Happy October! It’s finally that time again… doesn’t feel the slightest bit close to fall in my desert, but still the spooky season is near!
Autumn is a major source of inspiration for many creatives, thanks to its beautiful foliage and harvest seasons. Some of you may remember my Poptober drawing challenge from 2020. I’m here to announce an updated one for 2022, still with daily prompts to inspire your art.
Since I’m a little late on this one, we’ll go easy with the first prompt.
There are zero rules to this challenge. Any medium is totally fine, and you can interpret the prompts however you wish. If you’re swamped with projects or short on time, feel free to just do whichever days you’d like, or do a prompt for each week!
Speaking of drawings, maybe you can find some inspiration for your creative endeavors from the latest fan art features from Poptropica’s Instagram stories, at least for fall decorating… 🍁
Howdy, Poptropicans! It’s Lucky Joker here with another sporadic installment of our Pop Fan Artist Spotlights series. The artist featured this time is… well, me! I promise I’m not self-centered. 😅
A few months ago, you may have seen a drawing challenge called Poptober — a list of 31 prompts (one for each day of October) created by MaryannTheConqueror to inspire a month of Poptropica fan art. Well, I decided to take the challenge head-on. Let’s take a look and see how I did. (Click the images to enlarge them!)
For day 1 of Poptober, I wanted to kick off the spooky month by depicting a spooky island. After some thought, I ended up going with the amazing Ghost Story Island by drawing the story’s most prime trio.
For day 2’s carnival theme, I knew I wanted to draw something from Monster Carnival (because duh! lol). I could’ve drawn the fabulous Ringmaster Raven, but instead, I shared the love and picked a couple of more underrepresented characters for my piece.
Due to the ambiguity of the prompt “Game,” I spent a lot of time thinking of what I was going to draw on day 3. Ultimately, I went with drawing Poptropica’s most popular common room game, Sky Dive. Once again, I portrayed two often glossed-over characters: Amelia and Crusoe.
When I read “water” for day 4, somehow the beach from my favorite island, Mythology (Flash edition), immediately came to mind. I think I captured the theme well in this one, and I don’t compliment myself often! Poseidon (the god of the sea) and mermaidsat the beach — how much more water can it get? I suppose if they were underwater, hehe.
On day 5, I couldn’t help being inspired from my favorite island a second time. I drew Medusa in a lair full of her collection of stone victims, including Hercules, to bring more of that special scariness that October entails.
To my surprise, there were plenty of considerations for day 6’s “doctor” prompt. Dr. Hare, Dr. Salerno, Dr. Jupiter, and the ever-so-newly-popular Dr. Beev were all pondered upon. However, I ended up drawing Dr. Lange and a colleague in a lab trialing vaccines (kind of appropriate in these times…).
“Blimp” — I feel like there are an infinite amount of options for this one. Here, you can see Mystery of the Map’s Mya, Oliver, and Jorge discovering the lands of Poptropica in the iconic aircraft (along with a cameo from a certain someone with his own balloon!).
For day 8, I drew some of the crew from one of our largest adventures, Skullduggery Island, standing proudly on deck. Pretty adventure-y if you ask me!
On day 9, there was nothing else I could bring myself to draw for “forest” other than the Elf Queen and the woodland creatures surrounding the magic orb inside their shady habitation. This one was very fun to draw, as was the next one.
Day 10’s prompt was “berry.” I think everyone who participated in this challenge drew something Zomberry-related and I’m no exception. I wanted to depict a feeling that was both equally spooky and amusing, so I drew DJ Saturday Nite partying it up with a number of blueberry zombies in the karaoke bar.
It took me a little while to come to a decision for what I was going to do for day 11. The theme was “bubble” and I eventually came up with Violet Beauregarde blowing a bubble with the chewing gum Mr. Wonka warned her not to taste. Tsk tsk…
When I saw that day 12 was “sneak,” I immediately thought a scene from the classic Spy Island would be perfect. Here you see a secret agent escaping the B.A.D. guys’ captivity at the docks.
For day 13’s “night” prompt, I had originally wanted to do a piece featuring a scene from Night Watch, but instead went with two of the forty thieves burglarizing the bazaar from Arabian Nights, and I’m not mad about it.
Day 14 was a lot of fun! What I did was combine the two Poptropica space-related islands, Lunar Colony and Astro Knights (which is one of my favorites). I drew Dr. Salerno accomplishing her long devoted mission of discovering alien life on the moon by depicting her greeting a couple of the Pewter Moon aliens.
On day 15, I couldn’t not draw this trio of some of Poptropica’s most popular villains. I mean, come on. The only villain possibly more iconic than these three is Dr. Hare.
At first, I couldn’t think of anything I really wanted to draw for “beach” on day 16, but I decided to show poor unfortunate Greg Heffley standing with his empty ice cream cone at the (wimpy) boardwalk. Just his luck!
My immediate thought for day 17‘s theme “machine” was to depict something from Steamworks Island. I wanted to be a little more outside the box and stretch the theme just a little bit, though. What I came up with was Shrink Ray’s CJ meeting her future self and being rewarded the medallion for Time Tangled Island. I mean, hey, she had to use a time machine to get there, right? And check out her little robot concierge in the background!
There were so many possibilities for “pet” that I was unsure what to choose. After brainstorming through many ideas, I wound up choosing quite possibly Poptropica’s most adorable little derpy companion… the Narf! And a whole bunch of them too! RIP medallion kid.
“Ship” was the prompt for day 19 and there were so many considerations! (This happens a lot, huh? Lol) Yet again, I went with a pair of characters you don’t see get very much attention in the community, and that was Beatrice and Hazel from Crisis Caverns. I can see these two ladies being a cute couple.
For day 20, I rendered up a piece of the Chthonian scaring away the mole people. I was actually quite puzzled on what I wanted to draw for this one, but I’m proud of what I chose.
I definitely knew that I wanted to take inspiration from the amazing Escape From Pelican Rock when I saw that the prompt for day 21 was “prison.” Here you see Big Tuna being provoked by Flashy Fosbury as he’s being dragged away by one of Pelican Rock’s security guards.
What better island represents the theme “wild” than Wild West? Little Miss Annie Oakley is definitely unleashing her wild side as she shows off her skills in a shooting contest. The others are quite impressed.
Day 23 was one of my favorite days of the Poptober challenge. I drew Annie and Jack in their clubhouse reading a book about old Japan for the theme “story.”
I had a lot of fun with day 24 as well! I wanted to create something super fun and exciting for the theme “music,” so I decided to draw up a couple characters from Reality TV Island rocking out on stage.
The prompt for day 25 was “past,” and I’m sure you could imagine how many different scenarios from Poptropica would work perfectly for this theme. I wanted to focus on an island (or a mini game, rather) I hadn’t highlighted before. Here you have a greeting scene from D.C. Diner, ca. 1893!
Day 26 was the total opposite of past. The theme was “future,” and below, in a dystopian time coming, Poptropicans are servants to the superior reigning robots.
“Storm” was the theme given for day 27 and my mind went straight to Super Villain Island. I drew Crusher — one of the inmates being held at Erewhon Prison — looking disturbed by the thunder and lightning outside his cell window.
Day 28‘s theme was “costume,” which was perfect considering it was so close to Halloween. Take a look at this spooktacular costume party scene taken from the classic Haunted House special! I really like how this one turned out.
For the “hero” prompt on day 29, I drew a cutscene that used to annoy me so much when I was a kid — Ned Noodlehead taking credit for “saving the day” after our Poptropicans did all the work. That darn Ned!
As Poptober began wrapping up on day 30, I was pretty worn out but determined to finish! The theme was computer, so I illustrated a tired employee, in front of his screen, working for Poptropica Worldwide Headquarters who looks pretty much like I felt at this point. Haha!
And finally, day 31 — ghost. Another perfect theme for Poptober and I’m actually very fond of how this one turned out. I finished off the month with a gloomy picture of Count Bram mourning the loss of his dearly beloved Annabelle as her ghost sits beside him.
Wowie, that was a lot! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed doing this challenge. There were times I would lose motivation and fall behind, and I would get pretty bummed about it. In hindsight, I probably wouldn’t be so hard on myself, though, since it’s all in good fun. I’m just glad I have a ton of Poptropica art in my portfolio now. You can view more of my Poptropica-related work (and more) on my DeviantArt page.
Thank you all for reading. I’ll talk to you guys in the next one. Take care, stay safe, and pop on!
Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the October recap for Community Creations! October’s theme was Monsters (and the featured work is not in any particular order). Be sure to check out all the featured artists!
Ah, the monsters of… er… well, Monster Carnival! A classic choice! I love all the different monsters featured in this composition, as well as the colors used. There is nice detail in all the figures and the sky, in addition to wonderful texture in the grass. Even that moon is creeping me out! The design definitely feels like it would fit into the island, and it honestly makes me want to dress up as some of those characters for Halloween. Find her on our Discord or in the comment section sometime.
RUN (Poptober Day 20) by Lucky Joker
AHHHH!!! RUN!!! Phew, glad to know this is just a drawing… *ahem* Made for Day 20 of MaryannTheConqueror‘s Poptropica Drawing Challenge, this design features one of the newer monsters of Poptropica. I love the movement that LJ was able to capture here, and I love the composition. AND I think his line-heavy style is super visually interesting! There is so much energy here and the use of colors is fantastic. Find his DeviantArt here.
Anatomy of a Poptropican by Magniventris
Woah… uh… this one is a bit unsettling to say the least, huh? That is, perfect for spooky season! This submission is quite a fresh take on our theme, portraying our very own Poptropicans as the monsters. It is horrifying to imagine a Poptropican’s insides, and yet I can totally picture this being a page out of an actually anatomy textbook. I absolutely love the detail put into all the textual descriptions, as well as the detailed imagining of the Poptropican skeletal system. From the lack of wrists, to the specialized legs for jumping, to the “nest” of young Poptropicans, this is such a clever design. I just have one question… what is up with that neck??? Find their DeviantArt here.
Poptober Days 11-17: Island by Gentle Dolphin
Eek!!! Now this one brings back some… horrifying memories. It was made for happyclonetrooper’s Poptober prompt list (Days 11-17)! The Jersey Devil jump scare, from Cryptids Island, is certainly one of the most frightening scenes from any Poptropica Island, and that horror is well captured here. The dramatic lighting is quite appropriate for this dark setting, and the eyes of the monster definitely give me the chills. I simply love the composition! Find her DeviantArt here.
Pixel Carnival by Kid Whom Has a Hat
Oooh, looks like the Monster Carnival monsters have been a favorite this year! This pixel design is super cute, and I’m really impressed with all the details that the artist was able to capture with such a limited technique. Is it weird that I kinda want an entire 8-bit video game for Monster Carnival Island now? These icon-sized creatures are wonderfully diverse and intriguing to say the least. Find them on Discord!
Honorable Mentions
Villain by AdventurersNHunters
The Darkness by SuperGrape1
Monster Halloween Costume by Short Glove
A Carnivore’s Berry Grief by thehypercutter
Monster Maroon by happyclonetrooper
Wow, super spooky submissions this month, everyone! I am thoroughly creeped out by all your monstrous creations. I hope you all had a fantastic spooky season, and a safe Halloween! Keep up all that creativity.
November: How Do I Participate?
Community Creations is a cool series for anyone in the Poptropica community to join in on. To sum up what it’s about, it’s basically a chance to show off your artwork, creepy fan-fics, Pop clubhouses, costumes, and anything else that pops into your mind.
If we really like the piece you submit, we will feature it here on the PHB! As long as it relates to that month’s theme. So what is November’s theme? November’s theme is…
Pirates!
Avast! National Talk Like a Pirate Day may have been back in September, but that’s not gonna stop us this month, matey! We can’t do much traveling IRL right now, though we can still travel across the open seas online. So let’s set sail for November!
Skullduggery is obviously a go to in terms of pirates within Poptropica, but remember that your options go beyond that one island! Maybe send in your best pirate costume in Poptropica without using the pirate costume in the store? And don’t forget our favorite Home Island pirate that guards the booty of the daily wheel spin! The possibilities for your creations only know the bounds of your own creativity. Arrrrrrre you ready to get creating???
Comment below with a link to whatever you’ve created OR share it with me (SydVC aka Spotted Dragon) on DeviantArt, Twitter, or Discord.
Results: I will feature 5 of the submissions as well as some honorable mentions.
Limitations: Nothing NSFW, and make sure you relate to the theme.
Due Date: I will take any entries before the end of this month. Submit as many things as you’d like!
I will be sure to let you know I have seen your creation. While quality counts, I’m mainly looking for something to simply catch my eye, so don’t be afraid to join in!
So what are you waiting for? Go make something awesome!
Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post from MaryannTheConqueror.
It’s October! We are finally in the midst of fall, a time of color-changing leaves, pumpkin spice, spooky season… and art challenges!
While art challenges can exist year-round, many are set in October, especially after the “Inktober” trend. Since then, many alternative challenges have sprung up, including something for Poptropica enthusiasts. Introducing the Poptropica drawing challenge: Poptober!
The goal of this challenge is simple: draw something every day according to each of the prompts! Of course, you will not be shamed if you cannot make all the days (I doubt I will). Or, if you’re feeling a lower commitment, check out happyclonetrooper’s version of the Poptober challenge, with weekly instead of daily prompts.
You can use any medium, make your drawings as simple or complex as you wish, and interpret the prompts any way you choose. If you want to, you can even combine challenges (such as making all the subjects cats, or doing all the drawings in ink like the original Inktober). Just have fun, don’t stress, and make art!
To share your Poptober drawings with the world, you can post wherever the Poptropica fan art appreciators are: some places to start are the PHC’s #art channel on Discord, the We-Love-Poptropica DeviantArt group, Instagram and Twitter with the #Poptropica tag, and even the comments of this post. Excited to see what you make!
And for more creative endeavors in the fandom, keep an eye out for the PHB’s monthly Community Creations coming later today.
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. You can find some tips and guidelines on our page on how to Write for the PHB, and share blog posts on the PHC.
📰 If you have an idea for a PHB post, send it in! ✨
🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺 