Wednesday was the first of October and the first day of my Inktober/Pinktober challenge. I’ve set up my drawing pad for the entire month, writing the names of all 31 goddesses across the top of every page in order.
When I realized my first goddess was Kali, I had to make a last minute trip to the art supply store, Opus on Granville Island, to stock up on different shades of blue. I hadn’t set foot in there since last year, so I had a fully stocked gift card waiting to be spent (thanks, Dad!).
I picked up several shades of blue, green, grey and orange to supplement my collection of mostly skin tones and neutrals. I also picked up a few more fine lined black pens for inking the initial drawings.
In addition to drawing every day throughout the month of October, I’m practicing for my upcoming Dreadful Delights show on October 10 & 11 at the Russian Hall. If you’re in Vancouver and you enjoy Halloween-themed burlesque, I urge you to check it out!
Spooky Cinema
I’m also enjoying the time-honored autumn tradition of horror movies this month. Here are a few I’ve watched so far over the last couple of weeks:
The Babysitter (2016) — An instant classic ode to the teenage slasher genre with tongue firmly in cheek. Starring the unspeakably gorgeous Samara Weaving as a demonic yet strangely lovable babysitter out of the blood of the innocent.
Jennifer’s Body (2009) — Teenage girls are the worst. Megan Foxx and Amanda Seyfried star in this irreverent exploration of the limits of female friendship. What happens when demonic possession turns your BFF into a bloodthirsty succubus?
M3GAN (2023) — Chucky meets Westworld. When a roboticist’s sister and her husband die, she gains custody of their young daughter, and designs the perfect robot friend to keep the grieving girl company. What could possibly go wrong?
Army of the Dead (2021) — Zombies have taken Las Vegas. 72 hours before the city is to be nuked by the federal government, a team of fortune hunters stage a high-stakes heist at a casino surrounded by hoards of the undead.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story (2025) — Ryan Murphy, the man who brought us “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” reimagines the true story of the mommy-obsessed serial killer who inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.
Badass Goddesses
Which brings us to my Inkober/Pinktober drawing challenge. 31 days, 31 badass goddesses, starting with…
Day 1. Kali, Hindu Destroyer and Protector Goddess
In Hindu mythology, Kali is a powerful and fearsome goddess associated with time, change, and the destructive forces that precede creation and regeneration. Revered as a manifestation of the Divine Mother, she’s depicted with a necklace of severed heads.
Kali’s name itself is derived from the Sanskrit word “kāla,” meaning time, reflecting her cosmic role in the cycles of existence. But she’s not simply a malevolent force; she is venerated as a compassionate and formidable deity embodying both the destructive and nurturing aspects of the Divine Feminine.
Her destructive power is a means of purifying and renewing the world. In some traditions, she’s associated with protection and fierce devotion, particularly in her form as Dakshina Kali, who defends her devotees against evil forces.
Day 2: Morrigan, Irish Battle Crow
The Morrígan of Ireland, also called the “Phantom Queen” or “Great Queen,” is a shapeshifting war goddess, and a formidable protector of her people, associated with fate, prophecies, birth, death, sorcery, and sovereignty over lands and livestock.
Usually characterized as a trio of sisters named Badb, Macha and Nemain, each aspect of the triad representing different facets of war and fate. Badb is associated with prophecy and can take the form of a carrion crow, foretelling death on the battlefield.
Macha is linked to sovereignty and may appear as a crow or a raven. Anand/Nemain is associated with frenzy and panic in battle.
In her shapeshifting capacity, the Morrígan can take the form of a beautiful young woman, various animals, or warriors on the field of combat, but most often she appears as a crow, surveying the battle from above and predicting the violent deaths of her enemies.
Day 3: Coatlicue, Aztec Mother of Gods
Coatlicue is the Aztec earth mother, as fierce as she is fertile, who embodies the complicated dance of creation and destruction in all its contradictions; life and death, beauty and terror.
Also known as Teteoh Innan, “Mother of the Gods,” she gave birth to the sun and war god Huitzilopochtli, as well as the moon and stars.
Coatlicue is the earth personified, nurturing yet ravenous, giving life and then reclaiming it at her whim. The serpents that surround her and wrap around her body in the form of skirts further symbolize the opposing forces of death and divinity, protection and poison.
Inktober/Pinktober continues
Don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, where I’m posting every day at MsPinkDotNet. If you’re taking up the challenge, be sure to use the hashtags below and feel free to tag me. I’d love to see your work!
#Inktober
#Pinktober
#Inktober2025
#Pinktober2025
Thanks for reading, everyone. See you next week!