Sketchy Thoughts | October 14, 2026

October 21, 2026

Body Horror, Ruins, Mutant, Cults, and Killer Candy. My journey through the creative process continues. As always, the goal is simple: never take it too seriously and enjoy the process.

Substack: https://monumentsinruin.substack.com

Sketchy Thoughts | October 14, 2026
Documenting the week of October 7-13

This week was explosive in my daily art routine. Not only did the prompts deliver some of my favorite themes of the season, it also allowed me to open a new level in my direction. All of this has been a fun project and I try to remind myself daily to never take it too seriously. Enjoy the process.

Daily Art | October 7-13

This may be one of my favorite end results, so far. When I first read the prompt, nothing came to mind. Where to start? No clue. After sitting and staring at the blank surface for a few minutes an idea began to take shape. This is the adult version of those biology videos where the embryo divides into two.

I could be happy sketching things like this for days. The concept of ruins and the constant process of erosion remains interesting to me. Adding the steps was actually a throwback to something that was left behind on a piece a long while ago. Glad to add them here for a bit of personal redemption.

New challenge in a challenge! Why not, right? Let’s push a little bit further. This work was limited to 3 colors + 3 shades. Though I did not reach the blending of colors stage as I had imagined, it did remain in the original trio. One bonus extra, I incorporated a second brush. Still trying to find my way through those and it feels like a massive slug.

Oct 8 / Fright-Fall Day 27: Sleep Paralysis

Little short on time after mowing. Keeping in the routine, this line work provided a fun and creative shock of energy before bed. Instead of staying up later to complete it, this felt like a good place to pause and retire for the evening. One thing about the digital surface, we rarely showcase the linework stages here. Unlike the pen/paper, which gets multiple passes as the image is formed.

Oct 9 / Fright-Fall Day 28: Mutant (line work preview)

Ok. New favorite of the prompts! Again, i limited my color options but also allowed myself a bit of grace to wander beyond the original choices. Instead, each element was limited to no more than 3 colors or shades. There is a lot of hatching in here and it really does help to push the piece into more pleasing visual territory.

This made me laugh. It also carried over the hatching work and evolved it into some crosshatching. It is not intended to be perfect. Though it does allow me some room to move around and rediscover the where and how of some puzzle pieces I have been leaving behind recently. … and gross …

Another favorite! This piece had me excited to sketch. The concept, the colors, the shapes, the burst in the background plus adding another brush for a bit of outline shading. This is the third piece from this week that really ignited something in me. My guess would be, this is exactly what these long term challenges are supposed to encourage. There is no perfection required. This is about the consistent showing up to a daily work flow.

The end of the Retro Supply Co. Fright-Fall challenge sequence has arrived. As I reference back to this piece and consider what to write about, I am reminded that there is no requirement to share everything. This image makes me sad and that was the intention. Perhaps a moment of silence is the more appropriate action to take here. Let’s take a quiet moment to reflect.

As planned, it is time to jump into Chris Piascik’s Stinktober 2026 Prompts! Instead of starting at day 1 my intention is to start on the next prompt and move forward with their schedule. I’ll push ahead if time allows. If not, no big deal. We are having fun!

Turns out, this prompt covers two challenges that I wanted to participate in! Stinktober + Season of the Bad Guys Club 11 collaborative day! If i happen to push through Stinktober early I will jump over to SOTBGC11. I looks really fun too! This is exactly why I had to pick one and stick to the plan. With so many rad hosts, it is impossible to be everywhere.

Oct 11 / Stinktober + Season of the Bad Guys Club Collab Day 12: Yokai

I wanted to use these bright colors to simulate a child’s play room. Almost everyone has had the experience of seeing or being someone who picks up a small child and they commit to violence. Usually it is a gentle face grab or an accidental smack but sometimes those little ninjas can snap out of nowhere! haha

Tarantula Turtle may not have been my favorite but the green spots on the legs won me over. Something abut the end result makes me smile :)

Two things happened with the next piece. Well, three. First, it made me want pizza. Second and third, I introduced another brush into the effort and used the previous brush for the shading. Perhaps it is time I read a tutorial about creating my list of “favorites” in the brush section?

Another favorite? Yes, please! Killer Candy was sweet fun to work on and the bright yet simplistic color choices really worked out well. Note, i did make a change to the background but neglected to snap a pic of the final work. Guess you will have to catch it later down the road. The suspense is killing you isn’t it?!?!

LearnToDrawTogether Sunday Challenge | October 11 Number 57: “UNDERWATER”

Challenge Number 57: “UNDERWATER”

This was simple and comical. The color choices did present a touch of struggle though. Perhaps I am still questioning some of the choices but it is nothing that will keep me up at night. It was quick, enjoyable and translates well.

Not sure why I abandoned the idea to make this an aquarium view. Again, there will be no tossing and turning in my sleep about the final work. The original idea was supposed have a border and be an aquarium view from a tourist angle.