Wrapping Up Sketch Fest #105

What a wonderful Sketch Fest we had last weekend! Twenty-one artists joined us and contributed 50 creations to the Sketch Fest gallery – we have thumbnails and watercolors and colored-pencil illustrations. We have a Christmas teddy bear, wonderland winter foxes, sweet Christmas mice, and polar bears, too – alongside Christmas tree cats and curious blops, folkloric illustrations and more.

And did we mention the art for sale? Snag originals and prints for all your friends this holiday season – just look for the red border in the gallery to discover what’s on offer.

Let’s have some final featured illustrations before we go.

“Mistletoad” by Nathalie Reinholz

The holiday spirit gets a little earthy in “Mistletoad” by Nathalie Reinholz – Nathalie was traveling this weekend but still managed to squeeze in this sketch!

“Kitten in Christmas Tree” by Tara N Colna

Tara N Colna uses photography with “Kitten in Christmas Tree” to demonstrate that the struggle is real when you have kittens and Christmas trees together: “Can’t keep the new kittens out of the tree. This is Oreo getting caught, her brother Beelzebub jumped out before I could get him.”

“Next Step of the Plot” by Kir Talmage

We love this super-quick sketch from Kir Talmage! “Next Step of the Plot” captures the raccoon’s hopeful deviousness as he dons a disguise to steal Santa’s sleigh… “The plans were ready. The diagrams were complete. All he needed now was his disguise.”

“Christmas Mermaid” by Sarah Alden

Sarah Alden created this beautiful “Christmas Mermaid” and she has a question for us all: Sarah will be coloring her soon and asks, “Do you think I should keep the shell crown or go with more of a holly wreath crown instead?”

“Silent Night” by Erich Heidewald

Feel the warmth of joy in your heart with this “Silent Night” landscape featuring a family of rabbits in scarves around a cheerful campfire.

“I put it on a gear” by Charlie Galvin

This charming Christmas tree from Charlie Galvin made us grin! Here’s what Charlie said about it: “It counts as steampunk because I put the tree on a gear, right? The tree is also decked out in Edison bulbs. 🐙” We think it counts, too!

We hope you enjoyed this, and we hope you’ll participate in our next Sketch Fest in February! Enjoy the holidays and follow us on Facebook for the latest #EMGSketchFest updates.

Thank you for Sketch Fest 100!

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.

IN ORDER TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE, PLEASE MESSAGE ELLEN MILLION GRAPHICS ON FACEBOOK

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!

Happy New Year’s Eve from EMGSketchFest 95!

#EMGSketchFest was incredible fun, with 16 participating artists and 68 sketches uploaded – so far! We honestly had more than 16 artists join in this weekend, with several family members of our artists joining in: daughter, husband, niece!  You should check out the full gallery, after enjoying our featured illustrations below.

Butterfly Words by Amanda Baker

Amanda Baker took Afke’s prompt “words like butterflies” and created this fluttering and delicate beauty – “Butterfly Words.” And this was Amanda’s first Sketch Fest! (Welcome, Amanda!) Pen and pencil sketch on archival paper.

Polar Bear and the Fairy by Sarah Alden

Then we have Sarah Alden’s “Polar Bear and the Fairy,” an utterly adorable confection of roly-poly polar bear cub and sweet fairy in the snow. She’s eager to draw more polar bears now!

My Pet Dragon by Julie Rabischung

Inspired by Cindy Hill’s prompt, “my pet dragon,” Julie Rabischung created this precious pair – though the dragon is less than pleased! Here’s what Julie said: “Little girl has a new pet and it’s a dragon!!! But the little dragon is not happy at all to be wearing a bow and to be called ‘Squee’…” Graphite and markers on 4×6 Bristol.

Forest by Jenny Heidewald

Jenny Heidewald jumped in with several illustrations, including this lovely portrait: “Forest.” Jenny commented, “I really like how this one turned out in pencil, the soft effect works well.” They did! You can have this sketch for $8 (specially marked down from $10 in celebration of the New Year). Pencil on 2.5″x3.5″ Bristol.

The Witch and Her Cat by Afke van Herpt

We saved another one of our favorites for last! This is a collaboration between Afke van Herpt and her niece Ronja! Ronja drew the witch’s sweet kitty and then Afke added the troll witch herself.

That’s it for #EMGSketchFest 95, but don’t forget to click through to the full gallery!

Sketch Fest will return in March. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to be the first to hear about #EMGSketchFest 96!

Goodbye, EMG Sketch Fest #90!

Our 90th Sketch Fest has come to an end! Don’t be sad, though – #91 is coming next month, and artists can still add the sketches they’re working on to the current gallery. Which means there’s still fun, amazing, beautiful, and whimsical art to explore!

An eclipse pictured on a black field; the sun's corona peeks around the moon's edges in smoldering orange.
“Total Eclipse” by Heather Kilgore

You know we couldn’t skip featuring an eclipse illustration this Sketch Fest! (Has everyone in North America got their eclipse glasses ready for tomorrow?) Heather Kilgore did this eclipse ACEO card with colored pencils and Polychromos. You can snag the original for $20!

An acrylic painting of pink, blue, and white-trending butterflies on a field of thick whorled paint in blues and pinks and whites.
“Butterfly Whimsy” by Deirdre M. Murphy

Deirdre M. Murphy created this dreamscape of butterflies frolicking amid whorls of pink and blue. She’s offering the original for sale – acrylics on a 9″ x 12″ canvas for $30.

A brown-feathered owl with a face done up in white and pink like a Mexican sugar skull; the owl is pictured from mid-body up, peering to the viewer's right. A full moon occupies much of the background, with the rest of the canvas painted a nightsky green.
“Sugar Skull Owl” by Afke van Herpt

This owl is ready for this year’s Dia de los Muertos! Afke van Herpt drew “Sugar Skull Owl” with copic markers and white pencil on 2.5″ x 3.5″ recycled paper. If you fancy the original, it’s only $15!

A bee has been tooled on a piece of undyed leather; the bee is depicted against six hexagons in a honeycomb pattern. Another piece of leather lays across this piece, with For the Love of Bees #Sketchfest 90 scratched into it.
“Leather Love for the Bees” by Charlie Galvin

EMG Sketch Fests aren’t just about paintings and sketches and art cards – it’s also about jewelry-making, crocheting, and leather tooling! Charlie Galvin tooled this brilliant bee design onto a piece of undyed leather. We can’t wait to see the finished piece!

A black and white sketch of a woman facing the viewer, depicted from waist up. Her waves of long hair obscure her torso, and she holds her hands in front of her, resting her face on her right hand. Her head is tilted to the viewer's left, her eyes are closed, and she is crowned with perhaps a dozen butterflies.
“Butterfly Crown” by Sarah Alden

Our final featured piece is “Butterfly Crown” by Sarah Alden. “I’m so happy with this one! Just the right amount of butterflies!” Sarah says. “Now if only I could get one for myself…” We agree!

That’s it for #EMGSketchFest 90. Follow us on Facebook to be the first to know about September’s Sketch Fest dates. We’ll see you there!