Inktober/Drawing Challenge

[zippypinhead]

October has become the de facto "drawing challenge" month, where people take on themed, month-long challenges in order to improve some facet of their artwork, or just to participate in a community drawing event. Inktober is by far the most famous (maybe now infamous?) of these challenges. Since October is just a couple days away, I've been thinking about it. The traditional method with this sort of challenge is based on the Inktober model, wherein the aim is to complete a drawing every day, for a total of 31 drawings at the end of the month. Personally, I'm just not a fan of personal improvement challenges with fail states, since I think the idea that one can "lose" at their efforts to get better at something due to gamification can serve as much as a deterrent as the objective to "win" might be an incentive. So, I'll consider this more like a soft challenge. 31 completed drawings in a month is the ceiling, but I'd be overjoyed to get 15 or 20 drawings done in that time (which is more realistic, but still ambitious, given my working methods) and I'd be happy to just keep participating and putting in time for October and beyond, in order to help create and maintain strong drawing habits. I'm making this thread to invite anyone else who might want to join in, so we can have some fun, and root for each other! It's been a while since we've had a dedicated art thread, and I miss it.

For myself, I want to work on my composition skills. I thought it would be fun to do so with a series of spooky-themed, but lighthearted and old school-ish cartoon pinups. I've made a list with prompts like "flirty witch", "sexy vamp", "sultry ghost"... that sort of thing. I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

Feel free to post prompts, discussion, of course artwork!

 

[dusty-of-nymph-dreams]

Hey! I want in on this, i shall share my drawings here, babe yay!
Haven't read your post fully yet, but i'm down -w00t

 

[zippypinhead]

Hey! I want in on this, i shall share my drawings here, babe yay!
Haven't read your post fully yet, but i'm down -w00t

Awesome, welcome aboard!

 

[dusty-of-nymph-dreams]

This is way silly, but for real i need to figure out a great way to easily take photos for this!
One of my (daily) drawing goals has been to draw my studio set up. And i am a fan of outsider cartoons and keeping it simple, so here's to keeping the XXX in comix
...

 

[dusty-of-nymph-dreams]

Squeaking in under the wire here for the 2nd day... This image is a super lol thumbnail-level sketch of my friend from our skype call today. Was planning to draw more but this is what i've got!

Image shows the way I use a hefty rubberband and the clip of a clipboard to hold my book open for easy stowage / aka a high "get-to-it-quickly" quality. I do the same thing with my much larger drawing book as well. (Originally spelled that boob oops)


@zippypinhead I finally reread your post more slowly + LOVE your drawing ideas! I think the number of drawings idea is also great as a goal orientation -- It's sooo easy to miss a day here and there (because Life) but also easy to draw more than one drawing at a time on other days (thinking warm-up drawings like the ones I've shared so far count, too!) *yay*!

Would love for you to share your prompts! I'm guessing my um style with this brush will be quite different from your (it seems) more intensive style! Looking forward to your efforts

It's worth noting that the really serious Inktoberists create ideas and even pencil layouts in advance (Like Aug and Sept level preparation is not uncommon!)

 

[Ozzie_]

Image shows the way I use a hefty rubberband and the clip of a clipboard to hold my book open for easy stowage / aka a high "get-to-it-quickly" quality. I do the same thing with my much larger drawing book as well. (Originally spelled that boob oops)
View attachment 90118

You have a drawing boob? I am sure there are folks who would tip heavily for that.

Great drawing BTW. I can hardly manage to draw a straight line with a ruler, so I am in awe of folks who can draw/paint/ etc.

 

[dusty-of-nymph-dreams]

You have a drawing boob? I am sure there are folks who would tip heavily for that.

Great drawing BTW. I can hardly manage to draw a straight line with a ruler, so I am in awe of folks who can draw/paint/ etc.

I love sloppy styles, and embracing our different natural handicaps and talents! yay for wiggly lines - seriously!

 

[zippypinhead]

Nice drawings @dusty-of-nymph-dreams! I use butterfly clips to keep my sketchbook open. I think the book I'm using is supposed to be "lie flat", but it falls well short of that ambition. And I'm not able to do anything special to get my drawings digitized. Just a photo on my phone. I do crop and adjust, though.

Here's efforts for yesterday and today.



I think my drawings from this challenge might end up with a couple different iterations. I've always wanted to do coloring pages, and the drawings I intend to make would be perfect for that sort of thing. So, up next for this one is digital line work, I think.

I'll post Friday's sketch when I have a bit more finished drawing to compare it to.

This is a blast!

 

[dusty-of-nymph-dreams]

This is a blast!

So excited! I love your drawings as coloring pages so much!

 

[dusty-of-nymph-dreams]

@zippypinhead there are tricks for flattening out books - i think it's literally called breaking them in. Best done with a bone folder and a youtube video, but a smooth style clean butter knife or something else that won't injure the paper or leave grease (like fingers would). The book is opened and smoothed down in a certain sequence, this insures the longevity of the book as well, not just the ease of use. A friend did this as a his job in a library in college, with the newly purchased books! This technique (i'm sure there are variations, i'm lazy and just do it by feel/common-sense and with my freshly washed hands) can even greatly improve those hardback sketchbooks with the wide spine that can be tempting but otherwise difficult to work in when new. Cheers !!


A plan view of my studio from yesterday



my cat, drawn from observation after i got her out of an overgrown culvert on our walk today. I worked on the hair and the darkened areas on the couch back inside



me in the act of climbing down (like a cat) into this big ditch to capture my naughty kitty cat

 

[dusty-of-nymph-dreams]

brought out the big notebook today (Oct 5)! Really enjoyed using a dry brush technique to create a half tone between black and white!

 

[zippypinhead]

I haven't forgotten, I promise! Here are a few sketches from last week. I'm working on a bigger drawing of the goth girl. I'm hoping I can spend some quality hours this weekend to get some inked line work done on a few of my planned coloring pages. I know it's already mid-month, but if I could get like 10 inked drawings done by the end of October, I'll be stoked.

 

[Dan Epstein]

I’m a sucker for gestures

 

[dusty-of-nymph-dreams]

I’m a sucker for gestures

Yay! welcome to the thread with a nice drawing -- i too love changing the color of my line work

@zippypinhead I haven't forgotten either! I think it's so funny we both post the same day, after such a long break. Astrologers could prolly explain it, hehehe


Yesterday's ^^^
my head helps me prop up the book, LOL
Then since they're self portraits, I think it's interesting to see what my abstractions were based on.
This one has kind of an Edward Gorey style


this one is so not my usual style, it's interesting how this brush pen i've been inking with, has changed my drawing style! It's my same use of line but with more expression than my fountain pens. Much more like my watercolors, which are usually rainbow brite lol

 

[dusty-of-nymph-dreams]

I've been drawing LOTS! Eager to share when i can get my various drawing books in order

 

[zippypinhead]

I've been drawing LOTS! Eager to share when i can get my various drawing books in order

Me too! After a very busy and stressful last week (end-of-season inventory, which is my busiest week of the year, and the week the big boss of my dept comes to check in, so I have to be on good behavior) I'm now in "coast to the holidays" mode, which means I get a lot of downtime, which means more time and energy for drawing. This weekend, I'm going to be inking the line work of a few of this week's big drawings.

 

[Gaia_Mommy]

These are all really good! I love seeing art and people's drawings, lol. I like your somewhat abstract-looking aesthetic, Dusty. It's very retro and reminds me of mature cartoons. And Zippy you are great with proportions and really good at drawing hands, which is so tough lol.

I assume the drawing challenge is over now? Nice work to you both though!

 

[Gaia_Mommy]

I’m a sucker for gestures

This is also really good! You're getting proportions down, and I like that facial expression lol

 

[zippypinhead]

I assume the drawing challenge is over now? Nice work to you both though!

It's not over! At least not for me. The coloring book idea has really taken off for me, and I'm going to keep going with it. My new "challenge" is to get drawings done for all of my character prompts (20-ish so far) by the end of the year.

Honestly, the biggest challenge for me in this so far has been posting the work I'm doing. I'll make a big post with my October progress tonight.

Anyone and everyone can feel free to add to this thread. I want to keep it alive!

 

[zippypinhead]

I'm seriously so bad at the internet. Here's promised progress, finally downloaded from my phone.




I want to get a handful more cleaned pencil drawings done by the end of the month. December begins my seasonal layoff, so that's when I'll be able to set up and start inking all this stuff. I'll try to post up some more sketches soon.

 

[dusty-of-nymph-dreams]

Hurray! @zippypinhead i haven't forgotten this thread either

 

[zippypinhead]

Took a break during the holidays, but it's time to get back into productive human mode. I drew out the scene, and inked the witch pinup!

"Wicca Dee"

 

[dusty-of-nymph-dreams]

Took a break during the holidays, but it's time to get back into productive human mode. I drew out the scene, and inked the witch pinup!

"Wicca Dee"
View attachment 91371

So dynamic, lots of movement, really awesome creatures too!

 

[zippypinhead]

So dynamic, lots of movement, really awesome creatures too!

Thank you! I very much appreciate your input (sorry about the very late reply.)

 

[Dan Epstein]

I’m a sucker for Bonobos and silhouettes. Starting to figure out watercolors and aquarelles.

 

[zippypinhead]

Dan, that's a beautiful drawing.

 

[zippypinhead]

It's been a while since I've posted anything here. It feels like I haven't had too many free moments to myself this summer. I'm working on some fun, but more long-form projects, but I still try to put some time in on my pinups when I get a day to myself. I'm hoping to get more days to myself as we move into fall. Here's the one I'm noodling around with atm. I like how her snake hair came out, but I think I'll redraw the snakes' heads to give them more character.

 

[Dan Epstein]

Started training with a ballpoint pen, more to follow soon

 

[Dan Epstein]

@zippypinhead I think I’m starting to figure out planes and perspectives. It only took almost 30 years of drawing on napkins…The reference is from a public collection of mugshots taken during the 30s. Now I feel like a thief as well, cashing on someone else’s trouble

 

[zippypinhead]

@zippypinhead I think I’m starting to figure out planes and perspectives. It only took almost 30 years of drawing on napkins…The reference is from a public collection of mugshots taken during the 30s. Now I feel like a thief as well, cashing on someone else’s trouble
View attachment 93533

The foreshortening on his hands and arms are great. His right hand has a particular appeal for me. Instead of thievery, I consider it giving the gentleman a shot at redemption.