As the first week of October begins, we’ve probably all got certain autumnal traditions in mind. Hayrides, picking apples, carving pumpkins, watching scary movies, and eating those fantastically addictive Pillsbury sugar cookies printed with pumpkins and ghosts are just a few of the autumnal offerings that you may be looking forward to this spooky season. In addition to the spooks, there is ,of course, fall fashion–sweaters and boots are having their day, finally–and all of this coziness and warmth wraps around us in a way that makes this slope into the beginning of the holiday season all the more special. But, there is one tradition that I like to observe every year that is markedly different than the others because it is both a comfort and a challenge–namely, the celebration of Inktober.
Source: @inktober on Instagram
Inktober is an internet drawing challenge made by artist Jake Parker, which encourages artists to try and make a drawing in ink every day during October and post it online with the hashtag #inktober. This challenge has spread across all ranges of the Internet and has gained a lot of popularity in recent years, and its official Instagram and Twitter pages, both @inktober, have a combined 650.9 K followers as of the beginning of Inktober 2019. Where other drawing challenges, such as #mermay (a challenge to draw a mermaid every day in May) and #doggust ( a challenge to draw a dog every day in August) have specific prompts, Inktober has gone viral because it isn’t as strict, and the only real common factor is the medium, rather than the subject. Of course, there is an official prompt list, but following it isn’t really the goal: the goal is to get creative with what you do, improve your inking skills, and practice a daily exercise in creativity.
This year will mark my fifth anniversary in participating in Inktober. As a college student who is already busy enough with school work, normal work, and extracurricular activities, I always think I won’t be able to make the time for the challenge–but in the end, I always do. You see, being creative every day, even for just a small part of it, can serve as an act of self-care, and it can keep amateur artists like me inspired and upbeat. Despite the busy-ness of life, I encourage any artist wanting to engage in the #inktober community to participate, even if they don’t feel like they can make a new piece every day–the point is to get excited about personal art and to exercise your creativity. That said, I do have a few tips for keeping your motivation up throughout Inktober, which have helped me complete the challenge every year.
First, don’t worry too much about your materials. Anybody with a ballpoint pen and a napkin can do Inktober. Although it may be tempting to go out and buy a fancy pile of pens and markers, Inktober is more about the exercise of daily art rather than the polish of that work. Whatever materials you have will be all you need this month, so work with what you have, and be proud of whatever results from it.
Second, get involved with the online community that celebrates Inktober. Looking at other people’s work can often inspire ideas in your own–and through connecting with online artists, you can learn a lot about the routines and materials you can put into practice over the course of the month. One of my favorite parts about Inktober is getting to see so many artists put their spin on the challenge, and it keeps me motivated to keep up!
Finally, I recommend drawing the things you love. Be it flowers, animals, people, coffee cups, fan art, fish–anything that makes you happy is fair game. If you draw what you love instead of the things you think will be popular online, you’ll probably find that people will love your work too–and you’ll be left with a beautiful collection of all of your favorite things at the end of the month.
Source: Madeline Duvall
As October begins, I feel inspired and ready to tackle the challenge ahead, and I’m already looking forward to the end product. Drawing 31 works in ink doesn’t have to be stressful or hard–if treated with proper patience and care, it can be life-giving and art-affirming. So, if you’re looking to add on another tradition to the autumnal season, why not pick up a pen and get to work?