What is Inktober?
This year was the first time I had a go at Inktober. It’s a yearly event where any and all kinds of artists over the world can publish and submit an ink-based drawing every day, inspired by a different prompt for each day. As a result, October was a fun month.
Inktober works well in a very small (like a thin A6) sketchbook. Four extra pages had to be added, as I had already used the book for a few earlier projects. Perhaps next year I might try a large book and use thicker lines using bamboo pens or sticks. Completing Inktober, requires 31 separate drawings. Ink can be a messy, so you will want a fresh page for every drawing.
For anyone familiar with my work, you will understand that I found it hard to stick to just ink-drawn lines and gave in to the temptation to add coloured pencil or watercolours at times. Possibly, this is the reason I wasn’t picked for the Inktober Instagram feed on any of the days.
Competition was fierce though! Lots of very professional illustrators. Drawing something different every day was a great learning and exploration exercise. Certainly, having a set prompt as a starting point is freeing. Just think about the word, with or without a search through photos or Google Images, and the imagination flows freely. Look at the “Inferno” prompt, for example (Day 25), which somehow made me draw a fire juggler.
For more of my drawings, head to my Sketches page.