girlfringe diaries #9 ★ october art diary, day 9: hex ur ex day

TODAY’S MIXTAPE:

TODAY’S PROMPT: SPELL

IDEA & SKETCHES

With Halloween season just around the corner, it felt absolutely necessary to create a classic witchy illustration. And, of course, I ended up with more than one composition idea, because how can you not? It’s such an inspiring and creative theme xx

My first idea was a cozy scene in a witch’s kitchen, filled with sweets, pumpkins, apples, scented candles and potions. The vibe was meant to be sweet and cozy, including a witch cooking in her little cottage, but with hidden creepy details, like an eyeball floating in a glass or a potion label that says ‘poison’, haha. I didn’t end up going with this one tho, but it definitely stays in my drafts for next year.

The second idea was a potions corner, like an entire collection of cups and glasses, each with its own unique color, shape and magical properties. I also imagined adding swirling smoke between them and sparkly disco ball reflections dancing all over the place. But alas, this one got ditched too. Don’t worry tho, I’m saving it for next year as well. Consider it a threat (and a future treat) x

Now onto the final sketch, the most intricate of them all. For this one I wanted to go all in on the witchy theme and instead of focusing on just a few objects, I decided to include every witchy item I could think of (and I would’ve added even more if I had the space, lol). As soon as I saw the composition taking shape during the sketching phase, I just knew it’s the one I had to go with.

COLOR PALETTE

For the color palette I didn’t struggle much this time (unlike my usual process where I end up with several versions to choose from). Instead, I gathered some witchy tones that I felt really captured the classic witchy-spell-like vibe and just ran with it. Looking at it now, the colors feel a bit brighter compared to how they turned out after adding all the shading and texturing, but those are details for later.

INSPIRATION, ELEMENTS, CARTOON REFERENCES

Even though I want my illustrations to lean toward a cartoony, comic-like style, I always make sure not to go too far into the "cute art for kids" territory. Instead, I aim for something closer to the classic Disney approach, the visual style I grew up with that feels like it’s rooted in my very DNA.

For this illustration, I wanted to channel that classic cartoon witchy nostalgia, so I drew inspiration from old Disney movies like Snow White and Alice in Wonderland. I loved the idea of capturing a snapshot moment, like a hand doing something potentially bad and witchy: maybe cursing someone, summoning something they really shouldn’t or preparing a tricky spell. That ended up being the main focus of my piece, plus some other objects which I really wanted to pop out: a spellbook with a handwritten recipe, a cauldron bubbling with something spooky, potions, sweets and candles.

FUN DETAILS & GIRLY TWISTS

Now comes my favorite part: adding all the little details and twists that have become a signature in my illustrations. Even though this might look like a simple cartoony witchy piece at first glance, I just couldn’t resist sneaking in some subtle details you’ll only notice if you zoom in.

Since my illustrations usually revolve around themes of girlhood, everyday moments and youthful experiences, I thought it would be fun to add a playful, girly twist, like a recipe for a spell to hex your ex (naturally). I also included a mini calendar with today’s date, a “to buy” list, a suspiciously large book that’s definitely holding darker spells than this one, and, of course, a pink flip phone showing a text from the witch’s bestie asking for the spell ingredients. Honestly, nothing more classic girlhood than that x

SHADING & TEXTURING

I had so much fun shading and texturing this illustration, it’s easily one of my favorites when it comes to details. Even though I didn’t experiment with anything new or groundbreaking and the texturing follows my usual go-to techniques like the old TV effect and subtle chromatic aberration, I realized just how obsessed I am with drawing mirrors, glass reflections and transparent bottles.

I’ll admit I haven’t quite mastered them yet, and there’s still a lot of learning and experimenting to do in that area, but I always find myself sneaking in a mirror or a window just to have an excuse to play with fun reflections. On the flip side, I’ve also discovered what I’m not that great at (and don’t enjoy as much): drawing liquids. The liquid in the cauldron and the transparent bottle ended up looking more like jelly than anything else, so that’s something I definitely need to work on. Oh, and the sparkles? They could use a glow-up too :-))

But overall, I’m super happy with how the textures turned out in this piece. Not perfect, but it’s def one I’m really proud of <3

AND THERE IT GOES <3

FINAL PIECE, CLOSEUPS & the promise that no exes were hexed in the making of this illo ;')