Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 5h

#objectober 5: brush!
reminder that you're welcome to join in if you'd like, prompts are over here: bsky.app/profile/toad...

pencil drawings of two grave guardians. one is shown from a side and front angle, and is a small marble figuine with a vaguely centair shape, four arms and a face with a little hook from which a brush hangs. the other is a squatting mummified figure with sewn-shut eyes and protruding teeth, and shaggy hair covering most of its body, in the form of lots of small bundles all attached together.
9. A graveside figurine from the White Barrows of Pterophore. These small figurines were placed beside the extensive collection of canopic jars within the Barrows. Each figurine held a tool for cleaning and maintaining the jars, from simple items such as this brush, to complex titration devices. Look at the soft bristles of the brush. What do you think they feel like? Where do you think the hairs came from?

10. This reliquary idol is made from the skin, hair and teeth of over thirty
different creatures, glued and sewn onto a wooden frame. Though the
provenance of the idol is not known, it was found with a set of tools to
maintain and add to the hair, and inscriptions on the brush handles suggest that the hair was taken from deceased people and given to the idol to stengthen it for some unknown purpose. How many different colours of hair can you see on the figure? Does any of it look like your hair? What do you think your hair would look like after a hundred years in the dark?

3 13

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 9h

These are all such great choices! congrats on the noms @tsundernova.bsky.social @spiremint.bsky.social @evegwood.com and @verface.bsky.social !

Selkie Comic Awards @selkieawards.org · 9h

🦭 It's time to announce the shortlist for our 2025 Selkie Awards!🦭

Check out the link below for the details, and for information on how to sign up to our online award ceremony:

🦭 selkieawards.org/2025 🦭

3

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 1d

#Objectober 4: Toy! Look it's not weird to draw toys in the context of grave imagery it's fine actually and not sad or creepy.

Pencil drawing of a small shine shaped like a house with a face, horns and little legs. three sheves in the house hold three dolls, with garlands, sweets, little pictures and toy animals arranged around them. there are also drawings of the three dolls shwing more detail - one is a cloth doll with yarn hair and a dress of frilly faric, one is a little tooth-shaped guy, and one is a painted wooden spoon with a handkercheif robe.
7. No human remains have ever been found in any excavation of the 5th Civilisation of the Thorny
Canyon. The reasons for this are unclear, though some writings suggest that this is because almost all
citizens died outside the canyone, en route to a fabled “Land of Eternal Breath.” Shrines have been
found, however, indicating a form of ancestor worship. Shrine demons in the shape of houses contain
shelves or nooks in which dolls painted with the likeness of deceased people are housed. There is
evidence that children were encouraged to play with and decorate the dolls, to maintain a connection
with passed love ones.
Look at hair of the doll. It is made of soft yarn, and someone has braided it. What do your fingers say when
they braid someone’s hair?

pencil drawing of a stone fountain in the shape of a dun-shaped face with eroded, haunted expression, dribbling water into a stone pool with several toy boats and a toy duck floating within.
8. A fountain from the Great Ossuary of Solaster. Fountains such as these were used to cleanse the
body before and after entering the main chambers of the Ossuary, in order to wash away any ill
influence, either from the outside world, or from the dead within. The many chambers of the Ossuary
each had their own fountain, so a mourner or attendant visiting the deeper bone-sanctums would
wash many times on their way in and out. Many visitors found it shocking that so many children
lived and played within the Ossuary, but this was commonplace, especially as the Great Gnawing
saw many orphans left under the care of religious institutions such as this.
Look at the boat bobbing in the water. Do you think it would sink if someone tried to wash their hands
under the fountain? What if they were very careful?

1 6 23

Reposted by a toad buried under the earth

Hari Conner @haridraws.bsky.social · 1d

haunted objects. cutlery & sharp for @toadlett.bsky.social 's #objectober #art

drawing of some very old fashioned cutlery, when forks still had 2 prongs, in sickly greens, each with an eye watching from the handle

drawing of antique-looking decorated scissors where the screw is an eye watching the viewer

6 30

Reposted by a toad buried under the earth

Hannah Berry @streakofpith.bsky.social · 3d

Ok so somehow the survey is still open. Maybe the Audience Agency - like a ghost with unfinished business - are waiting for one specific creator to fill it in, and when that is done finally they can rest??

Who is this person? Is it you? Are you the special final one? Please, let them have peace!

Hannah Berry @streakofpith.bsky.social · 8d

🚨FINAL FEW DAYS!🚨

The UK Comics Creator Survey will close forever at midnight on Monday 6th! Have you submitted your response yet? Or were you, like me*, waiting for the last minute? The last minute is now, lads! Get in there!

ukcomicscreators.org.uk

*I thrive** on pressure
**Exist painfully

1 9 6

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 2d

What is the story behind these little wooden birds... .

Sar Cousins @6knifes.bsky.social · 2d

TOY #objectober

5

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 2d

Oooough these are so great!

🌌🦙✨Alpaca Scribbles💖💜💙 @alpacascribbles.bsky.social · 4d

#Objectober no. 3!

4

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 2d

Look at these beautiful things!!!! Augh Hari they're so good!!!!!

Hari Conner @haridraws.bsky.social · 2d

cup & key for @toadlett.bsky.social 's #objectober #art

drawing of an ominous teacup full of red liquid, with little feet and a design with eyes and swirls that look almost like mandibles

drawing of an ominous ornate key coloured in sickly greens with a design like an eye and teeth on the swirly handle

4

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 5d

there is a whole bunch of ritually broken weaponry from pictish times in the museum near me and I think about it a lot

1

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 5d

#Objectober 3: cutlery! love to draw some Implements

pencil sketches of two figurines and some pieces of cutlery, labelled 5 and 6 respectively. one of the figures is humanoid, and seated at a small table set for dinner. it has a mask attached to its otherwise featureless head, and the cutlery around its dish is broken - the tineso f the fork twisted into a spiral, and the spoon has holes punched in it. the other figure is a vulture with hands instead of wings, its beak gaping in a ferocious pose. in its hands it holds a knife and fork that have been twisted and broken.
text reads: 5. Ancestor idols such as this figure from the ruins of Milt were used as handy vessels for the spirits
of the deceased. At certain holidays the spirits were invited into the idols by hanging masks with the
likeness of the deceased upon them. Thus the spirit could take part in festivals such as the Night of
Salt Broth. For these meals, the spirit would be allowed special, ritually broken cutlery, so they could
not accidentally eat the food of the living and become a dangerous half-living monster.
Look at the holes in the spoon on the idol’s table. Have you ever been hungry and unable to eat?

6. The Gryphonne culture of the now-sunken Virid islands were the subject of many fearsome tales,
for their rumoured habit of ritual cannibalism. We now know that these tales were wildly exagerrated
by outsiders hungry for sensational tales of exotic lands, however the Gryphonne did practise a form of
symbolic consumption of the dead, highly sacred and restricted to only the most skilled
necromancers. After a small piece of the deceased was consumed, the tools used to cut and prepare
the flesh would be ceremonially broken, and placed in the grip of vulturine grave guardians such as this
one, to warn off anyone thinking of further disturbing the remains.
Look at the vulture’s hooked beak and sharp tongue. Do you think it needs a knife and fork for its dinner?

1 16 64

Reposted by a toad buried under the earth

Hannah Berry @streakofpith.bsky.social · 8d

🚨FINAL FEW DAYS!🚨

The UK Comics Creator Survey will close forever at midnight on Monday 6th! Have you submitted your response yet? Or were you, like me*, waiting for the last minute? The last minute is now, lads! Get in there!

ukcomicscreators.org.uk

*I thrive** on pressure
**Exist painfully

66 45

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 6d

ahh thanks! spent thursday in a local museum gathering inspiration!

1

Reposted by a toad buried under the earth

🌌🦙✨Alpaca Scribbles💖💜💙 @alpacascribbles.bsky.social · 7d

#Objectober Day 2!

2 5 11

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 6d

#Objectober 2: Key! I have drawn several keys today.

pencil sketches of several figuines with attached keys. one, labelled 3, is a very tall figure with no arms, a long neck and small head, covered in nails with keys hung on them, and loops of rope with keys attached. the other figures are smaller figurines, each not much larger than the key they hold. they are labells 4a-4f.
3. A plague-marker from the streets of the Charnel Quarter, Iull City.
These ominous figures, some standing over a storey tall, were set to guard
areas of the city which had been struck by plague. Charnel-coroners would
take the keys to houses struck by the plague, after locking the building up
securely, and fix them to the plague-marker. The house woud then be
regarded as a tomb, and could not be disturbed or entered.
Look up at the tall plague-marker and its hundreds of keys. Could it fit
through your front door?

4. Various key-guardians associated with burial hoards of the Vellum Age.
These small figurines all have keys attached to them, and were beleived to
act as protectors of the treasures interred with the body. Though several of
the keys fit kists or reliquaries found nearby in the tomb, some have no
evident lock, and are beleived to have a more symbolic purpose, protecting
the riches buried alongside the deceased, as well as more generally protecting
the soul of the deceased themself. They were usually situated very close to the
body, often clasped in the hand.
What precious thing do you think these creatures are guarding? What
would you lock away?

4 33 120

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 6d

ohhhhh my god Sar this goes SO HARD
I love the key, it's such a nice chunky but intricate shape! having spent a long time drawing keys today, this is a very good key.

Sar Cousins @6knifes.bsky.social · 6d

KEY #objectober

isometric style illustration showing a small hooded person unlocking a door in an escher-like maze of staircases

2 1 15

Reposted by a toad buried under the earth

Sar Cousins @6knifes.bsky.social · 8d

✨ Bonus CUP ✨ (because I'm indecisive and a sucker for vessels with faces and feet)

2 8 47

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 6d

augh it's so good! the little key face!

🌌🦙✨Alpaca Scribbles💖💜💙 @alpacascribbles.bsky.social · 7d

#Objectober Day 2!

1 10

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 6d

yesssss I'd love to see what you make if you do!

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 8d

ohhhhhhh I love this! Such lovely inks!

Sar Cousins @6knifes.bsky.social · 8d

CUP

10

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 8d

My first #objectober ! A couple of cup guys!

pencil drawing of two figurines, labelled 1 and 2.
figure 1 is a kappa-like creature with a cup shape in the top of its head, holding a bowl in its hands. it has a grotesque face with bulging eyes and tusks.
figure 2 is a headless figure, squatting with elbows propped on its knees and holding a large basin where its head would be.
text under the drawings reads: 1. This grave Guardian from the Kapako region stood guard outside burial pools, in which the dead were
submerged. Mourners were expected to bring gifts of fod or money for the guardian spirit, and water,
to fill the secondary cup on its head. If either cup ran empty, the spirit would be too weak to protect
the dead from mischevious floods, which would sweep them away to the sea.
Look into the cup in the guardian’s head. Can you see if the stone is still wet?

2. This votive figure was excavated from the tunnels beneath the Great Spill. over 200 figures like it
were found, each positioned directly in the doorway of a burial chamber. Many contained offerings
of a variety of goods, including herbs, seashells, bones, coins and pieces of plastic.
What would you place in the bowl? Do you think it is a present for the dead, or for the thing that
guards it?

2 20 99

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 8d

SOBBING

🌌🦙✨Alpaca Scribbles💖💜💙 @alpacascribbles.bsky.social · 8d

I'm taking part in @toadlett.bsky.social's Objectober drawing challenge which you can find more info about over on their page!
#objectober

1 5

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 9d

Objectober starts today! if you want to take part i'd love to see your work, tag it #objectober and I'll share!

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 12d

I'm trying out a wee drawing challenge for October! #Objectober is a v chill challenge designed to make drawing inanimate objects fun and also to broaden our use of reference!
if you take part I'd love to see your work!
also I made a website for reference resources: toadrefs.carrd.co

graphic for the drawing prompt challenge #Objectober.
text reads: Objectober
A drawing challenge of THINGS
Prompts
1. cup
2. key
3. cutlery
4. toy
5. brush
6. sharp
7. soft
8. wheel
9. weight
10. worn
11. crown
12. lamp
13. tool
14. loud
15. orb
the image is decorated with drawings of everyday objects (clothes peg, scissors, stool, beaker, lamp, spoon, pull along toy) with little arms and legs.

graphic showing the rules of the challenge. test reads: rules:
• make some art about objects! Any kind, style and interpretation is good! If you’re stuck, there are some bonus challenges to give you some ideas.
• You do not have to hit all the prompts. Take it easy!
• using reference is encouraged! Using AI references is NOT. I made a list of some handy reference sites I found, which you’re welcome to use: toadrefs.carrd.co

graphic titled "Bonus Challenges"
text reads: Stuck for inspiration? Try these!
• Draw each object being held or used
• Each object is found in the room or pack of a single character. What story do they tell?
• Each object is a museum exhibit. What do they tell us about the people that made them?
• Draw each object broken
• Combine two prompts and draw an object that works as both
make the objects into little creatures
use real objects to design a character
a pencil and a hairbriush, both with little legs, decorate the image.

1 3

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 9d

Aww I'm excited to see what you make!

Reposted by a toad buried under the earth

⚠️ eve g ⚠️ @evegwood.com · 11d

🎉 It's my birthday!! Please consider checking out my free webcomics visagecomic.com and inhibitcomic.com, or my shop evegwood.com/shop, or the publisher I run quindriepress.com! Or hire me, I'm looking for freelance lettering work evegwood.com/lettering 💛

Me standing in a field with my dog, smiling at the camera, one hand in my pocket. There are large trees behind me.

19 33 74

Reposted by a toad buried under the earth

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 12d

I'm trying out a wee drawing challenge for October! #Objectober is a v chill challenge designed to make drawing inanimate objects fun and also to broaden our use of reference!
if you take part I'd love to see your work!
also I made a website for reference resources: toadrefs.carrd.co

16 34