Week one of the Inktober drawing challenge is done, and as with many challenges, the start went rather smoothly- as in being on time and coming up with an idea for every prompt.

My method/technique of preference is the monotype, as it provides the full experience to all the senses. The scent of the ink, the feeling of working into the ink, the excitement of pulling the paper from the copper plate… I don’t even mind the cleanup (but I work in batches).
However, working with print also takes a lot of time, not only the drawing and printing process but also the previously mentioned cleaning process and drying time. I can’t drop my images under a scanner right away.

To keep up with the challenge, I thought it would be a nice diversification to play with digital drawing too. And I know, I know, it’s 2024 and digital drawing has been around for a while, but it still feels so new to me. I never feel like I’ve created something, and I often feel stifled- which you can see in my work. Still, when I posted the results, I got several lovely and encouraging messages, so thank you! Part of the challenge is including and sharing the work I’m less happy with, as it’s all part of the process.

When the prompts were released, there was a lot of complaining that it was all adventure-themed, going on a hike and wearing flannels- a mood that I like so I wouldn’t mind. Still, I tried to bring more variety in subjects and approaches, bringing it more into my inky world.

For the next week, I am struggling with a few words. “Nomadic” and “Snacks” I find very challenging. The first one is because it can be tricky to create a good representation of authentic nomads, and I’m also wondering if a digital nomad isn’t too much of a hyped word. “Snacks” is stressing me because, in general, I dislike drawing food. Perhaps I can create my own challenge this winter to practice food drawings, to discover a way to enjoy it. Most simply, foods are just shapes that represent something edible, right? @grebcomics on Instagram, for example, draws super cute soup-loving frogs.

I’m curious if you’re taking part in the challenge and how it’s going!

Here is my first week:

1. Backpack (absent)

2. Discover

3. Boots (fallen soldiers)

4. Exotic (Atlantis & Jungle creature)

5. Binoculars

6. Trek (Santiago de Compostela)

7. Passport (trying to reach safer land)