Inktober is all about improving your drawing skills, and it’s a great tool to help you get into the habit of sketching every day. Last year I used the challenge to try and loosen up my drawings, and it worked a treat. All through school I drew quite tightly and intricately and was forever being told to ‘loosen up’, but couldn’t bring myself to as I thought my work would become messy; for a neat freak like myself that was a real concern! Using our Bombay inks last year enabled me to have a loose fluid style and I was pretty pleased with how they came out, seeing as I’d never worked in this way before. Tommy convinced me to put a few in the shop and online to sell, and as it turns out I’ve sold quite a few of them, so I got quite more than I’d bargained for from last year's challenge. It was definitely worthwhile! (Check them out on our Etsy page). |
I’ve decided to do simple line drawings, with basic shading. The idea behind this is to try and quicken me up, as I can pour over a drawing for hours, fixing and adding and faffing about. So far I’ve been using a mixture of Copic multiliners, Copic Ciao markers, Winsor & Newton Promarkers, and a white Montana acrylic paint.
Each morning I rise around 9am, don my dressing gown and head downstairs to make myself a green tea. Once the kettle is boiled I sit myself down in the studio, window overlooking the river. I leaf through my sketchbook to a new blank page and begin to ink my muse for the day to the sound of Strauss playing in the background…
PAH! I WISH!!. In actual act finding the time to do a drawing each day, without it being a crap stickman, is pretty hard. You would think that quiet times in the shop during the day would be the perfect opportunity, but with between customers, phone calls, putting stock out, and a million other things there just isn’t enough time to sit at the counter, get in the flow state and draw my heart out. I’ve also been out visiting friends three nights this week and on two of those nights I’ve been sitting down to draw after 11pm just to try and get them done before the next day- I suppose it's called a challenge for a reason!
Taking time out to draw each day is a positive habit to have; check out local artist Francois Got Buffed who’s on his 280th day of doodling- that’s dedication! We want to make this event a big part of the art calendar, and hopefully as the years go on we’ll be able to encourage more of you to take part :)
Thanks for reading! x