By: Annabelle Pan & Fuyu Banno

Graphics Editors

Inktober is an art challenge that takes place throughout October with thousands of artists participating around the world. Inktober is a daily art challenge created by illustrator and animator Jake Parker in 2009 that encourages artists across the globe to draw something in ink every day of October. The official Inktober website posts prompts for what to draw that change every year. Although some may consider it as an outdated Tumblr 2000s trend, Inktober is much more than that, due to its appeal to a large audience, the challenge it provides the artist, and the creativity participants can expand on outside of the drawing. 

Possibly the biggest appeal of Inktober is that it is one of the few art challenges in which artists of any skill level may participate. It does not matter if the artist’s skillset is limited to stick figures or if they are a professional-level artist. The simplicity of the Inktober prompts allow artists to choose between drawing exactly what the prompt asks to do or being creative with it. Another thing that makes Inktober so universally loved is that it only requires one tool: ink, anything from a simple ink pen to an elaborate glass dipping pen. Artists do not have to spend hundreds of dollars to participate because of the simple requirements for tools. 

The balance between the guidelines and creative freedom makes Inktober a healthy challenge for artists. They have free reign over how much time they spend on each challenge – five minutes here and there, or three hours late at night. However, to participate officially, the individual must draw something in pen every day for the entire month. The prompts give the artist a starting point for each day’s artwork so they won’t spend hours procrastinating about what to draw but still have room for creativity. For example, the prompt of day 1 is backpack. The drawing should include a backpack, but the artist has the freedom to choose the type of backpack, the characters, the background, and more.

It is important to remember that Inktober isn’t just about drawings, it is about the engagement that comes along with making art as well. Just like any important project, to enhance the Inktober experience, consider everything from the work environment to the snacks. Decorate the drawing space with fairy lights, pumpkins, or other fall decorations to add an extra autumn flair to the Inktober challenge. For all artists who may not have joined this year’s Inktober challenge from the first day it is not too late to start. Pick up a pen and participate in the Inktober festivities!