’re back with the first installment of our Saturday highlights from #EMGSketchFest 97! Have you been creating today? We’d love to create with you! Just head on over to the full gallery – explore the art, leave some prompts, and create art (sketches, jewelry, whatever you make) of your own!
Let’s take a sneak peek at what’s hanging out in the gallery, shall we?
“Mermaid Fashions” by ElmaBree
ElmaBree, inspired by Mayumi Ogihara’s prompt “Mermaid dress decorated with the most beautiful mermaid scales,” drew this well-dressed mermaid. She adds that this is an unfinished sketch to be completed later.
“Miss Fuzzy Sweater” by Heather Kilgore
It may not be sweater weather anymore, but Heather Kilgore sketched the fabulous “Miss Fuzzy Sweater.” You can almost feel that fuzzy sweater! You can purchase the original graphite drawing on cream drawing paper for just $25.
“Shy Fairy” by Tricia Danby
Tricia Danby’s “Shy Fairy” promises to be a lush illustration in all the fresh colors of spring. We can’t wait to see her completed!
“Chain of Daisies” by Janna Prosvirina
Janna Prosvirina drew this fresh-face fairy crafting a “Chain of Daisies,” and it’s soon to be a coloring page! Here’s what she said: “For those who enjoy coloring I will make this image available as a digital stamp /coloring page. It will be available through my Etsy.” You can pick up the original ink drawing on office paper for $12!
“Jellyfishie” by Nathalie Reinholz
Our last highlight for this afternoon is “Jellyfishie” by Nathalie Reinholz! This gorgeous watercolor of a jellyfish absolutely glows. “No ideas how these are fish,” Nathalie wrote, “but I took this as an opportunity to follow Stephanie Law’s instructional video on patreon on how to paint jellyfish.” If you fancy snagging the original watercolor painting on Hahnemühle Cornwall paper, it’s only $35!
Now that your appetite has been whetted, head on over to the full gallery and wander through the marvelous works waiting for you. Don’t forget – share your thoughts and your artwork on social media with our official hashtag, #EMGSketchFest.
It’s the August Sketch Fest Saturday, and we’re here to share some of the marvelous art that’s been posted to the #EMGSketchFest gallery since it began yesterday. Have you been visiting, prompting, admiring, creating? If the answer is no, let me tempt you!
“The Lonely Mr. Shroom” by Julie Rabischung
Julie Rabischung drew the charming Mr. Shroom, about which she says: “Meet the grumpy and lonely Mr Shroom! I had so much fun drawing him!! He definitely needs more work but I might draw him again and invent him some adventures… ” The original drawing is colored pencils and ink on a 4″ x 6″ piece of Bristol, and is available for $12.
“Beautiful Beast” by Kathy Nutt
Kathy Nutt sketched this fantastic fellow – or, as she put it, a “[m]agical antelope of the forest.” He’s a handsome beast indeed, and the mane and tail of flowering branches is inspired.
“Don’t Forget” by Joanna Bromley
Using the prompt “lonely mushroom,” Joanna Bromley sketched this mushroom-hatted fairy creature. The original sketch is an ink illustration on 3.5″ x 5″ Kraft paper. You can purchase it for $32!
“Black Rose” by ElmaBree
ElmaBree added this little witch, telling us: “The Little Black Rose Witch [is] drawn with chameleon color tone pencils on mixed media paper.” You can pick up a 5″ x 7″ print of this tiny witch for $10.
“Soul of the Forest” by Maria J. William
Maria J. William sketched this fresh-eyed woman of the forest in graphite, white charcoal, and white ink on 6″ x 8″ toned paper. She’s offering the original drawing for $40 and glossy prints for $10.
We’ve also debuted a robust new search feature at the Sketch Fest site – you can search by subject, media, style, and more.
Enjoy the weekend, and don’t forget – use our hashtag #EMGSketchFest on your social media!
