September Sketch Fest Saturday

Welcome to this September’s Sketch Fest Saturday! It’s been a leisurely day full of creativity, evoking the autumnal spirit with hedgehogs and fairies and witches and more. We hope you’ve joined us in either leaving prompts or creating art – or both!

If not, you should definitely check out the #EMGSketchFest gallery – but admire these featured illustrations first.

“Black Cat” by Ellen Million

Ellen uploaded the first sketch to our gallery this month! She drew “Black Cat” as a bookplate sketch for the Zoe Chant Shifting Sands Resort series of books. You can purchase this sketch on the sticker paper bookplate for $10.

“A Prickly Fall Flower” by Hannah Stayton

This is Hannah Stayton’s first Sketch Fest, and she created this completely adorable autumnal hedgehog illustration in “A Prickly Fall Flower.” She describes them as a “Cute little garden buddy to help you clean up the flower beds.”

“A Witch’s Best Friend” by Jill Britt

Jill Britt sketched this provocative and eldritch witch and her tree in “A Witch’s Best Friend.”

“Moon Witch” by Tricia Danby

Tricia Danby created magic in her painting of “Moon Witch,” reveling in the moon’s phases.

“Moonlight” by Madison

Let’s end with another beautiful black cat: as Madison says of her illustration “Moonlight,” it shows “A black cat crowded on to a shelf between some potion bottles and some toadstools, looking out the window at a full moon.” She did this in 22 minutes.

Now, head on over to the gallery and leave some comments for our artists! It’s not too late to sign up and participate on Sunday, either.

Don’t forget to use our official hashtag, #EMGSketchFest, when sharing your thoughts on social media.

Sketch Fest 107 Sunday

We’ve been sketch festin’ all weekend, and have nearly 100 sketches in the gallery to show for it! You should definitely pop over and explore – there’s even art for sale, so you might find something wonderful for your walls.

Let’s check out some featured pieces to whet your appetite:

“First Glance” by Tammi Sponseller

This piece of a “lovely lady with blue eyes and a diadem in her hair” kicked off Sketch Fest #107. As the first sketch, it’s appropriately named “First Glance” by artist Tammi Sponseller.

“Mermaid’s Narwhal Friend” by Julie Rabischung

Julie Rabischung was inspired by Sarah Alden to create this playful piece: “A little mermaid swimming with her narwhal friend. Thank you Sarah for the lovely prompt!” This 4×6 illustration was drawn with ink, colored pencils, and markers on toned paper. You can grab the original sketch for just $15!

“Narwhal” by Juliana Velasco

Narwhals were a popular subject this Sketch Fest, as you can see in this adorable narwhal watercolor from first time Sketch Fester Juliana Velasco.

“Harajuku Girl” by Corgi

This was Corgi’s first Sketch Fest, and she slayed it! This cute and striking illustration of a “Harajuku Girl,” those iconic Tokyo fashionistas, is a fine example.

“Art Nouveau Mermaid” by Amy Sue Stirland

Inspired by Mayumi Ogihara’s prompt and an Alphonse Mucha piece that she really likes, Amy Sue Stirland drew an “Art Nouveau Mermaid.” This sketch measures 5.5×8.5 and is ink and colerase on mixed media paper. She’s planning to add watercolors. Check back later to see if the original’s available!

“Otters and Orange” by Jill Britt

Jill Britt, inspired by a prompt from Afke van Herpt, drew this wonderful slice-of-life illustration of a mermaid and otter friend titled “Otters and Orange.”

“Hummingbird” by Kelly Johnston

Our last featured illustration for today is this colorful piece from Kelly Johnston – she created a “plum fairy hummingbird pattern sketch” in the one-hour limit.

Now that you’ve enjoyed these highlights, go and explore the full gallery! Meet us back here tomorrow for one more featured post – and be sure to join us for next Sketch Fest, which will take place April 5-7.

Saturday? More like SketcherDay!

We’re over 24 hours in to #EMGSketchFest 106! Have you been by the gallery yet? We’ve got 18 participants so far who’ve contributed over 40 creations to the gallery – including unicorns and mermaids and baby dragons. There’s even sculpture!

Check out our five featured creations below, then hop on over there – and, if you’re not registered, sign up! It’s free, and you can leave prompts for the participants and comment to encourage them. You can even get in on sketching or knitting or crafting or writing yourself.

“Snow Unicorn in Tack” by Ellen Million

First up, we have a sketch from the founder of our Sketch Fest feast, Ellen Million! Drawing on Nicole Madden’s wintry prompt of “Unicorn in a snowy scenery,” Ellen Million said about her ACEO pencil sketch: “Well, I didn’t get the snowy scenery in, but maybe it’s snowing really hard…” You can snap up the original drawing for only $5!

“Batty for You Valentine” by Jill Britt

This sweet little bat was sketched by Jill Britt, inspired by Rosie Wells!

“Kitsune” by Linda Sayegh

Linda Sayegh drew this gorgeous fox – or “Kitsune” – with colored pencils and sharpie paint pen on toned Canson Mi-Tientes acid-free paper. 5×7 inches.

“Two of Hearts” by Maria Gonzalez

Sarah Alden left the prompt “Little Hearts” and Maria Gonzalez spun that seed into this lovely and fanciful 4×6 inches sketch. Titled “Two of Hearts,” this drawing was done in colored pencils on toned paper and the original is available for $18!

“Viola” by Lorna Cowie

Lorna Cowie, inspired by Sarah Alden’s prompt “Violet Flowers,” drew these violet flowers and amethyst crystals in the style of her coloring pages.

Loving these illustrations? Head over to the full gallery and enjoy some more! When you share on social media, make sure to use our official hashtag: #EMGSketchFest.

Sketch Fest Saturday, October Edition

We’re a bit over 24 hours into #EMGSketchFest 103, and our participants have not been idle! We have dozens of illustrations in our gallery, ranging from a bevy of witches to a cuddle of cats to angels and elves and demons, oh my.

There are also A TON of prompts – if you’d like to join in, we’ve got plenty to inspire you! Just register on the site (free!) and get started.

Time for a few illustrations to get you excited:

“Octopus Halloween” by Paola Zunico

This adorable orange octopus is ready to celebrate Halloween! Prompted by Jill Britt, Paola Zunico drew this “Kawaii Octopus inspired in Halloween theme.” You can pick up the original 5.5″ x 8.5″ illustration on Canson paper for $45.

“Magic Cat” by Jill Britt

Can you feel the wind of this mischievous “Magic Cat” darting by you? Jill Britt was inspired by Rosie Wells to draw this feline in motion.

“Pangolin Witch” by Kir Talmage

This “Pangolin Witch” by Kir Talmage is the envy of her neighborhood! As she sketched, Kir spent her time looking up references, and “watching part of a variation of  The Little Prince. (The starred fox is marvelous!)”

“Harpy Witch” by Caitlin Woods

Caitlin Woods’ “Harpy Witch” is coming for you!

“The Simple Life” by Maria J. William

Maria J. William, prompted by Jenny Heidewald’s love of chickens and her “The Witch of the Chickens” prompt, created this gorgeous portrait titled “The Simple Life.” You can snag the original 6″ x 8″ ink drawing on Strathmore paper for only $40 or purchase prints for $10.

That’s it for this afternoon’s featured illustrations! Hop on over to the full gallery now for even more, and don’t forget to use our official hashtag of #EMGSketchFest when sharing on social media.

We came, we saw, we sketched!

Thanks to everyone who turned out for our 101st Sketch Fest! We had 26 participating artists who collectively created 62 things over our 48-hour creative jam. If you’re just joining us and haven’t seen anything yet – you’re in for a treat!

Check out some final featured illustrations from #EMGSketchFest 101, then get over to the full gallery to enjoy some more and even do a little shopping.

“Golden Leaf Dragon” by Kathy Nutt

Golden Leaf Dragon” gives us an inscrutable gaze from a haze of golden light – this sketch by Kathy Nutt is done in sepia micron pen and metallic ink wash.

“Toadstool Faerie” by Rosie Wells

This adorable “Toadstool Faerie” by Rosie Wells – inspired by Sarah Alden’s prompt – is ready to be your friend.

“Fire fairy” by Amy Sue Stirland

Amy Sue Stirland’s “Fire fairy” evokes that feeling of August breezes… this piece is 4″ x 6″, soluble crayon on toned tan art paper. You can snag the original for only $15!

“Candy Corn” by Jill Britt

Anyone else longing for Halloween? This irrepressible unicorn by Jill Britt makes it harder to wait! “Candy Corn” is her version of a candy corn unicorn, as prompted by Rosie Wells.

“Meditating” by Nathalie Reinholz

When you’re ready to find a little serenity, Nathalie Reinholz’s “Meditating” makes a great visual companion! Prompted by Katta with “rainbow gnome,” this piece is the orange gnome of Natta’s series. This is watercolor on ARCHES hot pressed 300g. She says, “I am much into mindfulness and painting as practice counts.” We agree!

“The Last Summer Light” by Regina Mailloux

Regina Mailloux’s “The Last Summer Light” evocatively captures the feeling of a hot afternoon and floral-gazing pensiveness. This is a grahite and pastel sketch on 5″ x 8″ Strathmore toned paper – you can purchase the original sketch for $25!

“Totoro” by Paola Zunico

Our last feature is from Paola Zunico, who drew this majestic and whimsical Totoro! Paola says, “I always loved the movies from studio Ghibli. Makes me feel so much love and peace. I did this Totoro like a tribute to this movies.” This sketch on Canson paper can be purchased for just $30, and measures 5.5″ x 8.5″.

That’s it for our features from #EMGSketchFest 101 – head to the gallery now for the rest! And don’t forget to mark your calendars for Sketch Fest #102, which will be held the weekend of September 7-9.