Portfolio Panic: I Found the Scroll of Shame

I recently dove into my portfolio expecting a quick little tidy-up. Maybe a few tweaks. A light refresh. Easy, right?

Wrong.
It was like opening a dusty old spellbook and realizing half the spells were written in a language I no longer speak — or worse, Comic Sans.

There were pieces in there from three eras ago. Some were charming in that “I was still figuring it out” kind of way. Others made me consider faking my own death and starting over as a finger painter in a new zip code.

Needless to say… this update is taking way longer than I thought.

BUT — I’ve also unearthed some gems. And I’m deep in the thick of my Halloween collection, which has been a total blast. (Spoiler: ghosts, ghouls, and just enough glitter to make a witch proud.)

🎃 New pieces in progress:

• A haunted portrait with a Victorian twist.

• A familiarly tired vampire holding cold coffee

• Spooky spirits that are way too cute to be cursed

And even though the portfolio overhaul feels endless, something magical has been happening…

✨ Hot Ghoul Summer prints are flying off the shelves.
It’s become my accidental mascot for this entire project — flirty, creepy, and thriving despite the chaos.

So yeah. The work is messier than expected. The plan has shifted 14 times.
But the art is flowing. The prints are printing. And I’m (mostly) still sane.

Pics coming soon, once I wrangle them out of my scanner and into the light.

Thanks for being here in the weird, witchy, wonderful middle of it all.

— Melissa 👻
Painter of Ghouls, Girls, and Good Trouble