Moths & Melancholy - Drawlloween Day 25 - Emily Corpse Bride Inspired Painting

 

Presenting "Moths & Melancholy" for Day 25 of #Drawlloween! 🖤🪽✨

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride... until the afterlife. 🥀

For the Ghost prompt, this piece explores the delicate, tragic space between grief and grace. Inspired by the quiet beauty of Emily from Corpse Bride, I wanted her massive, soulful eyes to carry her entire story, punctuated by cascading purple mascara tears streaming down her cheek.

Hovering around her are delicate moths touched with shimmering, iridescent accents that catch the ambient light as you pass by the canvas. In gothic lore, moths are perpetually drawn toward light in the dark—much like a heart that gently refuses to surrender its hope for love. ✨

Painted in traditional oils on paper (4" x 6") and housed in a gorgeous, ornate silver butterfly frame (6" x 8" overall).

✨ "Moths & Melancholy" is currently available. Please send a DM if you are interested in welcoming this piece into your collection! 💚

A massive thank you to @mabgraves for hosting this incredible, inspiring challenge every year! 🖤

WonderGround Gallery Visit & Pumpkin Paintings - Drawlloween Day 24

 

Presenting a special gallery showcase for Day 24 of #Drawlloween! 🎃✨🖼️

Recently, I had the absolute joy of attending Jasmine Becket-Griffith’s exhibition at WonderGround Gallery in Downtown Disney. Her breathtaking paintings never fail to inspire and delight!

Swipe through to see a photo of me with Jasmine (she is always the absolute sweetest!), alongside full views and detail close-ups of her iconic paintings Katrina and the Headless Horseman and Halloween Dream Kitty. Getting to connect with the artist in person and experience these original masterpieces up close means the world to me. 🧡

Today’s prompt is Pumpkin, and I hope you enjoy celebrating the spooky season with these incredible pumpkin-filled works by Jasmine! 🎃🖤

A massive thank you to @mabgraves for hosting this incredible, inspiring challenge every year!

(All artwork copyright Jasmine Becket-Griffith. Photos taken by me, except for the photo of Jasmine and me, courtesy of Nikki Nakagawa!) 🖤

Me (Lisabella Russo in the hat) with Jasmine Becket Griffith, photo courtesy of Nikki

Katrina and the Headless Horseman by Jasmine Becket Griffith

Katrina and the Headless Horseman Detail by Jasmine Becket Griffith 

Katrina and the Headless Horseman Detail by Jasmine Becket Griffith 

Halloween Dream Kitty by Jasmine Becket Griffith

Halloween Dream Kitty Detail by Jasmine Becket Griffith

Halloween Dream Kitty Detail by Jasmine Becket Griffith

The Burlap Bandit (Jimothy Painting) - Drawlloween Day 23

 

Presenting "The Burlap Bandit" for Day 23 of #Drawlloween! 🦝🎒✨

For the Cryptid prompt, meet Jimothy the Elder (or do you prefer Jimothee?), the most charming little raccoon bandit to ever cross my easel! He completely captured my heart and brush while painting this piece. Fingers crossed he makes a second appearance as his younger self for Day 28's Beast prompt! 🪵🦝

Painted in oils on a 4" x 4" cradled wood panel (7/8" depth). The sides display the crisp, natural unpainted wood grain for a clean, modern display. Unframed, but hanging hardware can gladly be added upon request!

✨ "The Burlap Bandit" is currently available. Please send a DM if you are interested in welcoming this piece into your collection! 💚

A massive thank you to @mabgraves for hosting this incredible, inspiring challenge every year! 🖤

Plump & Polyphonic - Drawlloween Day 21

 

Presenting "Plump & Polyphonic" for Day 21 of #Drawlloween! 🐦‍⬛✨🕊️

For the Strange Shadows prompt, meet Larry! Inspired by a frequent, delightfully rotund birdbath visitor shared with me by my friend Nikki, Larry overflows his birdbath so magnificently that the base has cracked under the pressure. Yet, despite his grand, buxom size, his cast shadow reveals his inner soul: a joyous, tiny bird singing its heart out.

Rendered on toned gray paper (12" x 9" sheet size with a 10" x 8" artwork area) using black, blue, and white pencils with crisp gel pen highlights. Depending on your framing preference, the paper can easily be trimmed to 8" x 10" or matted to fit a 11" x 14" frame!

✨ "Plump & Polyphonic" is currently available. Please send a DM if you are interested in welcoming this piece into your collection! 💚

A massive thank you to @mabgraves for hosting this incredible, inspiring challenge every year! And special thanks to Nikki for the photo and inspiration! 🖤

Tiny Totoro Terrors (Sketch) - Drawlloween Day 15

 

Presenting "Tiny Totoro Terrors" for Day 15 of #Drawlloween! 🐾🐾🌱✨

For the Tiny Terrors prompt, I sketched a playful gathering of tiny Chibi Totoros (Sho-Totoro) nestled among the many legs of a creature loosely inspired by Studio Ghibli’s Catbus! Look closely and you'll find one peaceful little spirit sleeping soundly in the cozy crook of its curled tail.

My initial vision for this piece was to evolve it into a high-contrast black-and-white study exploring positive and negative space, drawn from the concept foundation of Endogeny. Rather than rushing those intricate passages through the studio, I decided to share this graphite concept study as it stands and take my time fully developing the finished piece in the future! 💚

A massive thank you to @mabgraves for hosting this incredible, inspiring challenge every year! 🖤

Sovereign of Sorrow (Mirror Teaser) - Drawlloween Day 13

 

Presenting a studio teaser for "Sovereign of Sorrow" on Day 13 of #Drawlloween! 🪞👑✨

For the mirror prompt, I’m sharing a glimpse of the magnificent 14" x 19" ornate golden frame and custom teardrop panel (7.25" x 10.5") prepared with golden gesso for an upcoming oil painting! Inspired by Disney's classic Evil Queen from Snow White, she has not yet revealed herself—think of this as the magic mirror in its resting, slumbering state.

I plan to bring her fully to life in traditional water soluble oils for her official debut during Day 30's prompt, Tricksy Treat! 🍎✨

A massive thank you to @mabgraves for hosting this incredible, inspiring challenge every year! 🖤

The Pallas Sentry - Drawlloween Day 12 - Raven Drawing

 

Presenting "The Pallas Sentry" for Day 12 of #Drawlloween! 🖤🐦‍⬛✨

"Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted..."

— Edgar Allan Poe

For the raven prompt, this piece features a portrait of a delightfully fierce, moody raven perched in eternal vigilance.

Rendered on black paper using white pencil, gentle blue accents in the background, and crisp white gel pen highlights. The drawing itself is a smol 4" x 4" and comes showcased in a gorgeous, ornate black frame (6.5" x 6.5" overall).

✨ "The Pallas Sentry" is currently available. Please send a DM if you are interested in welcoming this piece into your collection! 💚

A massive thank you to @mabgraves for hosting this incredible, inspiring challenge every year! 🖤

Drawings from Jasmine Becket-Griffith’s show at WonderGround Gallery in Downtown Disney!

 

Presenting a special showcase for Day 8 of #Drawlloween! 🏰✨🖼️

Recently, I had the absolute joy of attending Jasmine Becket-Griffith’s exhibition at WonderGround Gallery in Downtown Disney. Her epic artwork never fails to leave me inspired, but seeing the wonderful warmth and generosity of her collector community was just as special! It was so delightful catching up with Nikki, Carol, Victoria, and Jeff.

While I’ll be sharing photos of her finished paintings in an upcoming post, today I wanted to share a few of her original graphite drawings for her Disney-exclusive pieces. I am a massive fan of her works on paper—the linework and delicate shading are simply exquisite!

Today’s prompt is Haunted House. It might be a gentle stretch for this post, but I certainly wouldn't mind having my studio haunted by some of Jasmine’s marvelous drawings! 🖤

A massive thank you to @mabgraves for hosting this incredible, inspiring challenge every year! 🖤

Lovely Jasmine Becket Griffith Collectors

Hades and Megara Drawing by Jasmine Becket Griffith

Megara Drawing by Jasmine Becket Griffith

Hades Drawing by Jasmine Becket Griffith

Katrina and the Headless Horseman Drawing by Jasmine Becket Griffith

Halloween Dream Kitty Drawing by Jasmine Becket Griffith

Mistress of the Mycena Original Big Eye Golden Mushroom Hat Geisha by Lisabella Russo

 

Presenting "Mistress of the Mycena" for Day 6 of #Drawlloween! 🍄✨👁️

For the mushroom prompt, this miniature oil painting features a tiny big-eyed geisha with a pale complexion, crowned with a large golden mushroom cap hat.

Painted in traditional oils over glowing golden gesso on paper. The artwork itself measures a delicate 2.75" x 3.5" and comes housed in a gorgeous, ornate vintage metal filigree frame (4" x 5.5" overall).

✨ "Mistress of the Mycena" is currently available. Please send a DM if you are interested in welcoming this piece into your collection! 💚

A massive thank you to @mabgraves for hosting this incredible, inspiring challenge every year! 🖤

Corazón Onírico (Dreamy Heart) Unicorn and Nymph by Lisabella Russo

 

Presenting "Corazón Onírico" (Dreamy Heart) for Day 5 of #Drawlloween! 🦄💖✨

For the mythological prompt, this piece features a big-eyed nymph with shimmering golden eyes and mascara tears streaming down her cheeks as she gently cradles and protects her little golden-eyed unicorn foal.

Painted in oils over warm golden gesso on an 8" x 10" cradled wood panel accented with golden edges. Unframed, but a standard size, wiring can be added upon request for immediate display!

✨ "Corazón Onírico" (Dreamy Heart) is currently available. Please send a DM if you are interested in welcoming this piece into your collection! 💚

A massive thank you to @mabgraves for hosting this incredible, inspiring challenge every year! 🖤