Venturing Down an Unfamiliar Path...
Greetings, traveller!
Welcome to the Croak & Quill, my humble corner of the internet. Thanks for stopping by!
Despite all odds, this little inky pawed coastal witch (It’s me, hi! I’m Maya!) has decided to start a newsletter. I’ve been passionate about drawing and storytelling my entire life, but putting myself out there has always been challenging for me. Since recently getting my degree in Illustration from Emily Carr University, I have suddenly been dropped into this wide world of content creation, business ownership and publishers, which has all seemed quite daunting and scary.
Pushing through the imposter syndrome and the worry that my sweet neurospicy brain won’t have what it takes to keep up with it all, I’ve come to this inner well of deep motivation and drive that I intend to draw from until I can call this my full time career!
And that’s where we are now: my “Big First Step” to becoming a ✨ professional ✨ illustrator. My very own newsletter! Be you art loving creature, indie publisher, illustration agent, editor or fae spirit of the deep web, this monthly newsletter is for you. Welcome!
Throughout my monthly entries, I intend to post behind the scenes sneak peeks of my creative process, sketchbook spreads, updates on events or projects I’m working on, new illustrations, and little life snippets, nicely packaged on substack for your enjoyment. This will be a laidback, cozy backstage pass to my life as a professional illustrator.
But who am I?
Well, I’m sure you found this newsletter through either my website or some sort of social media post and must have some idea, but if you’re coming in blind:
My name is Maya Babeanu, and I am an emerging illustrator from the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ nations known as "Vancouver, BC".
I make illustrations catered to middle-grade and young adult audiences, specifically aimed at graphic novels, comic books and editorial work, though I love to dabble in indie video games and any sort of freelance commission work. My illustrative style centres around the whimsical, the organic, and the folkloric. I use an unorthodox mix of watercolour, ink and photoshop to bring stories and visions to life.
I hope you’ll join me on my journey as I navigate this new path and develop my voice as an artist! If any of this intrigued to you and you’d like to stick ‘round the cauldron a while, the subscription button is riiiight here. Conveniently. ✨🐸
Since I’m here, why not give you a little test update already? For the sake of giving you a taste of my secret sauce, in case you’re still unsure.
🍃🌿🌱🍃🌿🌱🍃🌿🌱🍃🌿🌱🍃🌿🌱🍃🌿🌱🍃🌿🌱🍃🌿🌱🍃🌿🌱🍃🌿🌱🍃🌿🌱🍃🌿🌱🍃🌿🌱
The month of June has been quite turbulent, but laced with sweet moments of friendship and community support. My friend Bethany Pardoe started a “DTIYS Challenge” (For those who don’t know, that stands for “Draw This In Your Style”), of a Sun and Moon rat. I chose to depict the Sun rat, enamoured by her beautiful mane of shiny green, grassy hair and the worm motifs that adorn her flowy, wiggly form.
I begin by sketching and inking with quill, then I scan and…
Colour digitally, adding handmade watercolour textures overlayed on top.
Since finishing my degree, it’s been hard to get back into free-flow art making, without the rigid structure of my classes. This was a welcome challenge to break me out of my art block!
Aside from this, I am preparing multiple large undertakings. Firstly, I am writing a short manuscript for my upcoming anthology project for Cauldron Books & Comics, for which I am creating a 10-20 page short story comic. Secondly, I am preparing a posting schedule to create more engaging content on my social media pages and share my process. And finally, I am waiting to meet with another publisher for another secret anthology project starting in July!
All this while trying to give myself space to play and relax through rollerskating classes and a solid dose of Fields of Mistria… (If you know you know.)
I hope you have the loveliest of lovely days! I am sending all the positive spells your way for the scary uncertain times we face ahead! AhrroooooooooO! 🐺🌕
If you want to find me elsewhere, here are some links…
Instagram | Bluesky | Portfolio Website
Froggy out -