Inktober 2023
Inktober is an awesome trend that I can’t keep up with. I am proud to say I successfully completed Inktober 2017 all by myself! But every year since I either forgot it was October or I tried to do it and gave up halfway. This year, 2023, I’m using a method that worked last year: I’m splitting the prompts with my husband’s cousin (my prima as I like to call her.)
Inktober Response on Instagram. Indian Ink on paper, October 2017, by Sara Tovey
Setting the Stage
To achieve my goal, I’ve set myself a theme. This year all my pieces will be based on a self-imposed theme: Animation & Illustration. All my “prompt” responses will fit into this theme, and they must all be of cartoons/illustrations that I have watched or storybooks I have read.
Medium Choices
I plan to:
- Use ink: That is the name of the game after all! Ink is interpreted differently by different artists. To me it includes everything from a basic biro to indian ink and a quill – so I plan to…
- Experiment with Different Mediums: I won’t limit myself to one particular type of ink. Instead, I’ll experiment with the various kinds of ink I have at my disposal. This is likely to result in a variety of styles, which will be fun! I’m giving myself full and express permission to change medium, style, and method as often and as rarely as I like – the experiments will be on different surfaces and different scales – the main point is just to respond to the prompt on the official Inktober calendar, as written by Jake Parker.
- Share my creations: I will be posting my inktober prompts on Instagram. I will put my best work on @altoartshop but I will post all my pieces on @sara.tovey so feel free to follow me on both or neither. The accountability that comes from posting online works as a good motivator for me; especially because I love to see the images all nicely displayed on the square interface of Instagram.
Fineliner on sketchbook paper, #urbansketching in Boston UK, by Sara Tovey
The Challenges Ahead
Time. Time is the trickiest part. When I took on the full Inktober calendar in 2017 one of the businesses my husband and I run was at its peak as far as how busy it got. As a result, there were days I had to do two prompts to catch up or days when I was up until midnight to stay on top of the schedule! This might not be a big deal for some people but I need my beauty sleep because Sara and Sleep Deprivation are an ugly combo. Sharing the calendar with my prima helps take the pressure off enough for the Inktober challenge to be difficult but still enjoyable and achievable for my personal schedule, and it means I don’t go full ogre on my loved ones.
Let’s do this!
Are you doing Inktober? Also, did you know there’s a version of the challenge that is year long? That’s right – it is one prompt per week for 52 weeks! I may consider that for 2024. In the meantime, you can learn more about it here. There’s tonnes of other prompt lists too, have you heard of Mermay? Drawing mermaids every day is not my cup of tea but I do love the community that these kinds of challenges breed. I am so looking forward to seeing how people interpret the Inktober prompts this year!