During the month of October, thousands of artists gather their pens, pencils, paints, and brushes to participate in an October art challenge and produce art consistently during the month. It is arguably one of the most creative times of the year for artists as we all work in unison to create something with regularity. To many, this event is known as Inktober. October is probably my favorite month of the year due to the burst of creativity made visible on Instagram and the promotion of consistent visual expression. It’s the time of year that I feel most connected to other artists as well as my own craft, and I get to practice and improve my technical skills and flex my creative muscles. Due to the various art challenges happening during the month (among other events like the turning of the leaves) October is pure magic.
For those unfamiliar with Inktober or October art challenges in general, let me give you a little introduction. Inktober was created in 2009 by an ink artist named Jake Parker. He created the event as a challenge to improve his inking skills and to build better, more consistent drawing habits. ("The Inktober Challenge!" inktober.com) Since then, the Inktober challenge has grown in popularity among thousands of artists who participate each year. For many artists, like myself, it’s a very busy month full of creativity and inspiration.
Jake Parker’s Inktober has a simple set of rules: make a drawing in ink and post it to Instagram with the hashtag #inktober. Artists can do a drawing every day, every other day, or even once a week. The goal here is regularity and consistency. Just make something. Each year, @inktober posts a daily prompt list on Instagram on the first day of October, although it’s not required to follow the prompts. While many artists may choose to participate in an October art challenge like Inktober for various reasons, I personally choose to participate so that I can improve my technical drawing skills, come up with creative ideas more quickly and intuitively, and develop a more fluid creative process and better habits.
If you want to participate in an October Art challenge, but Inktober isn’t for you (maybe you don’t work in ink or maybe you want a different set of prompts) there are tons of other October art challenges and prompts created by other artists on Instagram. Here are a few to check out:
@em_niwa (#niwainktober2020)
@zekeslunchbox (#zeketober)
@furrylittlepeach (#peachtober20)
@inktober (#inktober2020)
@zoekellerart (#wildoctoberart)
This year I’m participating in Zeke’s (@zekeslunchbox) #zeketober prompt list. This is my first time following a prompt list. The first time I participated in Inktober I only worked with ink and I didn’t follow a prompt list. I never had a shortage of ideas and felt that working in one medium was a sufficient constraint for me. However, this year I felt my idea bank was a bit dry and thought that a prompt list would help me. This time, my goals are slightly different. I'm’ focusing less on coming up with ideas and more about exploring color, texture, and composition so having a prompt list definitely helps. I also like that Zeke’s prompt list has participants create 3 days in a row, and then take a 5-day break before starting up again. This gives me plenty of time to think about what I want to draw and if I want to get a head start on a drawing or work on something else, I can.
If you’re a visual artist I strongly recommend participating in an October art challenge at least once in your life. The first time I participated in Inktober I was amazed at how much I had gained from the experience. It’s why I try to participate each year if I can. Each time I participate in an October art challenge I find that I improve my technical skills in inking, painting, or drawing. My ideas come more easily because each time I have to think about what I’m going to draw for the day I’m exercising my creative muscles. I also feel that I build better art habits in general. The time constraints that I give myself, such as posting every day or every other day helps me think about my time and build a schedule for myself that I might not have done otherwise. The biggest takeaway of participating in an October art challenge for me is the inspiration and connection with other artists. It’s been really inspiring to see other artists participating in the challenge with me. I love seeing the innovative ideas that others come up with, the unique means of expression through different mediums, colors, compositions, mark-making, and content. October is like a burst of creativity and vibrance. One can’t help but feel inspired to take part in the event and make something. So I recommend to all fellow artists, follow a prompt, or follow your gut. Use ink, pencil, or paint digitally. Spend 10 minutes or 4 hours on your drawing. Definitely develop regularity and consistency with your practice. The most important thing of all is to make something and share it with someone.
