JH French

The remaining Inktober originals from 2019 are on sale until my shop closes for the year on 12/20! Prints of all of them are on Society6!

I’m finishing up Christmas commissions, so there won’t be much new work posted until after the holidays, but I have some goodies that will be posted in the new year.

New listings are up on my shop! I’m working on adding the remaining originals from Inktober 2019. It makes me so happy every time one of these little forage items finds a home!

My Stardew Valley Inktobers are available as prints! I’d highly recommend Society6’s 3x4 mini prints. They’re the perfect size for these little gems.

🍁 Society6 | 🌿 INPRNT

Inktober 31 — Acorn.

WE MADE IT! I finally finished Inktober (yes, yes, several weeks late) and I am so thrilled!

Stardew Valley reawakened a love I have for collecting and foraging. It reminded me of all the objects there are to discover in nature. That’s why this series has been so fun, and I never could have predicted the response you all have given it. I’ve loved reading your comments and chatting with you about all things foraging and Stardew Valley! October was a tough month for me, but sharing these little drawing has been so rewarding. So thank you!!

I really hope to continue doing small nature object drawings like these (though certainly not every day), but I will see how things go!

Inktober 30 — Pine Cone.

The penultimate drawing in this series!! Drew this from a ponderosa (?) pine cone I got out west! Can anyone guess what the final drawing will be? 🤔

For Inktober, I am drawing forageable items from the game Stardew Valley.

Inktober 29 — Maple Seed.

I think this year must be a mast year for maples, because I’ve seen an excess of these little helicopter seeds everywhere! Though seeds technically aren’t “forage” items in Stardew Valley, I think they count since they’re found out in the world.

Only a couple left to go! Excited to have this series complete!

For Inktober, I am drawing forageable items from the game Stardew Valley.

Inktober 28 — Red Mushroom.

Despite its whimsical appearance, this mushroom—in real life and in Stardew Valley—is toxic! It is called the fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria) and it grows all over the world.

I’m on the home stretch!!

For Inktober, I am drawing forageable items from the game Stardew Valley.

Inktober 27 — Chanterelle.

The most elegant and beautiful mushroom in the world, I would argue. If anyone knows a prettier one, enlighten me! I’d be ecstatic to find a golden chanterelle like this one. 😊

For Inktober, I am drawing forageable items from the game Stardew Valley.

Inktober 26 — Blackberry.

Have you ever come across a wild blackberry patch in the fall? One could spend an afternoon hunting for the ripest berries and plucking them off the stem. In Stardew Valley, I spend most of the day during blackberry season sweeping the map for more and more fruit!

For Inktober, I am drawing forageable items from the game Stardew Valley.

Inktober 25 — Hazelnut. 🌰

I got to use a few new browns, oranges, and other earth tones for this! I love the rich colors of hazelnuts.

For Inktober, I am drawing forageable items from the game Stardew Valley.

Inktober 24 — Wild Plum.

I really love drawing small plant habits like this one. I based this on Prunus americana, a North American species of wild plum that fruits in late summer.

For Inktober, I am drawing forageable items from the game Stardew Valley.

Inktober 23 — Holly.

I can’t think of a plant more Christmassy! After this I’ll be stepping back and finally doing the fall forage items. Are the leaves colorful where you are, or has the weather crept into wintery territory? It certainly still feels fall-ish where I am!

For Inktober, I am drawing forageable items from the game Stardew Valley.

Inktober 22 — Crocus.

There aren’t many flowers that can come up before winter is over, but crocuses are one of them! These guys are incredibly hardy, and beautiful to boot.

For Inktober, I am drawing forageable items from the game Stardew Valley.

Inktober 21 — Crystal Fruit.

We’re on to winter forage items! This is the first Inktober drawing I’ve done that couldn’t be linked directly to a real life plant or animal. I thought the icon looked a little like a cluster of berries, so I referenced wild cranberries for this drawing—appropriate, I guess, because cranberries are a cold weather fruit too! Maybe this is how crystal fruits would grow if they were real?

For Inktober, I am drawing forageable items from the game Stardew Valley.

Inktober 20— Cactus Fruit.

I was SUPER excited to draw this one, hence I drew way more of the plant than just the fruit. 😂 This made me miss Monterey so much. Prickly pears grow roadside there, and also in people’s backyards, at least in the neighborhood I used to take walks in. Both the fruit and the leaves are edible, sans spines of course.

For Inktober, I am drawing forageable items from the game Stardew Valley.

Inktober 19 — Coconut.

Did you know the coconut palm is the only known living member of the genus Cocos? Coconuts have had a fascinating evolutionary history, and have migrated alongside humans to many corners of the world, after originating in India and Southeast Asia.

There is a section in the book “The Triumph of Seeds” by Thor Hansen all about coconuts if you’d like an easy-to-follow overview of this species. The book covers how the history of seeds and humans are tangled up together. I listened to the audiobook, and it’s a fascinating read!

For Inktober, I am drawing forageable items from the game Stardew Valley.