What is inktober? It’s a drawing challenge. There are prompts each day in October. The challenge I set myself is to do a drawing for each prompt, in ink, square. You can see the prompts here and on Inktober.com Why do I do it? It’s different from my “normal” work. My urban sketches and other art generally take several hours, and are from life (non-fiction). I do the inktober drawings quickly, in less than half an hour normally, and from imagination (fiction). Inktober jolts me into other worlds. It’s also a challenge, and enjoyable. I also like to see what other people draw, from the same prompt. The drawings are posted on instagram with the tag #inktober2020.
I did it last year for the first time. It surprises me that I can do it.
I did Inktober for the first time this year. This is a drawing challenge, described on the Inktober web page. The idea is to draw a picture, in ink, each day of October.
“Inktober is about the constraint of medium. You must draw with ink. When you sit down to do the challenge you don’t have to decide what colors you’re going to use, whether you’ll be rendering in pencil or watercolor. The challenge has stripped away all of these variables that can get you sidetracked or frustrated, allowing your creative energy to be focused straight into your drawing.” Jake Parker
I followed the official prompts:
Here are my pictures. They are all done in black ink on white paper. The reason they appear in different tints and tones is that they were photographed in different light, depending on where I was at the time.
“Ring”. This is a ring from Fred Rich.
“Mindless”. I’m not quite sure what this picture means. Sadness, lack of thought.
“Bait”. Here are people digging for bait on the Isle of Grain.
“Freeze”. This is a scene from an action movie.
This is inspired by a young person I know.
A voice made in smoke and hardship.
In this strange forest, you need a dog companion.
He contemplates his condition.
Dancing at the 100 Club.
All the people are left handed, I noticed, after I drew it.
Snow in the forest.
In the October rain, I wish for a dragon to warm my hands.
This is the shape of the ash tree.
Growing up is a puzzle.
The orator.
The open sea.
A former bank building on the Goswell Road.
It’s hard to fit in.
Bloodied but not bowed.
Tough on the knees.
One person digging and three people issuing instructions.
Who is the real person and who is the ghost?
Iron Age fort, Britain.
London office block.
“Tasty” means “skilled” in the context of martial arts such as boxing.
Am I sufficiently hidden?
A tribute to my sister.
Fun to ride in a cart.
Injuries are not always physical.
The crab
Ready to eat.
I used De Atramentis document ink (waterproof) and a Sailor Fountain pen with EF nib. For the tones, I diluted the ink with water.
Here’s what I learned from Inktober:
I could do it. It was fun to do, and an achievement.
The drawings are mostly small, 2½” square. “15” and “16” are 8″ square. If I do it again, I’ll use a bigger sketchbook.
I used a sketchbook with quite soft, low quality paper. Next time: use smooth watercolour-quality paper, which will take the ink better and not buckle.
I started doing drawings of any size. These get cut to a square when posted on Instagram. If I do it again, I’ll do all square drawings.
It was a good idea to write “#inktober” and the day on the drawing.
