Spooky art, creativity and the magic of warty toads with Ebony-Katherine Richardson
Looking through illustrations by Ebony-Katherine Richardson is like entering a world of black and white with hints of gold and the kind of magic that only comes from autumn decay. I first discovered Ebony's art on her Ebony-Katherine Studio Instagram. I love how she draws from nature, but in a playful, spookier way that's rooted in folklore.
Sometimes it's tempting to stay with what's bright and light but, Ebony shares, there's value in what isn't commonly loved. In our Q&A, I was curious to hear more about her story as an artist, what it's like in her skull and crystal-laden studio, and about why she thinks of spookiness as next to cosiness at home.
1. Your art is spooky, always at night and draws on folklore and fairytale. How did you go about building your style and how does it connect to your own story?
I have always resonated with darker themes and fantasy/ folklore. Whenever we had creative writing tasks at school, mine would always be super descriptive and dark.
I love things that aren't commonly loved, gnarly trees, dusty cobwebs, walking in the rain and warty toads to name a few so I feel like I may just naturally be drawn to that side.
In terms of my style I've always loved the contrast between black and white so built it up from there really.
2. In your art, your use of colour is minimal and intentional, like a golden moon. How do you relate to colour and using it, or not?
My use of colour started from the beginning with just a gold moon which I always attributed to being kind of like my signature but then I wanted to add more pops of colour to elevate certain areas.
I predominantly use red as a main colour pop and a couple tones of orange and yellow for candleflames. I feel the pops here and there especially with a bold red. I've seen tattoo artists add red lines to blackwork tattoos and that's what inspired me to try it out to begin with.
3. What do you think a touch of spookiness does for us, in our lives and at home?
I feel like spookiness adds an element of whimsy into our homes and also cosiness. For me it invokes the feeling of autumn. My other half says the autumn reminds him of death but I always remind him that death allows space for new life.
4. Until recently, you were making your work by hand, colouring in your night skies with a fine black pen. What made you start creating digital art and has it changed your perspective?
I love this question! I started creating digital work as after having my son. I don't have the time to sit at my desk to draw with me being a full time stay at home mum. I needed to find another way to make work that aligned with my home life.
I already had my iPad and prior to having Orin, the thought of digital art felt like cheating to me but since going digital I definitely have a new sense of respect for digital artists.
The drawings I do take anywhere between 11-19+ hours and learning how to use the different tools has been tricky for someone not very technically advanced like myself but it has also allowed me to focus on offering prints making my work more affordable.
Before I would sell one off originals so once a drawing was sold that was it so I now feel like my time is being spent more economically and efficiently which for me is super important as being a mother comes first. Going digital means I can work whilst he is napping, in long car journeys etc. The only downside is when the pencil or iPad runs out of battery.
5. I also noticed you have some brilliant tattoos. Would you share the story behind them?
I have quite a few! Some of them don't mean anything but I have a few that do. For example I have 573° which I had done after I graduated university where I studied ceramic art. 573° is the temperature clay vitrifies in the kiln turning it from clay to ceramic, it's the temperature of no return.
I have a seed of life symbol tattooed after the passing of one of my dogs a few years ago. Her name was Eva which means life... I wanted something to memorize her but not something obvious like a dog paw. I just absolutely love the feeling of being tattooed (I know I'm strange).
I have a couple done by a very close friend Lemat Tattoo so those are really special to me.
6. You've spoken out about AI in the past. What are your thoughts on using AI to generate images and how we can protect artists?
I really don't like AI at all, it uses stolen bits of human made art to generate images. I find it really sad that a person like myself can spend 19 hours working on a drawing but a person can type a prompt into a computer in seconds and it will generate an image.
I have no idea how we can protect ourselves from it unfortunately.
I don't understand our obsession with convenience or this instant era we are living in, the expectation of having things on our doorstep the minute we place an order which sort of ties in with the throw away disposable nature of how things are made but that's a whole different story.
I think we need to embrace our natural born need to get messy, be creative and live slowly. We are the most unnatural animals on the planet in the way we live from the houses we live in, the clothes we wear and what we put into our body and the push of artificial intelligence is just another level to that.
7. What's your process getting from A to B on creating a new piece of art?
I usually start off with a super rough sketch just to get the idea out and then go from there. Now I'm working digitally I can work on different layers which I'm still working out how to use them in the most beneficial way.
I usually only have one drawing on the go at a time as I like to start something and finish it before starting something else but more recently, whilst working on my tarot inspired project, I've done the first four rough sketches at the same time just to make sure they are coherent and work with each other as a set.
8. What does your studio look like now - and what would be your dream studio?
My studio is actually my spare room, it's very cute though. We've recently moved 4 months ago to a new area and the window looks out into the back garden and then a big white poplar tree which is absolutely gorgeous, especially in the evening when the setting sun hits it.
Now I'm working digitally I mostly draw wherever my toddler is napping but the space I have is full of crystals, bits of animal skulls, some books, my desk etc and then the spare bed. The cats use it as their bedroom too so they must like the energy in there haha!
My dream studio would probably be in a garden with lovely big trees and bushes with big glass windows so it felt like I was outside and also a stove fire would be lovely.
9. What's your least favourite thing about being an artist?
I actually have imposter syndrome so calling myself an artist feels weird. I quite often am in absolute disbelief that people buy my work but I am totally grateful for that. I'm just super happy people resonate with what I'm drawing and that hopefully looking at my work makes people feel all fuzzy and happy.
10. What's been your proudest moment so far?
Definitely graduating university with a first class honours from Central Saint Martin's. It still feels like a dream 4 years down the line. Even though I studied ceramics so don't really utilize it, it was just such a privilege to be in such a prestigious university and experiencing life in London for a short while.
11. As recommended by Ebony
I asked Ebony to share 4 people, books or resources that have inspired her.
1. My best friend Lottie Penfold
One of my biggest inspirations is my best friend Lottie Penfold - she also paints as Moon Child Muse. She's just the purest being of light. She's stood by my side for 21 years and I just love her so much.
2. The All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness
The All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness I absolutely loved reading. It includes vampires, witches and demons, set in Oxford. Anything with a vampire in it and I'm there but this just feels moody, romantic and dark academic.
3. The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
My dad used to read The Hobbit to my brother and I when I was around 4 so The Lord of the Rings feels especially nostalgic to me. I just love fantasy themes, anywhere I can escape into.
4. Julia Sardá's illustrations
I absolutely love the illustrations by Julia Sardá in the book Leina and the Lord of the Toadstools by Myriam Dahman and Nicolas Digard. Her use of colour is beautiful, lovely muted earthy tones.
Ebony-Katherine Richardson is an artist and illustrator based in Oxfordshire. You can see her latest art on the Ebony-Katherine Studio website and on Instagram.
For more interviews with creative people who inspire me and sustainable home ideas, make sure to subscribe to my Ideas Book newsletter.
Back to Blog
Leave a comment