October is a month I so look forward to. No, not because it’s autumn, but because I get a chance to flex my finger muscles and put my mind to good use. The arty month, as I like to call it, October hosts the Ink drawing festival– INKTOBER–a brainchild of artist, illustrator, Jake Parker.

It’s a week since artists from the world over have shared their artwork in ink based on prompts that can often leave one perplexed! You might have come across these sketches on the various social media platforms. I could scroll through the Instagram feed all day, gazing in awe at the thousands of ink drawings.

The 20 minutes I spend making a drawing are the 20 minutes that I am at peace. I admit, there are times I wonder what people will think about my work, but then, the thing called inner voice tells me to just concentrate on having a good time creating.

The prompts can, at times, seem difficult and coming up with an idea for a particular prompt takes some time for me. For example, I was stuck at EXHAUSTED. What do I draw to show exhaustion? It isn’t compulsory that one follow the prompts, but it gives the brain that much of a workout coming up with an idea for such prompts. Gives the mind some busy moments, too!

I don’t consider my figure drawing even satisfactory. So, this time, I thought of drawing human figures as much as possible so that some day I can draw it from memory. Kindly ignore the errors you come across!

So, sharing today, my ink drawings and the prompts for the first eight days of October, or, #Inktober2018.

Day 1 — POISONOUS.

DAY 2 — TRANQUIL.

DAY 3 — ROASTED.

DAY 4 — SPELL.

DAY 5 — CHICKEN.

DAY 6 — DROOLING.

DAY 7 — EXHAUSTED.

DAY 8 — STAR

It was fun drawing these pictures and the prompts did make me rack my brains. But, a busy mind is a healthy mind, is what I believe. It keeps away the negativity and makes you live in the moment.

Are you participating in Inktober? If not, you can begin now. The only rules are there are no rules. You are just supposed to enjoy the creative process.

So, are you game?

Love,

SHILPA..

What began two years ago as an exciting new journey into the world of Ink drawing for Inktober, has turned into the eagerly awaited event for me, as the year begins. Inktober is an Ink Drawing festival started by illustrator, concept artist, and animator, Jake Parker. It is held in the month of October–and thus the moniker, Inktober--and is open to everybody who wishes to indulge the artist in them.

Now, that doesn’t mean it is meant only for the “artists”, because as Liz Gilbert says in her book, ‘Big Magic’, everybody on this planet is an artist, regardless of what you create. For everything we do is art!

As part of this festival, all you need to do is make ink drawings and share them on any social media platform, or even put them up on your refrigerator door! The basic principle of this fest is to enjoy every moment you spend in making the drawings.

For me, personally, it means forgetting the world around me, banishing all the unpleasant thoughts and enjoying some moments of absolute peace; getting carried away making drawings that need my 100% attention. Believe me, the entire experience is therapeutic.

So, about the fest–every day of the month of October, you make an ink drawing and share it with the hashtag #Inktober #Inktober2018.

You may draw what you please. And, if you fail to come up with an idea, or hit an Artist’s Block, then you can refer to the list of prompts that Jake Parker releases sometime in September.

I am sharing the prompt list below and if you think you could do with some art therapy, do join in!

You can make pencil sketches and go over those with an ink pen. Any simple ink pen will work fine. You could also use water colours, or crayons or colour pencils along with the ink pens to unleash the artist within.

Just have fun, people! Do not care about what people might think, or how your art is judged. As long as you enjoy making the drawing, nothing else really matters. It is actually an exercise for the mind to fight all the distractions, focus on something that gives happiness to the soul and provides you with a few moments of relief. That’s all!

So, what do you think? Will you like to join me this month? We all could do with the encouragement. Because I know, as do you, that not every day is the same. There will be days when our creative juices will flow like the Niagara Falls and some days the mind will come to a standstill, and in spite of the prompts, you will not have the faintest idea what you would like to draw! Or, if you would even like to draw anything!

Do let me know if you will participate. I look forward to having you around.

Wishing you all the very best! Just go, have fun!

Love,

SHILPA…

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