Another October, another month for an Inktober challenge. For this year, I tried to work with different characters and creatures. At the same time, I attempted to bring more than just random quick sketches,
Before taking on the challenge, it is good to prepare yourself to ensure optimum performance. After all, Inktober, shouldn’t just be 31 days of random doodling in ink. It is a way for artists and illustrators to improve their skills. Sketching aimlessly may help in exploring styles and techniques. However, having a purpose or an aim even in practice sketches will lead you better towards more improved works.
With that in mind, I checked out various blog posts and Youtube videos few weeks prior the month started. One tip stuck to me: Aside from the prompts, having a theme enables you to think of what to draw faster. Some planned to draw Disney characters; others, witches. In this case, I decided to draw various creatures and characters from a book I got from Booksale- a low-priced unused, as well as previously-owned, book, comic and magazine shop.
The book was entitled Fantasy Artist’s Pocket Reference: Incredible Creatures. And because, I usually tend to draw females, I picked 31 random pages from the book so I won’t just go for female characters.
I also brought a blank notebook where I would draw all the 31 ink sketches for the month – an idea I thought of last year, when I ran out of pages in my sketchbook midway the challenge. I wished I did this during my first two attempts. It would be nice to see the progress I made (if any) through the years.
While I mention earlier that to be better, practice sketching should have a goal, you must not take out the fun in drawing. If not, it would be a chore. So, don’t be so hard on yourself when things didn’t seem to work out as you want it to be. A not-so-good sketch should not discourage you from completing the challenge. There have been days and prompts that I was at a lost, but I keep pushing.
As of the date I’m posting this, I have eight more days before the month ends. Time for me to get back to drawing. 😉
To check out my Inktober sketches and more, you can visit my instagram page : @theeclecticmiss.
For more information on Inktober, or if you are interested in taking on the challenge the next year, click this link.
The Eclectic Miss 