Inktober 2022: A Quick Guide To Help You Get Started
By Debbie Woodliffe, guest writer
Inktober 2022 is just days away! And it’s absolutely not too late to plan to join. Guest writer Debbie Woodliffe put together a quick guide to help you make the most of it. You’ll learn about equipment, prompts and post-Inktober activities to give you all the information you need to prepare. She also discuss the benefits of how daily drawing and creative art challenges like this positively impact your creativity, mental health and well-being.
Inktober is an art hashtag challenge that takes place throughout October. The idea is that creatives around the world produce art using any kind of ink and a series of prompts as their only guide. It was developed in 2016 by Jake Parker to inspire and improve his skills, but these days it’s a worldwide event that challenges artists to try more.
Image from @helloimnik [unsplash]
Through the #Inktober2022 and #inktober hashtags, everyone shares their work on social media (every day or in batches) to show their skills and inspire others. You don’t have to share it, of course, but it’s a great way to get involved with other artists and gain meaningful feedback on your work if that’s something you’re interested in.
HOW TO FIND THE 2022 INKTOBER PROMPTS
The list of this year’s official prompts is live on the website, on the official social media pages or under the hashtags on social media.
CHOOSING YOUR MATERIALS
Using ink is the only real requirement of Inktober. This is to give everyone an equalizer, but you can get creative with the kind of ink you use. From fountain pens to biros, fine liners to felt tips, and even Indian inks and brushes or stamp pads and fingerprints, everyone has access to some ink. se what you have or get a bit adventurous with a new kind.
Image from @purejulia [unsplash]
Next is the paper – make sure it’s right for the kind of ink you’re using. For regular pens and paper, basic printer paper or card sketchbooks will work. For more moisture-filled inks that require brushing and lengthier drying times, consider purchasing some more absorbent options like watercolour paper or rice paper.
An alternative is to draw digitally using ink brushes on software like Procreate or Sketchbook. This method is far tidier and easier to convert for social media, and it still offers a challenge if you’re used to pens and paper.
WHAT’S THE POINT OF INKTOBER?
Parker started Inktober to hone his skills and adopt good drawing habits. It’s not a competition, and there’s no winner - it’s simply designed to help artists develop their skills, get out of their comfort zone and try new things.
Drawing every day is an excellent habit to get into if you’re an artist as it keeps your skills fresh and practised. But you don’t have to be an artist to make the most of it. Creating artwork is a common therapy technique and has been shown to help manage mental health and well-being issues, too.
Here are some other benefits to taking part in Inktober:
Increasing the creativity levels in your everyday life is said to improve mental health and self-esteem issues.
Practice makes perfect, so daily drawing is going to improve your skills.
But limiting your medium to ink, activities like this challenge your creative thinking and force you to find solutions for things like shadow, light, blending and more.
Getting into a routine with your artwork can be beneficial for your productivity and any creative blockages you may have.
Viewing other contributions to the challenge can inspire your interpretations and desire to try new ideas.
Trying small, simple tasks can help you manage burnout.
WHAT TO DO WHEN INKTOBER ENDS
Once it’s over, you’ll have a collection of 31 pieces of artwork and have gotten into good daily drawing habits that have benefitted you creatively and mentally. But what to do now?
You may want to continue the daily drawing trend and fill up your sketchbook with little doodles to stay inspired, productive and creative. If this sounds like you, the Inktober site has lists of all the previous year’s prompts ready for you to follow if you need some topic inspiration.
Equally, you may want to put the pieces away until the time comes when you want or need to remember. Uploading them all to social media throughout the month or at the end is a great way to ensure you always have a record of your activity. And if they’re online, they can help inspire others when needed.
Another idea is to evolve and develop what you created into new pieces of artwork for your enjoyment or commercial opportunities. You could generate t-shirt or mug designs for drop shipping, develop them into fully realized multimedia art pieces and sell them on Etsy, or sell them as customizable digital thumbnails. If you choose the monetary route, be careful how you reference Inktober in your product descriptions, there are rules on the website about their trademarks and how you can refer to the challenge.
Inspiration, creativity and improving your skills are the ideas at the very core of the Inktober challenge, and the benefits of daily drawing are nothing to be sniffed at. So, whether you only try for the 31 days, carry on for the foreseeable or turn it into a moneymaking endeavor, there are benefits to be had for all who get involved – are you going to give it a go?