Next Town Over

Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry to this first ever NTO Coloring Contest! It wasn’t quite as big a hit as the general art contest used to be (and as such next year the old art contest may return), but it was still a lot of fun to receive these entries and they were all hugely inspirational! As with the old art contest, judging this was virtually impossible, so I actually enlisted the help of my sister for a wholly unbiased opinion (I gave her all the entries stripped of names and any artist info to get her objective take on who came out ahead).  After considerable deliberation we agreed on a winner, but it was extremely close and it took some doing. These are all great, and I cannot overstate how much it means to me that you all took the time!

All images can be clicked and viewed larger (where possible) and I’d urge you to go ahead and do so and check out these folks’ work in better detail. (Incidentally if you’d like to see any of the original uncolored lineart I rounded up all the non-exclusives here.)

Vanetta Graves (Website)
Colored: His Theme

Super cute and delicate coloring of my Undertale inktober drawing! So glad someone colored this one.

Elizabeth Alexander
Colored: PC & PG

My husband really wanted this vibrant (marker?) color job to win. I’m just happy someone colored one of my inktobers featuring characters from the very secret (and very slow-going) game project!

Doug Bailey
Colored: Veronique

I think Veronique would approve of these hot, eye-grabbing colors, ft. a hat in a popping accent color.

Austin Graves-Powell (Website)
Colored: All Saints’ Wake Witch (x2!)

I love both of these, and the bloody green variant is incredibly creepy, but the tattooed midnight-colored one is my total favorite. The colors are soooo Halloween. This was definitely a frontrunner.

Karyl Lee (Website)
Colored: Veronique

Karyl’s participated in every NTO art contest to date I think, and every time surprises with a mixed media piece. Even this year — a coloring contest instead of the usual, general art contest — Karyl’s entry is loaded with Veronique-appropriate glitter and beautifully framed with cut ribbons. I love this (look at the almost-iridescent looking train & underskirts!) and, just like every year, I wish I could see it in person!

S. Pwyll (Website)
Colored: Dr. Black’s Monster

Longtime supporter of the comic Mr. S. Pwyll seems to have gone to the lengths of printing this Patron-exclusive inktober drawing on cold press watercolor stock to paint it right! I really love the resultant texture and it was super nice to see one of the more Halloweenish NTO drawings get a slick color job. This was another almost-winner for me.

WINNER

Laura Rose (Website)
Colored: Veronique

As I said, this was a really tough call, but ultimately the attention to detail in Laura’s watercolor pushed it over the edge for us. The two-color brocade, the delicate gold piping, the subtle frosting-like shading of all that train & skirting, in Veronique’s favored pinks and peaches won me over.  Congratulations Laura! I’ll be contacting you shortly about your prize!

Thanks to everyone who participated! And now, some b-b-b-bonuses!

First of all, coloring contest winner Laura also sent along this most excellent fanart of a young Vane Black from her own inktober adventures!

Aaaaaand, friend and Poor Wayfaring Strangers collaborator Caroline Johnson (Of Stars and Swords) colored my cute owls inktober most spectacularly:

You guys are the best! My birthday was in October, and I consider all of these super gifts.