Introducing my new buddy Gormlin, a mysterious, goblin-like creature who has charmed my social media followers. They have become the star of their own series of artworks, and hope to one day star in a series of picture books!
The Backstory
So what’s this all about? If you’ve followed my work for any length of time, you’ll know I love a daily drawing challenge. From 2018 I’ve done the Inktober daily prompts (with varying degrees of success!) and in lockdown I pushed this even further for a full 100 day challenge, followed by the Alphabet Zoo series. These events are a great way for me to push my creativity to the limits, and always result in some great ideas for me to take further.
This year the Inktober prompts were a bit different: rather than the usual totally random series of 31 words, there seemed to be a strong theme and link between the prompts. Initially this was a bit daunting and disappointing, and I know many other artists chose to find alternative prompt lists to allow them the flexibility they preferred. However, after some contemplating, I began to consider if I could use the link to my advantage. The only downside of daily challenges is my tendency to sink too many hours into each drawing as I try to draw a perfect finished piece each day. As fun as that can be it often gets in the way of paid work, running projects and general life, so I needed a way to simplify the challenge.
The Beginning of the Adventure
I decided the themed prompts could be an opportunity to tell a story through simple images. I was reminded of Gormlin, a little cartoon who popped into my head one day - probably while I was avoiding doing proper work - and who I thought might make a fun character for a webcomic. I initially hadn’t got many story ideas for Gormlin, but the Inktober prompts seemed to be the perfect opportunity to develop the character and have a little fun. I imagined what it might look like to send Gormlin on a series of adventures, and use the challenge to find out more about them through thinking how they would respond to each word.
As I was at a busy time with other projects, it seemed like a good way to ensure my daily challenges stayed simple and short. With a bit of encouragement from my partner (who is always a good sounding board!) I decided to give it a try.
Unexpected Success
Within a few hours of introducing Gormlin to my followers on the 30th of September, I was getting amazing feedback and support for the idea. By the time I posted the first image - depicting a huge backpack with only a pair of goblin ears showing at the top - I knew they were going to be popular. Soon everyone was waiting with anticipation for the next part of the story, and many people began to enjoy trying to spot Gormlin’s friend Frank, a ladybird, who I hid in each image.
Together with followers and friends on Facebook and Instagram, I began to tell a story of a cute, happy-go-lucky character challenging their fears by stepping out into the world. Along the way they made friends, saw interesting sights and broadened their horizons. Their character seemed to touch people in a way I hadn’t expected - even those who have always enjoyed my Inktober creations were invested in Gormlin in a whole new way. The response and support I received was overwhelming and wonderful.
What’s Next?
By the time I was drawing the final image (a Mount Rushmore style monument of Gormlin, Frank and Rusty the squirrel) I was sad to be leaving them behind. Many, many people suggested they would make a great character for a children’s picture book, so that’s my next project!
I’ve begun by creating a simple picture book featuring all the images, but without any story. I’m hoping for this to be only the start - a kind of first edition if you will - for the earliest fans of Gormlin to be able to own physical versions of their favourite pictures. Profits from sales of this first edition will go towards funding a full story (or even series of stories) about Gormlin and friends. Provided this initial book is of interest to enough people I’ll be aiming to publish the first story next year. I need to do more research into the best way for me to publish and publicise, but I’m really hopeful this will be an exciting new step.
Watch this space for updates, and if you would like your own early edition of Gormlin’s Adventures, you can buy your copy here:
https://www.sophiehallartist.co.uk/products/the-adventures-of-gormlin-first-edition
It’s also the best way to show me that you’d like to see some full stories about Gormlin in the future!
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As always, thanks for supporting me and my work.
Sophie
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