#erintober

Erintober Day 2 – Morning Chorus (Warbler)

Today’s study for Morning Chorus: a Northern Parula mid-song. I used the Pilot Metropolitan this time — a drier pen than the Asvine, but it let me push into the lines a little, almost like carving form out of sound.

After the weight and stillness of the Elder Bittern, this one feels like a reply. The posture is all lift and air — throat open, song spilling into the morning.

Erintober Day 4 – Magpie Court A magpie from one of my own photos — the proportions wandered a bit, but he still turned out looking like a tiny king.

Drawn with the Avnir pen and Tombow brush pens in the Soul Color sketchbook. The nib started to loosen halfway through, which gave the ink this unpredictable, scratchy texture. Honestly, it fits. Magpies never sit still, and this one didn’t want to either.

Erintober Day 1 – Elder Bittern

First ink study of the month. The Asvine pen surprised me — smooth flow, crisp strokes, no fight. Perfect for layering the kind of streaky camouflage that makes a bittern look like an old sentinel in the reeds.

Not sure yet if I’ll stop here or do a cleaner version tomorrow, but this feels like the right start: a watchful posture, a weight in the chest, something ancient in the grass.

Erintober Day 6 – Balance Today’s entry: one very fluffy, very stressed acrobat. He’s trying so hard to hold it together, and honestly? Same.

Sketched with the Pilot Metropolitan in the Soul Color sketchbook — light, fast lines and just enough wobble to feel like he’s about to slip right off the page.

Erintober Day 5 – Shadow on Water A loose reflection study tonight. The ink kept catching and the lines came out rougher than I planned, but maybe that fits. Water never mirrors perfectly — it distorts and drags and softens the edges.

Drawn with the Asvine fountain pen in my Soul Color sketchbook. I refilled it before starting, so the uneven flow might’ve been my own doing, but it gave the piece a kind of movement I didn’t expect.

Erintober Day 8 – Thistle & Thorn A small thistle study for a low-energy day. The Asvine ran heavier than usual, but the extra ink and a light Tombow wash gave it a soft, weathered feel — half brittle, half bloom.

Erintober Day 7 – Storm Flight A motion study of a flock caught in the wind. I didn’t want to draw the storm itself — just its weight, the way the air moves more than the birds do.

I went back over the sky after the first pass to add depth and pull the whole scene forward. The layering brought out a kind of rhythm I hadn’t planned, which feels right for a storm.

Erintober Day 3 – Fragment A feather study for today’s prompt. Drawn with the Pilot Metropolitan in my Soul Color sketchbook, layered with a little brush-pen wash. The dry nib worked in its own favor here—every uneven line feels like it belongs to the idea of a fragment.

After the Bittern’s weight and the Warbler’s song, this one sits somewhere between: a trace, a pause, something left behind.