I finally have a space in the studio at Blades McDowell HQ – The picture suggests messy chaos but there is underlying organisation, honest. Every folder is labelled, and separated into categories. Yes I had an exciting summer of tidying up! Planning for example has become so much easier and quicker.

The mess is due to the creative spell I have been unleashing recently. I should say drawing spell, which would be more accurate, but I will talk more about that in a minute.

The past two blog posts have been predominantly text based so this month I have plenty of images to visually excite.

I have been put in charge of the marketing for the writers group. I am pretty chuffed with the logo I designed and it incorporates my current obsession with Art Deco design. https://www.facebook.com/RewriteBureau/

Shorter days and colder weather aside I adore autumn and in particular Halloween! Past blog post readers may have noticed my love of Buffy the vampire slayer. So take a sprinkle of an hour or two, a dash of detailed stencil cutting concentration and a small handful of using the squeegee too pull black fabric paint onto a store brought tee and I have a new favourite slogan top!

If vampire’s were actually real it is more likely that I would run screaming but perhaps an empowering slogan t-shirt will inject confidence for a can do attitude for actual slaying of demons if they did take to the streets this Halloween.

Onto the drawing spell I mentioned above, I have taken part in #inktober for the first time this October. Much like many other artists who join in, I have found it to be very inspiring. I am using the concept of producing a daily ink sketch to kick start my imagery for my rag doll Fairytale story.

I am generally loving it and if I am being honest have been cheating a little and drawing a few to be ahead of the game on days I should actually be doing admin.

There is only a few days left but you can follow my illustrations on Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/elizabethblades/

One of my most favourite designs is a definite contender for the front page of my story. It needs some extra things added but I think it is one of my best works I have done in a while.

I have discovered, rather fascinatingly, that even though the #inktober concept was started by an artist named Jake Parker in the USA, Indonesia apparently run there own.

Rather brilliantly to help participants along with their drawings 31 prompts are listed to be used or ignored which ever is preferred.

I have found these very useful and have been using a combination of the Indonesian prompts and the one’s Jake Parker has suggested.

After all I am, sort of, linked to this area of Asia, due to my 11% south east and oceanic part. #clutchingatstraws

My partner and I are hoping to launch another new tutoring venture at the start of the new year. Life drawing has been one of my most unexpected and loved drawing techniques to teach during the past few years.

I have been wanting to set up a regular life drawing evening class in derby, UK, for a while now. It looks like the perfect location has been found and I hope to pull my slipper socks up and market this properly.

More details on this coming soon.

I will end this post with a Halloween inspired illustration and a hint towards a fashion project I will be taking part in soon.

Happy Halloween!