Hey everyone!! Inktober ended a couple days ago, and I’ve finally finished collecting my thoughts about the past month, too! I’m writing this not only to remember it for myself, but also with the hope that maybe it’ll help other artists.
This was the first year I EVER participated in Inktober, or any project of this scale. Although I’ve had interest in it past years, I’ve either been busy with deadlines, unprepared to take on the challenge, or worse – sick.
I wasn’t exactly prepared for the challenge this year, either. After Ai-kon in July, I hadn’t been drawing very much. I was doodling here and there, but it was nothing compared to drawing and completing a traditional illustration every single day of the month. It had been a long time since I touched my copics or did much in pen. But in late September I was mulling over the idea of participating and decided that honestly there wasn’t much I COULD do to mentally prepare. Plus, I knew I’d benefit from the attempt because I needed to start drawing again somehow.
So I finally decided to participate – and I’m REALLY happy with that decision and its results!!
Despite whatever odds, I managed to produce 31 illustrations in 31 days. I usually planned my drawings the day of (with some exceptions), and I pretty much met all my deadlines (though I uploaded some late). And aside from a couple simple illustrations, the majority of my drawings were fairly detailed, with backgrounds, multiple characters, etc. Every day, I surprised myself with the fact that I was keeping up.
What I learned from the challenge was less about art techniques and more about work ethic – learning about myself, what I’m capable of, what my limits and weaknesses are. It’s given me a sense of pride that wasn’t given to me through compliments or anything like that, but earned from hard work. I’ll admit I’m pretty worn out after the month, but I proved something to myself: that I CAN accomplish something like this. I now have an idea on how to move forward, how to work harder and smarter, and that I need to keep working at myself, so that I can reach my goals.
I’ve thought a bit about some different things I’d like to try for the next time I participate in the Inktober; I might change my mind later, but here they are for now:
Find precut, nice quality paper. This year, I cut my own cardstock to use, to save on costs. But I had issues with sizing and worried that my copics were maybe absorbed more than needed. Ehehe… ^^;;
I’d love to try dip pens!! I’m fairly comfortable with the inking pens I’ve been using, so using a different type of pen would be a good experience, and I’d like to see first hand what the differences between a lining pen and a dip pen are.
Work on artistic consistency – I’d like to try and focus on making ALL my illustrations black and white, or maybe ALL including grey shading. Not sure yet!
And finally… I’ll try using a prompt list. This year I decided nearly everything on a whim, thinking I’d be more comfortable. But some days I put off drawing for hours due to not having ideas/searching for inspiration/etc and it was not schedule-friendly. It’d be a good exercise to have limited topics anyways, and also fits with my want/need for consistency. I’m not sure yet if I’ll make my own prompt list or use someone else’s? I’ll save that decision for next year. :P
Also, I would definitely recommend the Inktober challenge to whoever is interested in it, artist or not. It’s easy to switch the challenge to a different medium, any topic you like, and cater to your own learning needs. It’s also a good way to get exposure for your art and to learn about yourself. And also, it’s just fun drawing!
Phew. This post turned out longer than I intended, but I think that summarizes my month…!!
I’d like to thank all my friends, family, followers and random passerby’s for being so supportive of my art during this long but creative month!! I went from inactive to posting at least once a day. I can’t imagine what your feeds/inboxes were like, haha… But I appreciated every comment, like, favourite, and even feature. THANKS!!
Though I won’t be posting every day, I’m planning on being much more active online with my art, so please look forward to it! :D
I hope everyone had a good October, and that your Novembers are just as good or better!!
~Sloan
P.S.: I’ve created a subcategory on my blog for this year’s Inktobers! You can view it here. I’ve also made a folder on dA.
