Inktober

Inktober (インクトーバー) is a monthly drawing challenge by drawing & coloring in black ink during the month of October annually. The challenge was introduced in October 2009 by an American artist & illustrator Jake Parker.

Contents [hide]

1 Etymology

2 Introduction

3 Rules

4 Tools

5 Social Media

6 References

7 Other languages

Etymology

Inktober = Ink + October

Introduction

An American artist & illustrator named Jake Parker introduced Inktober in October 2009. The challenge is very straightforward. All you have to do is to draw any artwork in ink per day during the month of October. He made that challenge to help artists practice & improve their drawing skills.

Seven years later, he introduced the prompt list where most artists & illustrators draw the artworks in ink based on the prompts made by Jake Parker. For example, the prompt list for Inktober 2024 is shown below. The tag is #inktober.

Backpack
Discover
Boot
Exotic
Binoculars
Trek
Passport
Hike
Sun
Nomadic
Snack
Remote
Horizon
Roam
Guidebook
Grungy
Journal
Drive
Ridge
Uncharted
Rhinoceros
Camp
Rust
Expedition
Scarecrow
Camera
Road
Jumbo
Navigator
Violin
Landmark

In 2020, Parker introduced Inktober 52, where artists can draw & color in ink every day in one year, not just in October. Each prompt is released every Friday via email & Instagram. The tag is #inktober52.

Rules

Inktober is pretty straightforward.

Imagine something. It can be based on the prompt list or not.
Draw what you have imagined. It is best to start with a pencil sketch.
Draw the sketch lines with ink. It can be fineliner, marker, or brush pen.
Color with ink. It can be painted, stippled, hatched, etc.
If finished, post the artwork on social media and tag #inktober & #inktober202x. The usual social media sites on posting Inktober is DeviantArt, Pixiv, ArtStation, Instagram, Cara, etc.
Repeat until you reach the 31st set, which is final.

Inktober is not compulsory. Not even by law. It can be in a completed collection or not.