Is it worth it? ...
Are those one-month-long Instagram challenges really worth it?
As I mentioned in my last note, I’m participating in this year’s Inktober and I’m very excited about it. I can’t wait to share with you my ideas, see how the sketches will turn out and have a look at what everyone is creating and coming up with.
Halloween is getting closer and closer, and Inktober is here so I created a short story, that will most definitely end up being a book or zine. Started as an idea, then with Inktober knocking at my door, I decided to jump on the challenge and give life to Mugo, the hero of the story.
Inktober 2022
Is it really about the inking?
Inktober is one of the most popular illustration challenges and I’m aiming to complete all 31 illustrations during this month. It’s a pretty ambitious goal Inktober artists share, having in mind that you have to complete one illustration every day and share it online on your socials while dealing with your regular full-time job /studies / normal adult obligations.
However, if well prepared, I think challenging yourself and your skills and imagination, can help you a lot in your art journey. There’s no better way to improve as an artist, rather than to practice and exercise, and what’s better than to do so in the online community of illustrators, receiving all the support and motivation?
What normally happens, is that after completing such a long challenge, you can see a big difference between the first and the last illustration created. Drawing every day, even if it’s something small, like a vignette or a spot artwork, exercises your hand’s memory. Getting creative with interpreting the prompts, exercises your mind and imagination. And Inktober prompts are known for being tricky at times. Among this year’s official themes, you can find for example words like “scurry”, “crabby”, “booger” or “uh-oh”. And those aren’t very straightforward to represent and illustrate!
I am actively filming some work-in-progress videos of creating my Inktober illustrations, sharing them to my Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and finally Behance pages. In my latest YouTube video, you can see a rough sketch behind one of the illustrations I’m coming up with for the challenge. I sketched it out on paper, but my finished illustrations will be completed digitally. As for the story, for now I will only tell you that it will be Halloween-themed, with some cute & creepy vibes.
Instagram isn’t worth it anymore!