Max Champion
LightNews LightNews
banner
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
Max Champion
@troubleandtoil.bsky.social
93 followers 34 following 33 posts
I draw witches and occasionally other things
Posts Replies Media Videos
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 16 - Wild

And that's a wrap! Join me next year for Witchtober 2026 (Though I'll probably upload something on this account between now and then!)

#Witchtober2025
Penny is holding a cup of tea in one hand and a saucer in the other, as she reflects on the events of this year's Witchtober. "What a wild month, eh?" she says to nobody in particular.
November 1, 2025 at 4:11 AM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 15 - Sweet

When someone has unknowingly eaten your collection of cool and interesting rocks, you have to improvise.

#Witchtober2025
Abi and Verney Normal are looking at a desk with a "cool rock collection" sign, but is instead covered in sweets/candy. Abi looks at the sweets disdainfully and sighs. "It's just not the same" she says. Verney says nothing, but clutches his cheek in pain, for he has severe toothache after attempting to eat rocks
November 1, 2025 at 4:09 AM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 14 - Bubble

There's a certain bubble that can't pop soon enough!

#Witchtober2025
In the background is a bubble held together with tape and plasters, containing the anusesque logo for OpenAI. In the foreground, Penny (left) is pointing at it and making the soyjak face. "The A.I. Bubble is going to burst!" she says. Josie (right) holds a pin in one hand and says "Let's make it burst quicker!"
November 1, 2025 at 4:05 AM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 13 - Gem

Despite what Google's AI overview might tell you, it is not a good idea to eat rocks

#Witchtober2025
Panel 1: Abi Normal's brother, Verney Normal, is pushing her away as he holds a bag of sweets in the other hand. "Give them back, Verney!" cried Abi, but Verney replies "Tut tut! All these sweets are bad for you." Panel 2: Verney pours the bag of sweets into his mouth. "I'll dispose of these!" he says as Abi yells "NOOOOOO!" Panel 3: "It'll take years to rebuild my cool rock collection" Abi says in a defeated manner. Verney cracks his teeth whilst munching on the rocks (they were not actually sweets)
November 1, 2025 at 1:41 AM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 12 - Eclipse

The moral of the story is, if you have a fragile ego, never attempt to make the world a better place because there will always be someone louder and stupider who will get more attention
Panel 1: Cynthia looks at a piece of paper on her desk. "Yes! I've done it!" Panel 2: She heads down the corridor holding the paper in one hand. "Look everyone!" she says, "I've created a cure for the common cold!" Panel 3: Lizzy is showing Cynthia's friends a new trick she's learned- shake a pencil slightly to make it look like it's wobbling. "Behold!" she exclaims, "The wobbly pencil trick!" Marika and Gwendolyn are impressed. "Wow! Lizzy, you're a genius!" they say. Cynthia looks disappointed.
November 1, 2025 at 12:11 AM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 11 - Bloom

Sometimes, it's easy to see the past through rose-tinted glasses, but sometimes yellow-tinted glasses are more accurate

#Witchtober2025
Panel 1: Josie and Penny are in a green field under a blue sky. Josie is playing a game on a nondescript handheld device. "I wonder what life would be like if it was more like a video game?" she says. Penny hears this and has an idea. Panel 2: Penny uses her magic to cover the world in an ugly filter, giving everything a yellow tint and making the whites overexposed. "Hope you like games from 2007!" Penny says.
October 31, 2025 at 12:57 AM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 10 - Reanimate

Animation can be an enjoyable pastime for some people, but not for others!

#Witchtober2025
Panel 1: We see an over-the-shoulder view of Josie using a drawing tablet to animate a bouncing ball Panel 2: Kamya pops in out of nowhere and shows Josie a new spell of hers, which deletes Josie's animation. "Look at this new spell I've discovered!" Kamya says Panel 3: Josie holds up the tablet, realising the animation she worked so hard on is now gone. "Your stupid spell deleted my animation!" She says. Panel 4: Kamya is painstakingly redoing the animation that Josie had been working on, sobbing in the process. Josie gleefully outlines some of the various principles of animation to her. "So there's squash and stretch, anticipation, staging..."
October 31, 2025 at 12:52 AM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 9 - Crown

All men are kings, but whether that's a good thing or not depends on who you are, and who the people around you are

#Wichtober2025
Panel 1: Niall O'Neill (Left) is wearing a crown and pointing to it. "You witches are too impertinent!" he says to Bertha (right), "I should be treated like a king!". Bertha replies by saying "Very well..." Panel 2: "...But I'm a French revolutionist, so that head's got to come off!" She begins chasing Niall and weilding an axe. Niall runs away, shrieking in fear.
October 18, 2025 at 1:29 AM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 8 - Fates

A crystal ball has somehow come into Penny's possession, unfortunately the information it provides is a bit useless

#Witchtober2025
Panel 1: Penny is holding a crystal ball in one hand as she says "Behold! My new crystal ball!" to her two friends, Josie and Cyril. Panel 2: Josie and Cyril come closer to get a better look at the crystal ball. "It can show us how we'll look in 3000 years' time!" Penny explains. Panel 3: We see Penny's POV. Inside the crystal ball we see a vision of three tombstones with the names of Josie, Penny and Cyril (from left to right). Cyril and Josie are impressed. "Wow! Amazing!" they say.
October 15, 2025 at 11:18 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 7 - Illusion
Creating illusions of yourself is handy when you want to remind someone of something horrible they did

#Witchtober2025
Panel 1: Mr. Normal is sitting in an armchair, reading the newspaper. Panel 2: Mr. Normal looks up in shock as a ghostly illusion of his daughter Abi floats in front of him. It says "The accident wasn't your fault Dad, just let it go." Panel 3: Mr. Normal screams tearfully as he reaches out for the illusion, but it has disappered. The real Abi Normal walks into the room, pointing at the accident in question- a broken vase. "Hi Dad," she says, "I promise I won't tell Mum that you broke the vase!"
October 14, 2025 at 12:17 AM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 6 - Howl

Not everybody who howls at the full moon is a werewolf!

#Witchtober2025
Panel 1: Abi Normal turns around to look out of her bedroom window. "Oh, no! A full moon! She says. Panel 2: An exterior view of Abi's house, with a loud howl coming out of the upper window Panel 3: Abi shields her eyes with her hand, the brightness of the moon proving too much for her. "Why does it have to be so bright?" She says to herself.
October 11, 2025 at 8:16 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
Witchtober Day 5 - Bite

Ms. Gwracham is feeling a bit peckish, but she'd reckoned without Penny learning a new skill!

#Witchtober2025
Panel 1: Ms. Gwracham is holding a blueberry muffin in her hand and opening her mouth to eat it. Panel 2: The muffin gets yoinked away by an unknown force, causing Ms. Gwracham to shatter her teeth Panel 3: the muffin is floating in the air. Penny (left) is pointing her fingers at her head and concentrating hard. "Look, Miss!" She says, "I've finally learned how to do psychokenesis!". Ms. Gwracham (right), with destroyed teeth, says "Well done Penny, well done" in a sarcastic tone.
October 9, 2025 at 9:50 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 4 - Stab

Here's a new character (Sorta)! Abelia Violet "Abi" Normal is different to the other witch characters I draw - she lives a non-magic life, but practices black magic in her spare time. This makes for a nice escape from the people who try and pressure her into acting normal
We see a dimly-lit bedroom. To the left of the scene we see an 8-year-old girl (Abi Normal) with a pin in one hand and a voodoo doll (with a pencil moustache and a 1950s businessman hat) in the other. On the floor is an open spellbook, and on the wall is a framed picture of Abi's father who shares some details with the doll. A dart has been thrown at the picture, shattering the glass layer.
October 7, 2025 at 7:25 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 3 - Root

I eventually decided to adapt this prompt by showing Penny's friends rooting for her as she zaps her enemy!

#Witchtober2025
On a stone bridge during the evening, we see a witch (Penny) zapping a witch hunter (Niall O'Neill), making him jump in the air and scream in pain. His assistant (Emile O'Neill) looks on, dumbfounded. Penny's friends (Josie and Cyril) cheer Penny on. Cyril is cheerleading with pom poms, and Josie is wearing a giant foam hand with "#1" written on it. The scene is lit up by a street lamp.
October 5, 2025 at 9:47 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 2 - Shadow

Penny and a couple of her friends have decided to put on a shadow puppet show using their hands, albeit employing a method that some purists would describe as cheating

#Witchtober2025
Panel 1: Cyril and Josie are watching shadow puppets projected onto a large rock. The shadows take the shape of a swan, a rabbit and a bat. Panel 2: We see three witches- Penny, Bertha and Millie- in front of a campfire and with their hands taking the form of a swan, a rabbit and a bat respectively. Penny says to Millie "That shapeshifting hand spell of yours works a treat!"
October 3, 2025 at 8:16 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
It's #Witchtober once again! I've got a very busy schedule this month so I'll be posting every other day this year. Day 1's prompt is "punk", so here's Sinéad listening to the infamous Punk compilation CD that doesn't contain any actual punk music (she doesn't know that though!)

#Witchtober2025
In a small room we see Sinéad (right) dancing next to a recovered boombox that has been crudely restored. next to the boombox is the box for the notorious "Punk" compilation CD released by Warner Special Products and Starland Music in 1996. This CD contains no punk music, as is evident by the fact that the boombox is playing Karma Chameleon by Culture Club. Penny (left) looks on, not knowing what to make of the situation.
October 1, 2025 at 6:04 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
Today marks ten years since I started drawing Magic Penny and her chums, and by complete coincidence I’ve decided to upload this commemorative piece!
Penny is balancing herself on a broomstick, whilst Cyril, Josie and Maria are watching her, absorbed. Ms. Graham and Kamya are unimpressed.
August 1, 2025 at 6:23 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 31 - Imagine

I wanted to make sure I got the #Halloween drawing done on time- there's still four more Witchtober drawings to go though, so it's not quite over yet!

#Witchtober2024 #Halloween2024
Panel 1: Penny says to Cyril "Imagine! A lifetime supply of candy just for dressing up in the clothes I wear all year round." Cyril is amazed. "Wow, really?" he asks. Panel 2: "No..." replies Penny, "I said imagine."
October 31, 2024 at 10:07 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 30 - Glow

Always be wary when using glow-in-the-dark spells, because people might get the wrong idea

#Witchtober2024
Panel 1: Marika, Gwendolyn and Cynthia are glowing white and crossing the road at night. Marika and Gwendolyn congratulate Cynthia on perfecting her new glow-in-the-dark spell, as they can now go outside at night and everyone will be able to see them. Panel 2: A car approaches the three witches. The man driving thinks they are ghosts. Panel 3: The driver has crashed the car into a crossing lamp, and fled the scene whilst shouting for the police. Cynthia begins to doubt the usefulness of the glowing spell.
October 30, 2024 at 11:07 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 29 - Burnt

When Penny is making potions, it's best not to get too close.

#Witchtober2024
Panel 1: Penny is carelessly chucking potion bottles into a cauldron. Ms. Gwracham asks if Penny is certain she's using the right ingredients. Panel 2: The contents of the cauldron blow up in Ms. Gwracham's face. Panel 3: Ms. Gwracham, burnt to a crisp, angrily chases after Penny.
October 30, 2024 at 12:17 AM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 26 - List

Having magic powers has its downsides, particularly in the months leading up to Christmas

#Witchtober2024
Josie (left) has a long list of things she wants for Christmas. The list is so long that it extends over Penny's (right) head. Josie urges an overwhelmed Penny to "do her magic"
October 28, 2024 at 8:03 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 28 - Pastel

Thought I'd go with a different colouring style for this one

#Witchtober2024
Penny is relaxing on a pink cloud above the skies. The image uses a pastel colour scheme.
October 28, 2024 at 7:59 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 27 - Hidden

It's always good to hide behind a rock slightly larger than yourself when performing an ambush

#Witchtober2024
Penny (left) is hiding behind a rock and holding a bottle containing a potion that turns people into snails. She is ready to throw it at Witchhunter Niall O' Neill (right) who is frantically looking around in an attempt to find and capture Penny.
October 27, 2024 at 9:10 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 23 - Ancestor

Here's a drawing of a single-celled organism which Penny may or may not have descended from
A single-celled organism with Penny's colour scheme and facial features
October 23, 2024 at 6:04 PM
troubleandtoil.bsky.social
#Witchtober Day 22 - Frog

I'm chopping and changing the order in which I upload these since I'm working on multiple things at once and am still figuring out how to cram it all into a short amount of time

#Witchtober2024
Cynthia (right) is in the middle of talking in a condescending manner before frogs start jumping out her mouth thanks to a magic spell. Kamya (left) who performed the spell in question, asks Cynthia if she has a frog in her throat
October 23, 2024 at 6:00 PM