Behind the Scenes - Halloween Owl

This Halloween, I spent the evening doing something a little different — creating an ink drawing of an owl perched on a pumpkin. It felt like the perfect way to celebrate the season: cosy and just a little spooky.

I began with a simple pencil sketch to lay out the composition. I like starting this way because it gives me room to play with proportions and shapes before committing to ink. The owl came together first — big, curious eyes, claws gripping the pumpkin's stem and leaning slightly out towards the viewer. As a reference, I used a picture from the nonprofit organisation Congress of the Birds, depicting one of their owl patients.

Once I was happy with the sketch, I started inking the main lines using a fine-tipped pen. This is one of my favourite steps, because it’s where the drawing really begins to take shape. However, it is also the most nerve-wracking step; there's no going back from here. Every stroke of ink feels deliberate and permanent.

After outlining the owl and pumpkin, I decided to add a frame of twisting branches around the edges of the page. I used overlapping lines and varying thickness to give the branches a natural, textured look — darker on the outside and lighter on the inside. This detail helped balance the composition and made the owl feel nestled within.

Next came a new experiment for me: shading with watered-down ink. I’ve never tried this technique before, but I wanted a softer gradient than what solid black lines could provide. I diluted the ink with water and applied it with a brush, layering the tones slowly. The grey washes added a lovely sense of depth and atmosphere.

Once the shadows were dry, I went back in with my pen to refine the textures — adding short, feathery strokes to the owl’s plumage and subtle hatching to the pumpkin’s surface. These final touches brought the piece together.

I ended up completing the drawing late on Halloween night, which felt fitting. Looking at the finished piece, I could easily imagine the owl as a chapter header in a novel.

This project reminded me why I love traditional art so much. There’s a certain intimacy in the process — the sound of the pen scratching on paper, the smell of ink. I’d love to create more ink drawings like this, experimenting with different animals, seasonal themes, and natural elements. There’s always something new to discover with ink — and that, for me, is the real magic.

If you'd like to see a short video on the process, visit me on Instagram or Blue Sky.