#tascott

Victory Parade, Tascott, New South Wales.

Thomas Ascott

Saturn Devouring His Gingerbread by Thomas Ascott

So, today is a day I always look forward to: Creature day. Every year on Creature day, the very first thing I do is open up my phone and rush straight over to my pal @tascott’s page, because every year his Creature is completely moving, touching, and vulnerably alive. To me, Creature day is always his day, so I asked him to co-host it with me this year. I met Thomas on my very first Drawlloween club. His work connected with me in that way - it’s hard to describe- kind of like looking into the face of a family member. That comforting strange safety you feel being around someone you’ve always loved and always known. My heart recognized his work, and had been waiting to find it. Since then, I’ve adopted (okay stolen) his three magical girls as unofficial fairy goddaughters, and take delight in compiling mystery magic boxes to send them. Thomas is one of my favorite things about Instagram, and if you aren’t already following him, head over to his page right now, because your day is about to get that much better. He’ll be introducing himself to you all here later today, but till then, here are a few of his Creatures from past years to get you ready. #creaturefromtheblacklagoon #tascott #mabsdrawlloweenclub #mabsdrawlloweenclub2019 https://www.instagram.com/p/B4CW2pjHFfY/?igshid=1a7032y92t8pd

From @tascott I have an alternate version of the Smoky Mountains where my creatures live. They wander around in the forest living their lives and occasionally show up in my sketches. Thinking about them in relationship to a place makes them more real to me and hopefully comes through in my art and lends a hint of unsaid history or deeper narrative. Creature has his own but similar alternate place. I actually wasn’t familiar with him before my first Drawlloween and have been inspired by my initial gut impression of him. He felt tragic, heartbroken, lonely, and misunderstood. It made me feel instinctively protective of him. I think that is why I gave him an axolotl childhood friend in one and a family in another. In this latest one, I was intrigued about how I could convey that implied history as well as his present through his tattoos. ( in the initial sketch, he had an axolotl perched on his shoulder but I found his distracting from the tattoos and his facial expression). On aside note: I put my girls’ initials on his arm😊 #creaturefromtheblacklagoon #mabsdrawlloweenclub #mabsdrawlloweenclub2019 #tascott https://www.instagram.com/p/B4DPS8xH_DI/?igshid=1rhvb8ljfh8o9

A little intro from @tascott Hey guys! Thomas here. I am so excited to have been invited by my friend, Mab to guest host today’s Drawlloween prompt. I always have a blast every year participating in Mab’s Drawlloween Club and generate so many ideas and concepts this month that I am able to explore all year long. I have three beautiful daughters that inspire much of my art and who I shamelessly force to pose for my artwork. I tend to avoid making my characters look too much like them, though, because it makes it too hard to part with artwork. Still, bits and pieces of their personalities are in almost every piece (as well as hands, eyes, hair,😉). I also have wife who is every kind of magic. My art would be nowhere near where it is without her support and critical eye. #tascott #mabsdrawlloweenclub #mabsdrawlloweenclub2019 https://www.instagram.com/p/B4CzbnyHIRy/?igshid=yv8bcz61qqqr

😭😭😭💕 I opened the most incredibly sweet, thoughtful package this morning from my dear friend @tascott It was a babushka of boxes that got smaller and smaller until I opened the tiny center box and inside was THIS - a teensy weensy illustration of the piece he sent me right before my surgery. It hangs in real life, and now in miniature right next to my desk in my studio. Of course, this hormone monster burst into a wildly unattractive blubber 😭😭💕 Its so deeply precious in every single imaginable way. I have no adequate words @tascott. Thank you #uglycryface #mabsminiaturestudio #mabsartthrobs #tascott