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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 10h

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

Sar Cousins @6knifes.bsky.social · 13h

TOY #objectober

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 10h

Oooough these are so great!

🌌🦙✨Alpaca Scribbles💖💜💙 @alpacascribbles.bsky.social · 2d

#Objectober no. 3!

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 10h

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

Hari Conner @haridraws.bsky.social · 10h

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

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 3d

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

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 3d

#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?

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Reposted by a toad buried under the earth

Hannah Berry @streakofpith.bsky.social · 6d

🚨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

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 4d

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

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Reposted by a toad buried under the earth

🌌🦙✨Alpaca Scribbles💖💜💙 @alpacascribbles.bsky.social · 5d

#Objectober Day 2!

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 4d

#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?

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 4d

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 · 4d

KEY #objectober

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

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Reposted by a toad buried under the earth

Sar Cousins @6knifes.bsky.social · 6d

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

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 4d

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

🌌🦙✨Alpaca Scribbles💖💜💙 @alpacascribbles.bsky.social · 5d

#Objectober Day 2!

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 4d

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

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

ohhhhhhh I love this! Such lovely inks!

Sar Cousins @6knifes.bsky.social · 6d

CUP

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

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?

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

SOBBING

🌌🦙✨Alpaca Scribbles💖💜💙 @alpacascribbles.bsky.social · 6d

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

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 7d

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 · 10d

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.

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 7d

Aww I'm excited to see what you make!

Reposted by a toad buried under the earth

⚠️ eve g ⚠️ @evegwood.com · 9d

🎉 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.

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Reposted by a toad buried under the earth

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 10d

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

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 10d

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

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 10d

will definitely be popping over to the Saturday of TAGS to see this, Ell and Fran have so many great insights into this topic!

🌊 Ell 🌊 @elljwalker.bsky.social · 11d

I'm going to be talking at @tagsfest.co.uk next month with the wonderful @mortiscausa.bsky.social about fanfiction as folklore, and old stories! <3 See you there?

TAGS Festival @tagsfest.co.uk · 14d

Our panel lineup is out! This will be our first year running talks alongside the Marketplace and Board Game Zone, and we have some great discussions lined up for you.

🏷️ Learn more about TAGS Fest at tagsfest.co.uk

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a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 11d

looking at it, it seems v imliar to birdspot, which I use to record sightings but yeah, has no id functions. highly recommend inaturalist if you're looking for visual reference and ID help with recording! Also I hope you saw a cool bird!

a toad buried under the earth @toadlett.bsky.social · 11d

I'll be in a panel on the Sunday with @lostpages.co.uk and @stoutstoat.co.uk talking about our approaches to making games! the lineup for the whole weekend looks so great!

TAGS Festival @tagsfest.co.uk · 14d

Our panel lineup is out! This will be our first year running talks alongside the Marketplace and Board Game Zone, and we have some great discussions lined up for you.

🏷️ Learn more about TAGS Fest at tagsfest.co.uk

Talks & Panels
All of our talks are free to attend, but space is limited. We suggest queueing up 10 minutes before the talk begins to guarantee getting a seat. Talks run for 45 mins.

Saturday

Pitch to Page: How do you make a comic? 11am. Scripting, compositions, pencilling, inking, colouring, lettering, printing; so much goes into every comic you've loved reading. Sit in with veteran comic creators Gustaffo Vargas and Jenny Mure as they chat about the comic-making process.

Fanfiction, the Old Human Tradition. 12.30pm. Fanfiction has always been part of storytelling culture. Join Ell J Walker and Fran Morton as they discuss the similarities and differences between modern and historic fanfiction.

Comics For Your Own Good: Educating through comics. 2pm. As a medium, comics are a very accessible way to share information. Cat Laird and Julie Campbell will discuss the strength of comics in education and community outreach.

You Can Be a Luddite: How artists can resist AI. 3.30pm. Listen to comic creator Tom Humberstone discuss the impact of generative AI on the creative process, and how artists and audiences can rally against the rising tide of slop.

Sunday

First Draft to Final Product: How do you make a game? 11am. Join TTRPG publisher Paolo Greco / Lost Pages and game designer Letty Wilson as they discuss the ins and outs of the game-making process.

Let's Talk Cash: The cold hard finances of making comics. 12.30pm. Many creative industries are financially lean fields. With the costs of living ever spiralling, Faye Stacey and James Lawrence discuss the realities of making money as comic creators, from self-publishing to public funding.

Autobiography & Vulnerability. 2pm. Steven Fraser, Ashling Larkin, and Amandawonk come together to discuss their experiences of autobiographical work, and the power of creating comics about yourself.

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

this is huge! what a great resource!

Small Press Scotland CIC @smallpress.scot · 12d

📖 We have a new resource up on our website for anyone working in small press in Scotland, whether that's comics, tabletop games, zines, prose, poetry, or other non-traditional publishing.

Read about the SPS Library at smallpress.scot#resources

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