#inkvent 2025

[inkymole]

Yesterday we spent the whole day at the Winter @efteling which, if you’ve never been, is an illustrator’s imagination come to life in Europe’s oldest theme park (the one Walt Disney visited that inspired him to open one of his own…)

So the day’s Inkvent was a sketch of the breathtaking thatched entrance hall. It’s hard to adequately describe how beautiful and detailed it is, and this sketch almost insults it - but I needed to draw those peaks with the only pen/ink I had to hand.

Drawn on a swaying night ferry with my Sea Bands on, and the ink is called Chaos.

[tulipathy]

Inkvent

I’m the worst at keeping this thing up (flipside: BEST at tumblrweeds), but I’m wrapping up my 2025 Inkvent over on bluesky. A page a day of practicing calligraphy and trying art in a new ink. I tape my finished pages up on the wall beside the desk where I do all this, and looking at them makes me feel happy and grounded. I thought I would fail in a bunch of ways (especially the art); I didn’t! I think I was able to make some beautiful things and some beautiful letters, and when things weren’t going splendidly they were good reminders that I’m learning. I like learning. I love the places where I’m beginning to feel steady enough to try to do things my way. I love feeling like there could be a my way!

Next year I want to take some classes and try to connect with the local SCA. And I want to make more beauty, or at least try at it. Those attempts felt so worthy.

[inkymole]

Off to a flying start! As the designer of the Inkvent Calendar, I consider it my prerogative to start posting late…ha. 💅🏻 Not really. Life, bloody busy as usual,  got in the way of uploading yesterday, and so here is December 1st, kicking off Inkvent ’25. 

Ink: Celestial Skies, a riotous, multi-personality shimmering turquoise which ALMOST matches the calendar’s box this year.

Words: The beloved Andrea Gibson, who’s been a regular star of my Inkvent pieces (my folio generally, in fact). Having taken up their own place with the rest of the celestial bodies earlier this year, Andrea was the ONLY choice for this piece.

Piece: No plan, no thought at all other than ‘I’m going to send this ink on an assault course and explode a raucous, starry, big  bang of a sky’. That’s it; that was the plan. Of course it went wrong, but that’s half the fun of these, isn’t it? 

One take / one ink / no rehearsal / mistakes + adventuring  encouraged.

[inkymole]

Can you walk on the water if I, you and I?

…and in the dark, it’s a danger, who we are;

Gonna be the death of me, it’s a danger

‘Cause our love is a ghost that the others can’t see.”

Inkvent Day 6 is Agnes Obel’s words from her song ‘Familiar’ which I love strongly. This eerie, tinkling, perambulative piece with Agnes duetting with herself was perfect for an ink called ‘Fir and Fog’.

Look how it splits itself all those many parts when shown the water.

One take / one ink / no rehearsal / mistakes + adventuring  encouraged.

- 1 take only, for better or for worse!😬

- Ink on paper, no digital faffing

- Originals go on sale in January

- Prints and digital editions available

- Portion of all sales to food banks.

✍🏼✒️🌟🎄🌟🖋️✍🏼

[inkymole]

The Inkvent Project Day 3: what a scruffbag!

Ink: Carousel, a juicy pigment (permanent) one.

Words: Jarv Cocker!

Piece: Look, when I say ‘one take for better or worse’, I’m not lying. Swipe this clumsy faff. This one had a wobbly hand, distracted mind, a fountain pen that was clearly not cleaned out properly, and paper that’s doing something weird. The ink - no ink actually - should feather like that. I’ve had a faulty batch before (I order 500 sheets at a time) so will investigate. But I’ve marked my own work and given me 3 out of 10 - the ink however is EXCELLENT. 🩸

One take / one ink / no rehearsal / mistakes + adventuring  encouraged.

- 1 take only, for better or for worse!😬

- Ink on paper, no digital faffing

- Originals go on sale in January

- Prints and digital editions available

- Portion of all sales to food banks.

[inkymole]

Inkvent Day 2:

Ink: Energy, a rude-ass purple sheener.

Words: Sent to me by my friendly customer, Sue Johnson. I immediately knew this would be an Inkvent!

Piece: I can completely relate to this 11th Century painter’s preparation/procrastination, whatever you want to call it. Unfortunately the Inkvents for me tend to provide an excuse to go a bit messy, brain-down and off-plan so no such mindfulness for me…I *do* however require said MARVELLOUS INK 🫟

————————-

The Inkvent Project:

One take / one ink / no rehearsal / mistakes + adventuring  encouraged.

- 1 take only, for better or for worse!😬

- Ink on paper, no digital faffing

- Originals go on sale in January

- Prints and digital editions available

- Portion of all sales to food banks.

✍🏼✒️🌟🎄🌟🖋️✍🏼

[inkymole]

Only a few of my 2025 Inkvent pieces are up for sale this year - some are sold already, some gifted, and some I kept as this year's were unexpectedly more personal, and thus are on my studio wall 🙂 Have a look of there was one you liked (a few remain from 2024, too). A portion of proceeds, as always, goes to Trussell Food Banks. https://www.inkymole.com/category/original-art

[inkymole]

The frîtes we did not get to eat, 22nd December.

Inkvent 22 was this glittery, crispy deep shimmering yellow. All day we wanted proper Belgian frîtes and we didn’t get them, for various reasons. So when I realised the colour of this ink was the same as crisp, fresh hot fries, that was it. I can SMELL THEM!

Drawn on the move.

#inkvent2025 #ink #illustration #frites #chips