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How to survive Inktober: fashion and lifestyle challenge

Hello October! It’s Inktober time and many artists around the globe, who want to improve their ink drawing skills will join the challenge.

If you are anything like me, there have been times in your life when you feel completely stuck and incapable of moving forward. It was then that I decided that I need to be a part of the Inktober challenge for the very first time.

Honestly, I failed miserably! I couldn’t keep up with my own prompt list (which I planned a couple of months earlier…🤭 ). My markers dried out along the way and my color palette was other than minimal.

But, yall! I’ve never felt as excited, inspired, and motivated as in these few weeks.

I’d sit down and pick up the marker and I’ll absolutely dive into the creative process. If you’re wondering how to survive Inktober as a fashion artist, here is what my workflow for this year’s challenge should have been.

 1. How to start Inktober: Prompt list

The Inktober experiment was created by Jake Parker who wanted to create 31 drawings in 31 days. The idea behind this was to make it a habit to practice every day of the month. If you want to join the fun, check out the official page to learn more about what is Inktober and the Inktober prompt list, or you can simply use my own collection of prompts.

Inktober prompt list 2019 created by Fashion ARTventures

What I did as a first step was to decide whether I’m going to stay true to the official prompt list, or create my own. My plan was to create fashion art but the past Inktober prompts were a bit tricky for fashion illustrators. That’s why I chose to make it simple for me and put together my own collection of topics, cause I’m quite stressed out with three kids around the house and I wouldn’t have a lot of time to sketch every day.

2.  Pick a theme and your supplies

The theme I picked was fall fashion and seasonal daily rituals. And because I love working with colors, it was self-explanatory that I’m going to choose a color palette to keep it all together. A minimal color palette will also limit the number of supplies you’ll need. If you go with the official rules you’ll only need black ink and a few tools like brushes and fine liners in stock.

color palette for inktober

My color palette was inspired by an image I found on Pinterest, so I needed to get some new colors. I decided to use makers instead of liquid inks because this is my go-to medium.

Here are some art supplies you might need to join the official challenge:

  • A sketchbook or paper for liquid ink or markers
  • Pencil and eraser, if you love to pre-sketch your ideas
  • Fine liners and different types of brush pens
  • Different sizes of brushes
  • Liquid ink in black
  • White marker or ink

3.  Start early: sketch ahead

The official prompt list comes out in September, so you can start drafting thumbnails of all your ideas. This way you can avoid a creative block on the specific day of the challenge. Even sketching out the complete composition could be a helpful strategy to save time and later focus on the inking process.

4.  How to survive Inktober: work in bulk

If you can’t stick to a daily drawing routine, then try to work in bulk. Working on two or three pieces a day is an option to have some days off of art. Another option is to simply make a drawing every other day or even once a week. It all depends on your time schedule and lifestyle. As long as you can be consistent and make beautiful art, you don’t really need to stress out about quantity.

5. Less is more

The ultimate secret to how to survive Inktober (and I’m the worst example for this rule) is to keep it MINIMAL. Whether it’s your supplies, colors, or the composition of the drawing, less is more. If you’re new to the challenge or art in general, choose a smaller sketchbook size, limit your art tools and simplify your artwork and reduce the level of details. Choose progress, not perfection!

Day 1: Self-care

Every beginning is hard they say… I gave my best for this one. I’m looking for a nice background idea. If you have a creative suggestion I’m glad to hear it!

Self care Inktober

Self care Inktober

Day 2: Coffee break

Nothing like a cappuccino ☕️ and pumpkin pie? on a fall morning! And if it’s a gorgeous day outside and who can say no to a walk?!?

coffea break inktober

Day 3: What’s in my bag

Day 4: What to wear

Day 5: Glam night

Glam night features a girl in a glamorous dress looking out of the ballroom window into the night. I loved the idea of being in a room full of people and yet having your personal special moment.

Day 6: Rockstar

Day 7: Activewear
Day 8: Back to School

Lazy Back-to-School vibes were the inspiration for this drawing. You can use it as wall decor or as a planner printable to create a cool cover for your personal planner. The girl is wearing a cool tee with the sarcastic writing “Wake me up when school is over”- a perfect gift for graduates.

Day 9 + 10: Rush hour + Dancing in the rain

I spontaneously decided to combine day 9 “Rush hour” and day 10 “Dancing in the rain” because  I thought it will make a nice story.

Dancing in the rain Inktober

I had this idea of a ballet dancer making beautiful movements in the middle of the traffic, very much like capturing a moment when time stands still. You know… the feeling of stopping the rush of the day and just savoring the raindrops on your skin.

Day 11: Home sweet home
Day 12: Shopping queen
Day 13: Fall Fashion Essentials
Day 14: Shoe selfie
Day 15: Work mode
Day 16: Boss mom
Day 17: GRWM
Day 18: OOTD
Day 19: Healthy habits
Day 20: Back in time
Day 21: City of my dreams
Day 22: Sweater weather
Day 23: Pumpkin lover
Day 24: Masquerade ball
Day 25: Capsule wardrobe basics
Day 26: Sweet treats
Day 27: Book nerd
Day 28: Eyewear selection
Day 29: Handbag shelfie
Day 30: Luxury Lover
Day 31: Halloween chic

Whether you choose to go for all 31 days or create beautiful artwork once a week, the result should be one: growing as an artist and staying consistent.

The final fashion and lifestyle illustrations made it to my shop as digital art prints. By the end of the project, I felt like a winner despite the throwbacks here and there. I LOVED the result of my efforts. Visit my shop and check out all the fancy art prints and add some major personality and positive vibes to your space with my fashion and lifestyle art print bundle.

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