“Warmth in the Cold” (Cardinal in the Snow) // Alcohol Ink & Acrylic Paint on Ceramic Tile

New artwork: “Warmth in the Cold” (A Cardinal in Snow), November 2025

“Warmth in the Cold” // Nov. 2025 // Emily N. Goff

These are a few of my favorite things.

I adore creating with alcohol ink. I use alcohol ink markers in my courtroom sketches, too, but there’s something about how the ink spreads with abandon on tile or yupo paper that just settles my soul. I like to watch it as it becomes alive, how painting into it with another color or another brush creates effects that I may not expect and then having to pivot and make something new from the chaos. That’s how I created the base of this artwork. The sky especially makes me smile. It feels like a blustery wind.

I love combining mediums. Alcohol ink for the majority and then using acrylic paint or acrylic paint pens to refine details. Even with my traditionally created portraits, I tend to combine pen, watercolor pencil, paint pens, and watercolor all in one completed piece. My courtroom sketches have evolved over time from just using colored pencils to, nowadays, using Micron pens, alcohol ink markers, pastel pencils, and colored pencils. I can do them on my iPad, too, but I prefer the analogue method of pencil or marker to paper. For this artwork, I used acrylic paint pens to add snow and smaller details and pine needles on top of the alcohol ink.

I prefer the ethereal, the rougher, or the looser look to realism. I do do realism sometimes, especially in my digitally illustrated pet portraits, but anytime I can let go and be guided by my hand and intuition in a piece of artwork… that’s my favorite.

Cardinals in snow. Need I say more? Red is one of my favorite colors, and then add in the contrast against the snow? Chef’s kiss.

Miniature things hold a soft spot in my heart, too. This tile is about 6” x 6” but it’s still a smaller piece of work. Sometimes those are perfect for a home. It doesn’t have to hang on a wall to be beautiful art. It can nestle on the mantle or on a dresser, or even in a cubicle to brighten it up.

May you stay warm in the cold this winter, my friends.