'Boots' - Inktober 10/3

Notes on the design

Inktober 10/3 - 'Boots'

Day 3 of the @jakeparker Inktober Challenge.

4H pencil sketched, inked in with Micron pens on sketch paper (digitized in Procreate.)

v1 is the original line artwork recreated with engraver and cross hatching brushes and mocked on butcher paper from RSCO.

v2 is the original line artwork in monoline pen.

The story behind the piece

I've always thought the intricate stitched designs of Old West illustrated motifs found on cowboy boots have such charm and character, and really make each pair unique. The upper neck of the boot is a great canvas to tell a story.

Since the prompt called for 'boots' plural, I wanted to fit both on the page and decided to take some liberties on the basic shape to fit them together in an opposing layout and create a yin-yang effect.

This 'balanced opposites' led to the idea of a day/night theme. Which got me thinking, in a good pair of boots you can work hard and play hard, soaring with the early birds in the morning and howling with wolves at night. (I don't think you'd really want the 'Howl' illustration upside down on the boot but for the purposes of the exercise I made it work.)

These drawings each pay homage to two of my favorite places, my family's farm and the Rocky Mountains.

The style is inspired by a couple of my favorite artists, Lisa Orth and Ryan Troy Ford.