#inktober tea painting: half-demon Teabies

Happy Thursday! (See what I did there? đ XD )
So the last few years I have taken part in inktober in my own anarchistic sort of way, not following the daily prompts or worrying about having to produce a whole drawing each day… but instead using it as an excuse to indulge in something I love but never feel justified setting time aside to do.
When my wonderful friend Mrs Brown first asked me to take part with her several years ago I felt that invitation had given me permission to set some time aside to do something for ‘me’ – something I have always struggled with as we have such a large household and so many other commitments.
I used to be fairly good at art and spent enough time doing it that I considered it as a career. Now this one month a year is pretty much the only time I pick up a paintbrush – except to clean the ones that others have been using! XD
As a household we do a lot of creative stuff but that usually means me stepping back and giving the kids what they need to be creative. It feels as indulgent a thing as a hot chocolate and rum or a hot lavender bath to have this creative ‘room of One’s own’ so to speak, even if it is only once a year!
I know that as with other things of this nature, many people find inktober a stress. I totally get that and if that’s the case it’s possibly not a healthy thing to continue with. I’d hate to think I had put pressure on somebody to do something that caused them stress or anxiety.
But for me it is something which brings me joy so I am going to continue to spew tea painted silliness into the aether throughout October and I hope that seeing it brings some of you some giggles as well XD If you’re doing inktober, do feel free to put links to your posts in the comments I love looking at what other folks are doing too đ
So to kick us off, here is cutesy little half-demon Edmund with his little heart shaped smoke rings. He’s painted in a mix of black blended tea and coffee with an underwash of lapsang and mate to his jacket and trousers giving that grey-green tint which I’m not sure is that noticeable on the image! His demon-pride red waistcoat and scarf are done in mixed berry fruit tea and I had to cheat and do his blue eye in watercolour because I’ve never found a vivid enough blue tea! The golden yellow is tumeric and the pinkish wash to the background was the mixed berry again đ
I AM going to try and do him lying down in the park at some point but I didn’t have the courage for that as my first one! XD
Hugest blessings on all your Octobrish shenanigans, whatever they may be! đ
Elevenses: #inktober tea painting

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen! I hope you are all feeling extremely eleven o’clockish because the time is, of course, eleven o’clock and we are up to our elbows in tea! (Tea is an ink? Yes?) Yes that’s right, here is our weekly offering for inktober…
Miss. Scarlet Skarry Chibi painted using tea and coffee (apologies the photo is a little shaky).
She was built up with layers of rooibos and then rooibos blended with blackcurrant (darker brown tones) and rooibos blended with turmeric and ginger (lighter brown/gold tones) The pinky red , blue and green tones are blueberry and apple and the very darkest tones are strong brewed coffee. A huge amount of learning took place during this one!
If you don’t know who Scarlet Skarry is, well, here is an excerpt from the ‘possibly some day to be published’ novel in which she features… (with some much better accompanying artwork from Robin Eisenberg!)
Mercurio laughed and knelt down beside the thief. Gently, he lifted the white fingers from the floor and coaxed the spider-like thing out from under them. Gingerly, he turned it over and examined it, ever careful to keep his fingers clear of the needle-sharp fangs.
âAmazing,â he mused. âThis is an incredible piece of machinery! It appears our young thief here, is a master of devices.â Curious, he lifted the enormous cowl, which hid the boyâs face from view, and pulled it back. At once, a cascade of crow- black hair spilled out over the floor, framing the delicate, pale features of a young woman. The area around her right eye was covered by an intricately engraved metal plate, studded in glorious designs with tiny jewels of every description. The plate fit perfectly around her eye socket, following the smooth curve of her high cheekbone, but the socket itself was empty.
âMistress of devices,â he corrected, his voice the thoughtful glide of the barn owl above its moonlit hunting ground.
âScarlet!â Skarry exclaimed.
The woman stirred and, as if this were some telepathic signal, the mechanical spider suddenly sprang to life once more, wrenched itself from the wizardâs hand and scuttled back to its owner. Mercurio gazed in rapt fascination as the creature clambered carefully onto the womanâs face and nestled down into the eye socket, its legs forming delicate rows of golden lashes above and below. The woman groaned softly and uttered something unprintable which caused Mercurio to grin and Skarry to roll his eyes.
âScarlet!â Skarry hissed again. âWhat are you doing here?â
âJohn?â The abdomen of the eye-spider suddenly flew open to reveal a stunning mechanical replica of a human eye, complete in perfect mimicry of the original. The only perceptible difference was in the colour of the iris, which was a deep claret red, and the pupil – composed of a spiral of overlapping golden plates that, even now, were dilating in a curious, almost hypnotic motion as the woman leapt to her feet, glaring defiantly from one wizard to the other.
âJohn!â She spat furiously. âWhatâre you doing âere? Youâll ruin everythinâ! Why arenât you in Lichfield?â
âWhy arenât you in London?â
Mercurio raised his eyebrows expectantly, âIntroduction?â
Skarry gritted his teeth. âScarlet, this is Mercurio Smith, a fellow student of magic, from Lichfield.â He turned to his friend. âThis is Scarlet Skarry, my sister.â
âLondon?â Mercurio mused thoughtfully. âThe pirate city…oh, I see!â He peered curiously into Scarletâs face, trying to get a better look at her mechanical eye. âSo itâs true then. The Pirate King, Billy Blythe, really has created a host of âtons to crew his Land Ships.â
âScarlet is NOT an automaton,â Skarry growled. âEvery pirate who wishes to join Blytheâs fleet is required to… sacrifice… a part of themselves. In return, the Pirate King has his Tinkers make them a new body part to replace it.â
âI see, a part which not only replaces the lost member but enhances its function through the wonders of Tinker Technology,â Mercurio mused. He chuckled, âAnd you gave your right eye, Miss Skarry? How very clichĂ©d!â
âYou neednât tarlk tâme about clichĂ©s, yer mincing fool!â Scarlet spat. âWhat in the name oâ Wiz are yer clowning around at? Yâgonna get us all killed!â
âDear, dear me!â Mercurio shook his head, his eyes dancing with amusement. âWhich of you two was the cuckooâs child, I wonder?â
âWe donât âave time for this, John!â Scarlet hissed, her voice an urgent growl between gritted teeth. âWe…â
The door suddenly opened and the Last Witch of Pendle swayed unsteadily into the room, clutching a half-empty decanter of brandy in one hand and steadying her toupee with the other.
âOh! Oh dear, youâre all awake. Well…â
Whatever The Witch had been about to say was smothered by a sudden sound. The ominous sigh, scrape and grind of metal bulk against metal sinew, followed by the heart-stopping thud of impacting weight upon a militia of snailâs shells, which splintered and shrieked beneath it.
The old timber-framed town house shuddered to its bones in fright and released a pent-up centuryâs worth of stagnant dust into the air like a scream.
âWhat was that?â The Witch whispered, clutching the bottle like a comforter.
Scarlet rolled her eyes, âItâs the Agro,â she groaned, her fists balled in frustration. âItâs Jack. Oh the numb-skull I knew heâd never wait.â She rounded on her brother, malevolence pulsing through her aura. âNow look what yâve done!â she shrieked. âIf you witless wizards hadnât minced in here with yer clown costumes and yer wretched Cat Oâ Nine Lives, Iâd have got the Wyrd Web anâ been back on the Agro in a wink. Now, look! My Jackie said heâd wait thirty minutes and if I didnât return heâd come n get me. Blasted fool, heâs waited less than ten!â
The Witchâs eyes were wild with terror. âTh- the Chronic Agro? Pirates? Coming here? Oh no! No, no, no! A Land Ship cannot fit down this street, it will tear us to pieces!â
Now from the opposite end of the street, even as the Agro continued to make its laboured progress felt against the cobbles and the mortar, another sound struck up. This time, the whirr and fizz of high-speed motors and wind straining through a bellow of brass pipes. There was a sudden lash of air, followed by a crack and the rumble of mortar slumping into the street below. Scarlet threw up her hands in resignation. âAnd thatâll be The Plunder Bus!â she sighed. âTheyâve been threatening trouble all night. Take down yer shield here, Lady, weâve a fight cominâ fast upon us and we best be aboard the Agro before it kicks off.â
âBut what about the crew?â The Witch exclaimed. âWonât they… well, you know, capture us or slaughter us or something?â
âAye, they might. But, as youâve rightly guessed, my Jackie wonât rest âtill he tears this place apart lookinâ for me and unless you want tâbe torn apart with it, weâd best get aboard the landship quick sharp.â
âBut couldnât we just run? Run away somewhere and hide?â
âOh sure! Yâd be caught in the cross-fire between the Agro and the Plunder Bus, and the Brothers Crim donât take no prisoners, Lady.â
âBut arenât you all on the same side?â The Witch protested.
Scarlet snorted in disgust.
âI believe what Miss Skarry is trying to convey, is that there is âno honour amongst thieves,â â Mercurio said smoothly.
âDo you mind sparing us all these clichĂ©d little proverbs?â Skarry growled. âThey mean absolutely nothing and do even less to help the situation.â
Mercurio narrowed his eyes venomously, and muttered something under his breath.
An almighty blast shook the house once again and the exposed lintels above them began to warp and splinter in protestation.
âGuard down, Lady!â Scarlet bellowed.
âOh!â The Witch screamed, as the floor began to tilt beneath their feet. Skarryâs boots tried for purchase on the smooth wooden floorboards and failed and he skidded into Mercurio, who clutched at him in a frantic manner which neither of them ever felt it appropriate to recall in the years that followed.
There was another crack, a flash of blue light as The Witch released the containment spell, a gleam of silver as Scarlet pulled something from her belt.
âScarlet, no!â
And then everything went black.
Morning Cuppa: For The Love Of God Marie!
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Max and Collin’s religiously ravishing and piously precocious parlour located within the splendidly scenic city of Lancaster!
True, some have called it a festering Hull-hole filled with demonic fiends, Â tentacled terrors and irreverent imbeciles, but we consider that such people are merely embittered that they have not yet received an invitation.
You find us this morning deep in philosophical discussion. Our delightful landlord, ever the entrepreneur, has given us an ultimatum – either we make enough money to meet our next rent by selling his filthy lemonade (a feat which is becoming ever more difficult as The Good Folk have increased their street patrols now that the warmer weather has set in) OR we join the chorus line at his (even filthier) burlesque club across the Docks Road and earn the money in tips. The question is, would anyone really want to see a Very Quiet Gentleman and his Octopus pole dancing in their suspenders? Would it be coins and wolf whistles, or glass bottles and death threats that were flung at us from the stalls?
These are all serious matters to consider. Max has done a lot of artistic modelling in Litchfield, mostly for Michael Biscotti, but he assures me it is hardly the same thing at all. He also assures me that going back to Litchfield is not an option, well, we have until Friday to make our Hobson’s choice.
Ah well, let us take our minds off these tribulations with a nice cup of tea  and this morning we’re filling our pot with cranberry rose from melysteashop and to accompany it we must of course have something splendid to read, like this…
For The Love Of God Marie! by Jade Sarson (also creator of the fabulous comic Cafe Suada, of which we are huge fans) is a heart-warming, heart-breaking, masterpiece with bold, gutsy,lovable characters who held us spellbound throughout – we laughed, we cried, we forgot we were reading a graphic novel as we became so emotionally invested in Marie, Will and Annie’s lives.
This is a book we have now read many times! The story follows catholic schoolgirl Marie on her journey from daughter to mother and as we voyage those stormy seas along with her we see the changing attitudes of society towards issues of sexuality both on macro and micro level. 1960s school girl Marie just wants to love people – what’s so wrong in that? Well, plenty according to her parents and teachers who both manage to present a highly prescriptive yet utterly confusing ideal of what love is.
By the 1990s Marie is now both teacher and mother but instead of being able to make up for the mistakes of her elders, Marie finds herself just as alienated from the wants and needs of her own teenage daughter.
There are lots of laughs, some really joyful love scenes and a fair few teary heart-breaking moments along the way but the book ends on a beautiful, sassy, optimistic note (which we won’t divulge for fear of ‘spoilers’) and left us with a lovely warm, fuzzy feeling inside.
And speaking of things which feel fuzzy, it is time to lift our oracular pet into his cup and see what its far seeing tentacles have plucked from the aether for us this morning…
Oh my goodness that is marvellous! I know Penny has an old singer I wonder if she would make us a tea machine? Perhaps if we ask very sweetly…
We wish you a very splendid afternoon filled with only the finest fancies and we will see you back in the parlour tomorrow for elevenses so until then please be always
Utterly Yourself