siberian

I FINISHED INKTOBER FOR THE FIRST TIME!

In this video : Watch a full tour of my #Inktober2018 sketchbook. You will get to see the materials i used this year and 31 different cat breeds.


Art challenges have always been a fun way to experiment with my illustrations. But every time I decided to start one I would never get to finish it. This year I told myself i have to finish it so I prepared in advance. I got some new art supplies before the month of October so I would get excited about using them and also I made my own prompt list which I found really helped me stay motivated. I decided to paint 31 cat breeds because I knew this way I would paint something I love everyday and also build up my portfolio.

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Before Inktober I was on vacation so I started my illustrations in advance because i knew i wouldn’t have time for the first few days of the month . This was really helpful in the sense that i was on track the whole month and did not skip a day because I always had something to post on social media.

The sketchbook I used is from Daco, a romanian brand and i think it was an excellent choice because it comes with three different types of paper in it. This way after completing ten drawings on white paper I could move on to kraft paper and later to black paper , which made the whole process much more interesting and also challenging.

The inks I used were from three different brands : Kuretake (white ink), Winsor and Newton (black ink) and Koh-I-Noor for all the colour accents. Also I cheated a bit because I used a Posca Marker for all the teal accents. But i really loved the colour pay-off and I said screw it this it my challenge and not yours.

Overall this year’s Inktober was a really good experience for me. It helped me be more relaxed about what I paint and not stress over the end result. It made me be more efficient with my time management ( I kept every drawing under 1 hour). It made me think of new ways to use ink because of the different types of paper I used. I am pretty sure i can draw the anatomy of any feline now.

My top 5 tips for getting through Inktober and actually enjoy the process are:

  • Plan in advance. Buy your art supplies in time. Think ahead of what prompts you will be using. Schedule your drawings if you know your time is limited

  • Chose something that will be fun for you to draw. If you feel the official prompt list is to abstract just find another one or make your own.

  • If you miss a day don’t give up . Make two drawings the next day or finish the challenge in November. Just set a goal for yourself and stick to it.

  • Keep it simple and small. Don’t try to do very elaborate pieces because you will end up screwing yourself over. Unless of course you have a lot of free time. But otherwise if you have a job or go to school and are just living life my advice is to not over complicate things.

  • Chose art supplies that will make you happy. If you want to do colour don’t shy away from it . If you love black and white go for it. Think about what you like in terms of materials and stock up.

Here are all 31 drawings . You can also check them out on my Instagram or watch the fip-through video.

I hope this post will help you with your next art challenge and will keep you motivated.