Inktober Fright
Somebody wake up Billie Joe Armstrong because September is ending soon. You know what that means… Spooky season will soon be upon us!
For most people, being this close to October means getting excited for Halloween, pumpkin patches and fall weather which are just around the corner. For artists, there is more to look forward to, or, like me, to be scared of.
About Inktober
Inktober is a month long drawing challenge created by illustrator Jake Parker. The purpose of this challenge is to help artists develop positive drawing habits and improve their skills.
Each day in October, artists follow a list of prompts to create their drawings and post them online with #inktober or #inktober2019 if they want their work to be seen by everyone.
Inktober 2019 Prompt
“You can use these words as inspiration for what you can draw that day.” — Jake Parker
Inktober Misconceptions
You Must Use Ink
Due to the nature of this challenge, people are known to get a little competitive with their art. Artists have been known to call out one other based on the tools they are using.
Many people believe that the work you produce for Inktober must be with ink and paper.
This is false.
The initial focus of the challenge was on traditional inking, according to Parker. However, he admits that learning how to digitally ink is a separate skill from traditional inking, which does not make digitally inking any less valid.
If you want to improve your digital inking skills then doing Inktober digitally is a great way to challenge yourself. Just be cool to those who want to use traditional inks. And traditional inkers, be cool to those who are trying to improve with their digital inking. — Jake Parker
Many artists who compete in this challenge have been known to practice other crafts besides digital and traditional inking. Calligraphy, typography, lettering, etc. are all allowed if that’s how you create art.
Parker even admits that he’s heard of writers taking on the Inktober challenge and creating short stories or poems to fit the prompts. Even photographers are encouraged to participate!
If you want to learn how to ink, Parker has attached links to classes on his website to help artists brush up on their skills for Inktober. These classes can be found here.
Parker has also listed several tools which he recommends for inking and can help those who want to learn, such as pens, brushes, ink and more.
You Must Use the Color Black
As stated above, you don’t have to use a pen and ink to do Inktober. In fact, you can use just about anything, which includes watercolors or markers.
This means (you guessed it!) you can use color.
However, the purpose of the challenge is to simplify your options as an artist to help you grow. Parker advises artists to use only one color if you can.
You Must Use the Official Prompt List
The prompts exist only to help fuel artists’ creativity. If there’s another great idea that you have in mind, you are more than welcome to use it!
If you need help finding inspiration, check out my last blog post here.
Inktober Drawbacks
As I step out of my comfort zone and begin showing my art to others, many people have asked me, “So, are you participating in Inktober?”
My initial reaction is to be afraid.
Like many people out there, I have sensed the drawbacks that must come with participating in the popular month long challenge. A few that come to mind are time constraints and jealousy.
Time
In order to prepare myself for this challenge, I’ve done quite a bit of research. My favorite bit was watching a video called What You Should Know About Inktober (But No One Will Tell You).
One of the first things M.D. Campbell talks about is that drawing every day for 31 days can be a pain. As we go about our lives, we have things during the day that we need to do, like work and/or school.
Finding time to sit down and create can be hard. But then again, that’s why Inktober is called a challenge.
Jealousy
How does the saying go?
“Happiness is found when you stop comparing yourself to other people.”
If you want to improve as an artist and be happy with your work, then you can’t allow yourself to compare it to others’.
Inktober was designed to be a friendly challenge to help the personal growth of artists. In no way is it meant to demean people.
If you do end up participating in this challenge, make sure to take the time and be proud of yourself. Conversely, make sure you don’t make anyone feel bad, either.
Concluding Thoughts
Inktober is not a challenge to be afraid of. As any type of artist, you are encouraged to participate in this challenge to enhance your skills at your desired craft.
You don’t have to follow a specific prompt or rule, and if you fall behind on a day, you can always catch back up or skip it altogether.
Either way, don’t let this challenge discourage you. Instead, use it to better yourself.
In spirit of Inktober, I will be posting my progress weekly at the end of my blog posts. I hope you all will enjoy them!
