The idea is simple - just do 31 drawings in 31 days. Easy, right?
Except right around day 10, it starts getting hard. Like really, really hard. Sometimes responsibilities get in the way, sometimes you run out of time and sometimes the inspiration is just not there.
But if you keep going, you’ll be well on your way to developing a daily drawing habit. And that means you’ll be well on your way to becoming an awesome artist!
Here’s some strategies to help you survive Inktober 😬😵😅
Figure out what your goal is for doing Inktober. Are you just trying to get in the habit of drawing? Are you trying to get better at a particular inking technique? Are you trying to create finished work for your portfolio? This will help you decide how much time and effort to set aside for Inktober everyday.
Decide on a theme beforehand. Either pick your own, or do the official prompt list. Knowing what you are going to draw means you will spend more time drawing and less time figuring out what to draw each day. If you only have an hour to draw, you probably don’t want to spend half that time brainstorming. Some super organized folks out there even go so far as to do sketches in advance to cut down on prep time.
Come up with a schedule. Try to set aside a specific time in your day for drawing. This will help make drawing a habit. If you like it enough to commit to a schedule, you’re more likely to put a ring on it.
Brush up on your ink skills. If you need a little refresher on how to ink different strokes and textures, we got you covered! Check out our videos on inking: How To Ink, How To Ink 2.0 and Brushpen with Peter Han.
Make sure your tools are portable. Even if you plan to ink at a certain time and certain place each day, inevitably there will be days when the plan falls apart. Making sure your tools are portable will help you stay the course. (And oh hey, and here’s a cool travel case for just that purpose!)
Browse the hashtag. Need some inspiration? Just type #inktober into Instagram search and check out all the beautiful work out there. Plus, get ideas for different formats for your challenge. We’ve seen everything from 31 pages of a book, to 31 panels in a comic strip, to 31 characters on a poster.
Keep calm and ink on. It’s not a competition! It’s about becoming a better artist on your own terms. If you draw everyday, you will only improve, and that is the whole goal 😀 Have fun out there!
Let’s do this!