Michelle Rau Author News October 2021

Projects, progress and inspiration.

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Orange moon in night sky over waving plants

Image by Michelle Rau for Inktober 2021

Ink in October and maybe November
(FYI: Links in this newsletter now route to my own blog instead of Medium, in case you were annoyed by Medium's paywall.)

This year I completed Inktober for the first time. Inktober challenges participants to a drawing a day for a month, from prompt words. I wanted the edges of this orange October moon to be sharp and crisp, but the accidental blurring of boundaries between the moon and sky suits the picture better.

It's been 11 days since I broke my left ankle. I'm really bummed to spend time indoors during my favorite season, but I've gotten some much-needed down time. Inktober was fun, but a bit of a distraction from writing projects; now I'm trying to decide what, if anything, to do for National Novel Writing Month in November. Maybe finish something!

The Tarot of Michelle

I've now illustrated eighty-odd cards about values, lessons and priorities. I'm now writing the backstories for individual cards, including Free Box, Fascia, Important Owl Shit to Do, Madame Esmeralda, and Paint the Corners. The story of Little Horses, about my struggles with financial insecurity and generosity, has been in the works for a long time. You can find the backstories at the bottom of the main project page. See the developmental art on Patreon.

Stump and Lamb

I've been slow to post here, but new material is planned, including a post on my annual "urn burn," a personal backyard version of Tucson's large, magical and vibrant All Souls Procession.
Stump and Lamb on michellerau.com and on Medium.com

Inktober 2021

It's hard to choose a favorite from the drawings I did in October, but I may like "open" the best. A cheerful yellow bird perches at the open door of a birdcage.

Past my bedtime: Arsène Lupin series by Maurice Leblanc

My boyfriend convinced me to try Lupin, the 2021 Netflix series, which was very good. Since I like to compare a book to its movie version, I started reading some of the original novels, which are also quite good. It's fun to catch the "easter eggs" in the series which correspond to important elements in the original stories.