Cosy Creature Hashtags
As I’m writing a fiction project which includes a menagarie of cosy creatures, and also exploring some art play, I’ve found a few hashtags and art challenges which add to the storyworld. Shared below.
#Creatuanary
Creatuanary (Creature January) has been running a few years now as a month challenge set in January organised by three instagram artists. The prompts are listed on the official instagram site @creatuanary
The hashtag (often with the year added after) will find you a lot of creature drawings on instagram and other social media sites like tumblr during January.
#mermay
Note my own writing work only contains creatures ie. beasts and animals. Mythic Humanoids are not included, but who doesn’t like merfolk? Mermaids happen to be found in many forms in mythology and folktales from all over the world.
MerMay was started by former Disney animator Tom Bancroft in 2016 when Bancroft created a drawing of two mermaids with "shellphones" and, after it went viral, decided to make it a month-long drawing challenge in May.
Now, various artists release a set of prompts each May, and you will find all the artistic creations via the hashtag #mermay on many social platforms.
Also worth considering - February for Fairies under various hashtags like #faebruary, #februfairy, or #feybruary
#Junicorn
Yes, you guessed it. Unicorns in June. I’m not sure who started this, and it’s not as plenished with art works or prompts. Both #Junicorn with the year addendum and #UnicornJune as hashtags are relevant.
#Smaugust
Smaugust was started by artist Katie Croonenberghs, also known as Kamakru. It’s a convergence of the dragon Smaug from Tolkein’s The Hobbit, and of course, the month of August.
Again, find the art works in August using the hashtag #smaugust, but one to watch (well, I do anyway) is artist Katy Lipscomb on Instagram. She does dragons constantly, brings out a prompt list during the month and has recently done #Mermay also, with some faboulous blended creatures.
Other smaugust prompt lists are found via @pencilcat, @ryuvhiel or several others on tumblr this year.
Also worth a look - March is also a good month for artistic dragon challenges. Often called #MarchoftheDragons (although this is also the title of a book). But March also has the #MARCHOFROBOTS challenge. Robots!
Art Challenges Worldwide
There are several very popular art challenges which can provide an opportunity to create on themes you decide upon, or follow the prompts.
#inktober has been running for years in October, with many artists providing alternative prompts.
#WorldWatercolorMonth is in July each year. It was founded by Charlie O’Shields, the creator of Doodlewash®
#Julybrary posts books as a prompt for each day in July, to celebrate a library, but many of the books chosen provide fodder for mythological and fantastical drawings.
#pleinairpril stands for plienair, or in the open air, ie. painting outdoors. This challenge in April is wonderful for sketch artists and those wanting to capture outdoor creatures. Or both (erhem, me).
#mythicalmay has a small following each year on instagram with a couple of prompt graphics.
More
More month challenges both for art and writing can be found at the links below. A lot of these challenges come and go over the years.
Wikiwrimo - List of timed artistic challenges
Kick the Creatives - has a list of different challenges including #ArtJournalJanuary, #MarchMixedMedia, #miniaturemay, #doodlingdecember and Aqua January (for watercolours). There is something for each month, and year long challenges also.
Credits: although I own commercial use rights, I wanted to give a credit to the mythic creatures (unicorn, dragon and mermaid) used in the graphics. These are from laughingwolfart on etsy. One day I would love to be able to make art like these.
