THE DARK WITCH

(Gel Fineliner on A5 paper)

 I don't know whether you know it, but I'm actually an acolyte of the famous 19th century occultist Professor Dougal MacKenzie. He's famous for creating a method of prophecy called “SheeTap” which combines all esoteric knowledge on the subject into one way of doing things. It's something which I feel I'm now quite adept at. The “Mackenzie SheeTap” technique has served me well, and it's something that anyone can learn with a bit of practice. It wouldn't surprise me if many others in occult circles use the “MacKenzie SheeTap” way for fortune telling, as it is quite common.

I've even used it for this piece, showing some disaster that's vague on detail. But take heart, as there does seem to be some hope of averting it in what she's pointing to with her left hand (stage right). It looks to be some sort of ring. Either that or she can be subdued with a packet of Polo mints (not Mentos).

MAD DOG

(Gel Fineliner on A5 Paper)

 One of the age-old responses from dog-owners: “He won't bite you” along with “He's good with children.”

He's a dog, and like all dogs, they're bred from wolves. Given half the chance they'd revert back to their natural pack instinct. The only reason they don't is that they see you as the pack leader who regularly feeds and pampers them.

“Oh, my little darling isn't like that!” I hear you say, as if you're talking about a child. “He gives me kisses by licking my face. It's his way of saying how much he loves me.”

He licks his balls and arsehole with that tongue, so what's he really saying there?

The first prompt-word for Inktober2024 was "backpack" in the suspiciously themed list that was released last month. As in the preview post I made last, I decided not to bother with them and go "vanilla" with them all by drawing whatever I wanted each day.

VANILLA GIRL - Inktober2024 Preview

(Gel Fineliner on A5 Paper)

Challenges like Inktober aren't something I usually take part in, but I thought I'd have a bit of fun with it this year.

When The Black-Sun Knight Got Tongued

 

(2B pencil on 85mm x 65mm paper)

It's a smaller dreamscape piece, and I wasn't going to keep it, but I did like the title I gave it!

The Porcupine

 

(Gel Fineliner on a 139mm x 87mm postcard)

"Balderdash! We're not namby-pamby elves! We use LIVE moving targets in the Imperial Dwarf Legion. That's why we're so damned good with a crossbow. It's quite safe, I assure you. We don't lose that many. Target strapped to their backs, straw padding. What more could they ask for? It's good exercise for them, but the steel boots are needed to slow them down just a tad. A dwarf can move at a fair pace when being shot at, and this can be unsporting on new recruits trying to hit them.

"Of course, only volunteers are allowed to be live targets, but there are always those more than willing to step forward. Especially lazy little bastards who are always late for muster!"

- General Thurgan Stormfoot -

WIZBANG! The Necro-Parasite

 

(2B pencil on a 139mm x 87mm postcard)

Another piece based on those old comic-book adverts.

The more disturbing the item these adverts seem to sell, the more likely they were bought by equally disturbed kids. Joke and novelty companies were the main culprits of such dubious prank products, but they knew their market well.

BOOKMARKS # 3

(0.18 technical pen and HB pencil on off-cut card)

The top bookmark is titled: "Spaced-Out" and measures 120mm x 35mm. It was done with what was left of the diluted ink in the a 0.18 technical pen I'd used on previous bookmarks. I only just had enough ink to finish it and was pleased with the result.

The one below measures 125mm x 42mm and was done with a HB pencil. It's a simple drawing of the Medusa character that's pretty much standard fare for most fantasy artists, but it makes a decent enough subject for a bookmark.

BOOKMARKS #2 "ButtCheeks"

 

(0.18 Technical Pen & HB pencil on 110mm x 30mm card)

It's not often I copy anything, especially my own work. It's not something you do with Skav Art. But with this, I wanted to try something out...

The actual Skav Art piece with these two is the top bookmark. That was done with a 0.18 technical pen that had the same diluted ink in it I used with the previous bookmarks I did. It's rough and ready, and has the raw, creative energy of a decent Skav Art work, and so is my favourite of the two. For example, I was going to put a tail on the third rear, but changed my mind at the last moment. Instead, I had the face of a caver poking out of her arse, as if he'd taken a wrong turn! That's the way a good Skav Art piece can be.

The one below it was a freehand copy done with a HB pencil. It may look neater, but it's not as good as the first, and so not really a Skav Art work. For one thing, it's a copy of the first, which rules it out from the start, and another is that it contains differences and refinements. In other words, that dreaded "process" was creeping in. The differences are small, but they are there. It proved to me that if I had taken the idea further, it may have totally eroded the original, losing much of its creative energy and ended up a lesser thing.

So it was good to do, even if it was to prove to myself what the negative effects of unintentional processes can do. It just means that I now have two artworks with the same title!

TEAM DAGON

(2B pencil on 100mm x 80mm paper)

 A decent little drawing based around H P Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. It depicts what a modern inhabitant of Innesmouth would probably look like.

Silas Grimbeard

 

(Fineliner on 115mm x 87mm paper)

A grumpy dwarf wizard, travelling with his feathery familiar.

This piece was done to try out some cheap gel fineliner pens I'd just bought, and they seem to work quite well, giving a good line and a decent opaque finish to the black areas. Not bad considering they're 3 for £1!