While I cannot in good conscience say that I am an artist, I will say that I am a person that enjoys employing my limited art skills whenever and however I can, as evidenced by the doodles in the margins of most of my textbooks. But what is the difference you may ask? In my mind, the difference has not necessarily been talent, but instead dedication and consistency. I could not call myself an artist because I did not feel that I spent enough time and effort on art. Well, maybe that will change after this month, because Inktober is upon us, and I have decided to participate this year.
For those of you who do not know what Inktober is, it is a primarily online event in which artists all over the world try to create one drawing a day, usually inked, and usually based on a specific prompt. Any art made for Inktober should be posted somewhere online or at least put somewhere others can see it. Now, that may seem like a lot, and that would only be because it is. Of course, there are ways to make this less life-consuming, such as creating a piece every other day or once a week. Either way, the idea behind it is consistency, dedication, and, unofficially, broadening your horizons.
When I say broadening your horizons, I mean that artists often take this as a time to change things up and try their hand at subjects, poses, and styles that are not their go-to. And what’s amazing about that is that you end Inktober with up to thirty-one pieces that have stretched you, proven you, and grown you. And that is why I recommend Inktober to not just the ones who proudly wear the label of “artist”, but also to those who skirt around the term, scared to claim what they do not feel they can. Inktober is for everyone who can put pen to paper, and I encourage you all to give it a try! That said, here are just a few tips on how to tackle this grand endeavor, taken not just from me, since I am also but a novice at this, but from other more experienced participants.
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First, try to plan ahead when you can. If an unforeseen, or maybe even foreseen, busy day crops up, you’ll want to have some idea of what you are drawing so that all you have to do is get it on to the paper. In fact, as part of your planning, you can even sketch or doodle ideas out way before the day of.
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Second, in your calendar or planner, pencil in time every day of October for drawing. Or, if hard copy planners are less your style, set a reminder for it every day. Actually, you can do both. Having Inktober be a concrete part of your daily to-do list instead of just something tacked on will make you much more likely to take it seriously.
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Finally, join a community of other artists participating in Inktober, but don’t get bogged down by who is better or worse. Your community, whether is be friends in real life or on social media platforms, is there to provide support, ideas, tips, and commiseration partners as needed, not to make you feel bad about your skills. Try not to compare art, instead, compliment and (gently!) critique when you can. Remember that you are all growing together!
For further info, check out the official website here: https://inktober.com/rules/
Now go forth and put the Ink into October!