Brit Austin Illustration

☽ Illustrator & Designer of the magical, mythical, & macabre ☾

[britaustinillustration]

WITHDRAWN. These soft enamel pins will be for sale this weekend at Illuxcon and next weekend at @worldodditiesexpo. I will release them in my shop on the magical day 10/31. These 1.25in pins are made with an antique gold coat and are part of the 2019 Read Or Die Collection.💀🖤 . I’m nervous as hell to showcase this weekend, but I know it will be a positive experience. If you’ll be at Illuxcon, come say hi! I’ll be the one with silver+bright green hair fidgeting nervously like a bat. 💜 https://www.instagram.com/p/B3-CQZmjs_7/?igshid=1nom5l0bervem

[britaustinillustration]

Happy Harvest Moon on Friday the 13th! 🌕 I hope you are manifesting magic on this delightfully spooky day. I’m recovering from an upper respiratory infection, but since this is the first day I’ve had a bit of energy, I lit a fall scented candle, turned on jazz, and am taking time to nest in my new studio space. It’s a cloudy, cool day outside and it has me excited for autumn. Prague and Budapest have inspired me and I have many October festivals and events to get ready for. I can’t believe Halloween season is almost here! Stay tuned for sneak peaks into my Halloween spooky bookish collection, “Read Or Die”. 📚💀🖤 . “Friday the 13th”. Ink + Digital. . . . #fridaythe13th #friday #fridaythethirteenth #spooky #blackcat #badluck #halloween #witch #witchy #darkart #gothart #altart #artistsoninstagram #art #darkartists #blackcats #harvestmoon #fullmoon https://www.instagram.com/p/B2XGQwfD8vv/?igshid=r6998cb7d1xp

[britaustinillustration]

It’s #shareyourstudio day. I just moved to a house this July, so I’ve only been in this space for about a month and odd days. It’s slowly coming together and being the creative space I envision - not just the corner of a room anymore. Both cats (Ahsoka + Zoey) usually join me when I’m here, you could say they’re part of the creative purrocess. See if you can find Zoey and a Tardis in the second pic. I’m gearing to also make this my meditative spot. Last picture features my altar. 🔮 . . . #shareyourstudioday #studio #artist #artistsoninstagram #artiststudio #artiststudiospace #britaustin #britaustinillustration #goth #gothart #spooky #gothdecor #skeleton #gothic #gothicstyle #gothichome #gothichomedecor #spookydecor #shelfie #bookstagram #altar #altarspace #witch #witchy #witchythings #witchyvibes https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Z8YDZAcMI/?igshid=frz8u1grewqs

[britaustinillustration]

Hey lovelies! I’ll be venturing to Philly in the next two weeks to be a part of this amazing lineup of dark and spooky vendors at @darksomecraftmkt at the Historic Mount Moriah Cemetery on Aug.3! Come join the dark shenanigans. I’ll be bringing shirts, prints, pins, and originals! I hope to see you there. 🖤💀🖤 . Gorgeous Poster by @dylanxvx . . . #darksome #darksomecraftmkt #darksomeartist #philadelphia #philly #creepy #goth #gothic #cemetery #darkmarket (at Mount Moriah Cemetery) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0L4k6Lgo7S/?igshid=2u0ddv7q693l

[britaustinillustration]

“Some things cannot be fixed. They can only be carried.” - Megan Devine . I started this piece on Father’s Day, a very hard day for those that don’t have their fathers anymore, and finished this on a day that a friend died by suicide. This piece was a way for me to work through some of the grief I still hold. The moths can be a weight or support, they will always be there. Certain cultures believe that white moths and butterflies are the spirit of loved ones past or an omen. I saw 4 white moths dancing around the light the week before my father died from an aggressive recurrence of small cell cancer. I was there when he died on May 30th, 2013. It doesn’t get easier over the years, no matter what they say however the weight does get easier to carry. Some days. Eventually. . We are all fragile things fluttering in the night. I’m still heartbroken from hearing about my friend. We weren’t super close, but he was a genuine amazing person and incredible artist and I wish we had been closer. I’m grateful for the time you were here with us bringing us color and light with your smile, your art, and your hope. You are missed @kingkazma. . “Remembrance.” Ink + Digital . . . #britaustinillustration #grief #illustration #deathpositive #death #moths #whitemoths #victorian #gothic #goth #dark #darkart #illustration #art #britaustin #redthread #remembrance https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzd095pAime/?igshid=1swv0an99embn

[britaustinillustration]

A little past, but here’s my beautiful monster lady for #mermay. It’s not often I create a full traditional piece. I’m reliant on digital to fix my “mistakes”; figured it was time for a small challenge. She’s made of ink, watercolor, gouache, colored pencils, and an iridescent watercolor. Swipe to see the video of a dancing, glimmering mermaid! 🧜‍♀️ . I will be moving soon, so she will be up in the shop for $200 shortly. DM if you want her before then. 🌊 . . . #mermay2019 #mermaid #darkart #darkartists #britaustin #britaustinillustration #monstergirl #spooky #summer #water #siren #skulls #mixedmedia #traditional #fantasyartwork #mermaidpainting #mermaychallenge #mermaydrawing #watercolorillustration #merfolk #faefolk #fantasy #fantasyartwork #mermaidart https://www.instagram.com/p/ByQRh_0ARAe/?igshid=k0fmfb7550uv

[britaustinillustration]

RUN AWAY! Here’s one of my favorite bunnies for Easter. I hope everyone had a lovely day with er...less blood. 🍷 . . . #illustration #montypython #britaustin #britaustinillustration #montypythonandtheholygrail #runaway #bunny #rabbit #easter #killerrabbit #skull #darkart #gothart #alternative #spookyart https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwiwa6nFE6j/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1sowokr262xb1

[britaustinillustration]

Mr. Bat Astaire wishes you a happy #batappreciationday! Speaking of this dapper fella, one of the projects I’ve been working on is creating his dancing partner, Ginger Radars. You’ll meet her very soon. Until then, please donate to your favorite bat conservation organization. I donate monthly to @batworldsanctuary since these creatures hold a special place in my heart. 🦇🖤🦇 . . . . #britaustinillustration #britaustin #darkart #illustration #goth #steampunk #batastaire #dancingbat #batappreciationday #art #gothic #spookycute https://www.instagram.com/p/BwXzHqNlwQ0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qurw1q9vg8bp

[cheesethesecond]

Here’s something I wanna say real quick, while I’m feeling salty: Amazon has totally contributed to the devaluation of literature. Those prices you see, the $13 they’re asking you to pay for a hardcover book? Those are deep, DEEP discounts that they’re able to implement because they don’t collect sales tax if they can get away with it, they don’t contribute money to the communities where they have a physical presence, they have shitty labor practices, Jeff Bezos has more money than god, etc. 

(Read this report from the Institute for Self-Reliance if you really want to get into how they’re hurting the economy.)

They’re so omnipotent at this point that they’ve normalized the discounted prices for books as the standard. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had someone come up to me and tell me what the price on Amazon is, expecting me to match it. The number of times I’ve been told, “Oh, it’s cheaper on Amazon, I’ll just get it there.” Even at author events, where book sales DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTE to whether or not that bookstore will be able to get more authors in.

So when you go into a bookstore, and you’re asked to pay $27 for a hardcover, remember: THAT IS THE COVER PRICE. Set by the publishers. The bookstore is not upcharging you. They are asking you to pay the value of the book. Amazon’s low prices come with a cost. Please, just keep that in mind. 

(I made a post with options for buying books online that aren’t Amazon. Check it out!)

[allofthefeelings]

This is a great post, and I just want to point out: publishers aren’t upcharging you either.

The cost of the book is the advance for the author, it’s the salaries for all the people who work on it (including editors, yes, but also designers and marketers and publicists and lawyers and accountants and everyone else who makes sure publishing works). It’s the cost of printing the books and the materials to print those books on and the warehouses to store those books in. It’s keeping the literal lights on.

No one in the book business, from the author to the publisher to the bookseller, is making themselves rich off your money. This is the cost to survive. Amazon is running at a deficit because they can make up the cost with other things they do, and because once they run everyone else out of business, they’ll be the only game in town and can charge whatever they damn well please.

[sanspatronymic]

And please, please do not ask a bookstore (especially an indie bookstore) if they “price match.” It’s so insulting.

Amazon routinely sells books at or *below* wholesale cost. Meaning that when you ask a bookstore to ‘price match’ Amazon, you’re literally asking them to give you the book for free, or even take a financial loss on it. 

‘So how can Amazon do it?’ you ask? The answer is Amazon does not care about losing money. It sells goods at a loss continuously. (Don’t believe me? Just search “Amazon quarterly losses” and you can find article after article about this) Why? Because its goal isn’t to sell the most things, it’s goal is to be the only place where you CAN buy things. They gouge prices on goods to a point where brick and mortar retailers absolutely cannot compete and they do it with the singular goal of eliminating competition.

Things have value. They represent many people’s time and labor. For books, specifically, they represent tremendous cultural worth that extends far beyond the value of the paper they’re printed on. We have to appreciate the value of goods and be willing to pay a fair price that will support and nurture industries. 

It’s ok to be upset that you can’t afford $26 for a new hardcover, but make sure that that anger is directed, not at the people whose labor makes books possible, but at the people on top (like Jeff Bezos) who have devalued your own labor such that you can’t afford it.

[britaustinillustration]

Inner Vision Brit Austin Illustration Graphite + Digital .2019. Long ago, people thought bats were blind because they would see these dark creatures zigzagging around without logic. They didn’t understand that bats have an acute sense of sight with added echolocation. I think that echolocation is similar to self-love. We don’t often recognize our true vision, as we think we should see get validation from another point of view. Yet, we have our own unique power to see if we just embrace ourselves. This piece was created for the ‘Blindness’ prompt for Month of Love. 

[britaustinillustration]

“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give, but cannot. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go” - Jamie Anderson. This piece was created for the ‘Tears’ prompt for Month of Love. Widow Brit Austin Illustration Graphite + Digital .2019.

[britaustinillustration]

I imagine self-love is something like this. We all have a little bit of darkness within us. I think that part can be lovely if we choose to embrace that truth rather than to fear or ignore it. This piece was created for the ‘Beauty’ prompt for Month of Love. Beauty Brit Austin Illustration Graphite + Digital .2019.

[britaustinillustration]

You say it’s your fault. You women. You started it. Sinner. Snake. Temptress. I say the only venom is your belief in a lie. You can’t handle my kind of intimate knowledge. My taste goes beyond your limited notions. My body is more than your belief and my garden of knowledge is ever bountiful on this eve. • A week late but I wanted to join in on the Month of Love challenges. Here is “Lies”. • Original Sin Brit Austin Illustration Graphite + Digital .2019.  

[lostreach]

First full piece for the new year and it’s a Witchsona! Pretty pleased with this one. Hope to do more complex pieces like this in the future.

                     - instagram - ko-fi - twitter - website -

[britaustinillustration]

EX LIBRIS No. 01 The Wacky Book of Witches by Annie Civardi + Graham Philpot

As you know I am a rapid bibliophile and I wanted a way to share my influences, which have always come from pages. I am thrilled to begin this new series with you called Ex Libris, in which I take you on a journey through my library of books that influence me and my art. Ex Libris will include a little bit of everything from children’s books to the latest fiction to technical art manuals. I update every Thursday at 7 PM on Instagram and write a blog post here on Tumblr the following week. For this first book, I decided to delve back to my childhood...

The Wacky Book of Witches was one of my favorite books to read when I was younger. Okay. Let’s be real, it still is. Look at these fantastic, incredibly detailed illustrations! I’m always finding something new in the corners of the pages.

Even as a child, I loved the spooky, weird, and whimsical. This book has all that and a bag of chips, which (witch) is most likely haunted. You probably shouldn’t eat those. Just saying.

The book is about the daily life of a witch (Warty) getting ready for the Halloween Ball. It has hidden masked imps on every page, reoccurring wild characters, and a hilarious rat and cat sub-story. I believe this book, more so than other children’s books influenced me with its visceral, detailed world. I would just stare at the pages for hours, thinking I was in that realm. Everything had such motion, it was magic.

Now that I’m older, I can see the influences with the dark yet humorous subject matter, the detailed ink style, and the vibrant colors. I can pull this book from the shelf and feel the spooky nostalgia warm my heart.

Thanks for reading! Look for No.2 tonight on Instagram (britaustinillustration) at 7 PM EST. See you then guys and ghouls! 🦇

[britaustinillustration]

“It is a serious thing, just to be alive, on this fresh morning, in this broken world.” - Mary Oliver The Guardian Brit Austin Illustration Digital .2018.

[britaustinillustration]

I’m thrilled to be starting a new project with you all. Every week I’ll be pulling one of my favorite books from the shelves and talking about how it has influenced my life and art. Books always have and will be a huge part of my life and I’d excited to share the ones that have shaped the present me. I’m not sure what category this project falls under, but I’m bestowing “Ex Libris”. Look for the first book talk tonight! 📚 . . . . #exlibris #illustration #shelfie #bookstagram #books #bookshelf #bookrecommendations #bookreview #art #artbooks #spookybooks #darkreads https://www.instagram.com/p/BsLe34WhKFj/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1dg04v1esv010