September is flying by, and in October, the challenges are back!
The first one that I will probably join is Inktober.

So what is Inktober?
“Inktober is a month-long art challenge created by artist Jake Parker that is focused on improving skill and developing positive drawing habits. Every day for the month of October anyone participating in the Inktober challenge creates an ink drawing and posts it online.”

When the creators of this challenge announced the prompts for this year, there was so much complaining and whining, that it made me even more interested in participating.

I’m unsure how this year’s list is more restrictive than words like “spider” or “dragon”?
The overall theme could be an elegant way to tie a bunch of random drawings together, or they can be a starting point to consider different approaches for more variety. Nobody said you can’t still draw a spider crawling on your backpack or discover a dragon’s nest.

Inktober used to be focused on traditional inking where you make a pencil drawing and go over it with pens or brushes- a technique and style that many will still use. But inking can also be done digitally, ink can also be printmaking ink, or fluid liquid ink. Perhaps even something like Derwent Inktense pens.
The main goals are improving our skills and having the habit of daily drawing, so I’d say pick your battles wisely 🙂

There were also comments about this list being shared too early. Perhaps the prompts used to be shared daily? I have no idea, but I appreciate having a few weeks to think, make sketches, and prepare a few prints so I don’t have to go into stress mode on October 1st.

The Illustrator’s guide shared a video for illustrators who appreciate a more thoughtful approach with our portfolios in mind:

Last week, I started doing my research, I made a list of possible drawings/prints, made some sketches, and did a few test prints. There are still a few words that I’m unsure about, and it’s possible that I won’t be able to finish them all, but that’s ok. We’ll see how far we get. It’s been fun so far and I can’t wait to see what everyone else is coming up with!