Inktober 2022

Here are a couple of my sketches from Inktober 2022. Inktober is a drawing challenge during the month of October begun by an ink artist in 2009. Each year, he releases a list of 31 drawing prompt words, which artists then use to create original artwork. His original purpose was to challenge himself to draw every day. I heard about Inktober from two artist friends and since 2020 I have also been challenged to create more original, quicker artwork. Interestingly enough, the first year I participated was during the research and development period for my first book, Otters on the Sea. I decided to use sea otters as the theme, so it became an opportunity to stretch my drawing, creative, and research skills. Not only did Inktober allow me to be in a short-term community of friends and artists, but my book was the better for it. Last year, my Inktober theme was emus, of course, and this year it is foxes, skunks, and opossums. In 3 years, I saw improvement in linework, humor, composition, and design. This year, it's also been fun to meet new online artists through Inktober and to be inspired by their creativity. If you're on social media, you can follow the hashtag #inktober2022 for some beautiful artwork! My latest sketches are on my second instagram: @explorationsincartooning.