Inktober 2021 - Did I Start Unraveling?

 

In my last post, I was crowing righteously about having started Inktober on time, for once, and better yet, posting three drawings in as many days. But on Day Four, despite having made a rough sketch in advance, I hit a snag.

Well, actually, it was a knot.

The Day Four prompt, “Knot”, had inspired me to draw a very large and intricate snarl. It had good graphic impact, but, uh, did I mention “intricate”? Yeah, that part ended up slowing me waaaaay down. By the end of the day, as time was running out, I posted the work-in-progress pic, above, to let my fellow artists know I hadn't dropped out so soon, but I had indeed bitten off more than I could chew (after all, I didn't quit my full-time job during Inktober, and there are so many hours in the day to make tiny marks on a piece of paper). The next day, I finished it, so, not too late, I guess.

I started on Day Five, “Raven”, right away, but as that was also a pretty detailed piece, I didn't get it posted in time, either. However, by that time, other people were starting to post things late, so I wasn't the lone laggard. Less than a week into the month—you can see why it's called a challenge. A surprisingly large number of people drop out completely within the first few days. Producing art is hard.

The prompt for Day Six, “Spirit”, was one of those fun ones that could have different meanings. Alcohol? Ghosties? As much as I love a creepy Halloween picture (remember my “Wisp” picture from the year before), I didn't necessarily want to go to that well, figuring it would be a VERY busy one. I chose a more innocent type of spirit – school spirit! My cheerleader has a K on her sweater – which is my husband's initial. Hey, when you're the artist, you get to make the design decisions. I have a tendency to incorporate friends and family in my work from time to time to make it more personal and fun.

Day Seven's prompt was “Fan”, and since I'd already illustrated team spirit on Day Six, I went with a more Asian reading of “fan”. I chose a tiger because of their popularity and because I like tigers, not because it was the year of the tiger. It wasn't—that didn't happen until February. If I'd been thinking along those lines, I could have done an ox, but the sinuous tiger has a better shape for the fan, I think. A fire-breathing tiger, yet! 

Seven for seven, so far. Did I keep it going? Did I catch up? Did I implode in a huge flameout of ignominy? Stay tuned, and we'll see if I can finish with 2021 before Inktober 2022 starts. That would be novel, wouldn't it? 

Here are the prior Inktober articles, if you wish for more! 

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-little-backstory-on-inktober.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2020/10/inktober-2020-is-under-way.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2020/11/more-fun-with-inktober.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2021/03/another-shot-of-inktober-so-what-if-its.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2022/04/inktober-restrospective-2020-part-two.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2022/08/inktober-2021-starting-off-with-bang.html

All images are my original art

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Inktober 2021 - Starting Off with a Bang!

If you have read about my prior Inktober exploits (and I would like for you to! Links below), you know that I have fallen laughably short of completing the challenge of drawing a different ink drawing a day for the 31 prompts. Usually that is because either I don't start on Day 1, or because it just takes me too long on each drawing, so I start falling behind almost immediately. I do always get a few good drawings out of it, and hey, there's nothing wrong with that. 

For this past Inktober, though, I formulated a pretty good plan of attack. I decided to play to my strengths, which are: 1. coming up with ideas for the prompts and 2. establishing a quick pencil sketch. These would, hopefully, make up for my weakness, which is how dang long it takes me to get something inked.

The prompts for Inktober are released before October actually starts - at least a week or so. I belong to an Inktober group on Facebook, and there were quite a few people who just jumped the gun, beginning to post their drawings before the month even started, resulting in a lot of caterwauling from purists who insist on doing it "the right way", producing one drawing each day, on the day (the creator of Inktober said there's no "right way" to do Inktober and there are no rules. It's just a personal challenge). I do tend to agree that I don't want to see artwork too early, though, because I like to consider the prompts in a vacuum, coming up with my own ideas without having been influenced by anyone else's interpretation. Of course, the easy fix for that is to not look at the group's posts until I'm ready. 

So, time to launch my plan. When the prompts were released, I didn't start making ink drawings and posting them early. What I did instead was start doing rough after rough in pencil. Over that "preview" week, I drew the first nine prompts as pencil sketches and then started inking Day One, "Crystal", above (you can click on any picture to view it larger). Of course, the obvious picture would be of crystals, but the prompt made me think of the Marvel superhero Crystal. I wasn't interested in drawing her, specifically, but it got me in a superhero frame of mind, so I made up my own superhero, a witchy woman with a magical staff topped with a crystal ball and adorned with a few other crystals. 

I gleefully posted my drawing, finished the night before, on October 1st, and industriously started working on inks for the second sketch. Once again, I was able to post this one on time. The prompt was "Suit", and in the spirit of COVID, I did a sketch of a family wearing hazmat suits. This was based on a still of Dustin Hoffman and Renee Russo from the movie Outbreak, but I drew different people and added a child to emphasize how it affects everyone, regardless of age: 

My Day Three piece was also completed on time - a record! The prompt was "Vessel", and so I drew a spacefaring vessel. I decided to make it kind of cartoony and cute, with a lot of fins like a fish. I gave it a pretty, starry background, to give a little variety from the plain linework-on-white technique of the first two drawings: 

Pleased with my timely performance so far, I started on my fourth picture. The prompt was "Knot". Was I able to post that one on time...or knot? Stay tuned for the next installment! 

Here are the prior Inktober posts - check them out for more inky fun! 

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-little-backstory-on-inktober.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2020/10/inktober-2020-is-under-way.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2020/11/more-fun-with-inktober.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2021/03/another-shot-of-inktober-so-what-if-its.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2022/04/inktober-restrospective-2020-part-two.html

For regular shenanigans, please follow my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/allsortsofart

Inktober Restrospective – 2020, Part Two

Those of you who have been following my Inktober series already know that I am hilariously inept at getting through the whole thing or even reporting back in anything like a timely fashion. But since art is forever, that doesn't matter at all! So, here in 2022, let's talk about Inktober 2020! 

In Part One, https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-inktober-retrospective-continues.html , I covered the first four prompts of Inktober 2020, explaining what I chose to illustrate and why. This post will cover Days 5 through 9. You can click on any of the photos to see them larger. 

Day 5 “Blade” - hey, I made a funny! I think it's funny, anyway. Looking for a different way to illustrate “blade” than the obvious – a sword—I thought about blades of grass, helicopter blades, and then, wiper blades. And wouldn't you know, it came right back around to a sword. Not quite so obvious, though...

Day 6 “Rodent” - stand aside, Mickey Mouse! This is a Patagonian cavy, also called a mara, one of the world's largest rodents (along with capybaras and beavers). I actually used to take care of one at the exotic animal rescue that I volunteered at one summer, and he was an adorable thing, looking for all the world like a cross between a rabbit and a miniature deer. I really like to do wildlife illustration when I have enough time to do it justice, and I thought this came out pretty well. I did put a lot of work into it.

Day 7 “Fancy” - the dual meaning of fancy – something extravagant and magnificent and also something that is a flight of the imagination – made me think of the Black hairstyle competitions I've seen, with the models' hair shaped into creative, gravity-defying styles and adorned with decorations. I came up with a design that features flowers and dangling beads, with a dove perched on the top. The floral accents are echoed in her jewelry, as well. I'm not a hairstylist, but I think this would be fairly simple to construct on an actual model. It might even be considered too unchallenging, but I like it.

Day 8 “Teeth” - I wanted to create something more graphic for this prompt – and I don't mean graphic like gore, I mean graphic like graphic design. That is to say, I wanted to get away from my typical fussy, detailed inking style and create something with bold blocks of color and just a few important details with line. The result is somewhat like the minimalist, poster-style design that works by using the two-dimensional space in a dynamic way, instead of striving to recreate the semblance of a three-dimensional subject. It was a nice change of pace!

Day 9 “Throw” - an irresistible and obvious chance to sneak Wonder Woman in. I am rather shocked that I hadn't done it before! For this drawing, I used a pale-peach-colored art marker to add a little interest and depth.

And that, my friends, was as far as I got through Inktober 2020 - just the first nine prompts. Blimey! It was certainly better than the first couple of years, but in 2019, I'd managed to nail down 13 of them, although I didn't finish them all in October--or even in 2019! So hey, maybe there's hope for the remaining 22 prompts, yet!

...nah, probably not!

 

Anyway, if you haven't seen the other posts yet, please check them out:

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-little-backstory-on-inktober.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2020/10/inktober-2020-is-under-way.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2020/11/more-fun-with-inktober.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2021/03/another-shot-of-inktober-so-what-if-its.html

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The Inktober Retrospective Continues: 2020, Part One

Heyyy, about time, isn't it? Sorry, I've been super busy with the Big Ol' Bucket o' Useful blog, and I only have so much productivity in me. But today, I'm feeling ornery enough to post in both places, so yay! 

First of all, you were promised a finished version of the Dragon pic in my last article (here: https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2021/03/ ), which featured only a WIP (work in progress) picture of it. Here he is, in all his beastly glory! (Click on any photo to see it larger)

All right, that gets Inktober 2019 out of the way. I'm a bit behind, so without further ado, let's get on with Inktober 2020!

Day 1 “Fish” - This may remind readers “of a certain age” of Mr. Limpet, although I didn't really do the pic with him in mind. He certainly wasn't a Siamese fighting fish (not that this guy is, exactly – bettas don't have barbels); one presumes he was a limpet, after all. Also I don't believe he ever had a pipe. But don't worry—it's just a bubble pipe!

Day 2 “Wisp” - like most of these clever prompts, a "wisp" can be different things: a wisp of hair, a wisp of smoke...as usual, I did a deeper dive on the prompt, because it made me think of Will o' the wisp, which—hey--is actually where the jack o'lantern started. And, hey again, it's also related to the Japanese firefox, and, hey thirdly, the Brazilian fire serpent! So yeah, that's where all this came from. Makes a neat picture, I think.

Day 3 “Bulky” - I couldn't resist. If your mom ever bundled you up so tight in a snowsuit that you could barely move, you will understand this feeling. It was well-portrayed by Ralphie's little brother in the movie A Christmas Story.

Day 4 “Radio” - This is a pretty straightforward illustration of the concept, because I'm sentimental about it. It reminded me of my dad, who was born in the 20s and grew up listening to Big Band music and radio plays like The Shadow on a set that might have looked a good bit like this one (I used a photo of a vintage GE radio for reference). Yes, it is possible to have nostalgia for a time before you were even alive.

Stay tuned for more 2020 fun! 

Here are the prior Inktober posts, if you missed anything: 

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-little-backstory-on-inktober.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2020/10/inktober-2020-is-under-way.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2020/11/more-fun-with-inktober.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2021/03/another-shot-of-inktober-so-what-if-its.html

For regular shenanigans, please follow my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/allsortsofart

Artist's Block: Does It Help with Productivity to Join an Art Group?

 

Some time back, I wrote an article about how I was really struggling to produce original work, here: https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2018/02/i-dont-know-why-its-challenge.html

I felt like I was squandering my abilities and also wasting an opportunity to practice and improve them.

Fortunately, while cruising www.meetup.com for interesting groups, I happened upon something that helped a great deal: a local art meetup group that had just formed! Remembering how much my mom, also an artist, had enjoyed participating in her local art alliance, forging lasting friendships and producing amazing public artwork, I smashed that Join button like Wonder Woman punching a Nazi.

The meetup migrated to become a Facebook group, and we had events that ended up in my meeting members of another Facebook group of artists and joining that one, as well. Both groups would meet regularly at coffee shops or brewhouses to enjoy a beverage and work on art projects. I don't attend every meetup, but when I do show up, I enjoy it immensely. There is a lot to be said for sitting with creative people, enjoying each other's company and creative vibes, just chatting, sipping, and sketching.

This has helped me become more productive even when I'm not with the groups, as well, as we frequently post our work on the groups' Facebook pages for each other to enjoy and be inspired by. I have made good friends in the groups, and that also inspires me to create for them (and prods me to work on things so that I will feel like I am “keeping up”, at least a little.

My participation in the group is what improved my participation in Inktober, for example. I knew about Inktober before joining the groups, but I had only managed to put one or two drawings out in the initial years, as can be seen here: https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-little-backstory-on-inktober.html

However, the members of my drawing group are very enthusiastic about participating in Inktober, and I get swept up in it, too. The weekly drawing meetups are a great opportunity to work on the Inktober drawings, and it's always inspiring to see what my friends are producing for each prompt. I've enjoyed sharing my work on Facebook with them and have even joined a few online art groups to show off my stuff. There are so many fantastic artists whose work moves and inspires me! I'm in a much better place than before, and I'm grateful to Meetup, Facebook, and my artistic friends for the support and inspiration.

Image: My drawing of Imperator Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road. It's not a great likeness, but I did it in fifteen minutes. It was a blitz challenge to produce as many drawings from friends' suggestions as I could until I exhausted myself. I did SIX before I hit the wall! 

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Another Shot of Inktober (So What if it's March?)

 

I hope that you have enjoyed my previous posts about Inktober (see links below, if you want to catch up), and, as promised, I am following up with another batch of prompts and what ideas they inspired in me to illustrate.

My last installment got us up to Day 9 of 2019, because I am on a very slow roll, indeed, but never fear: We can finish the whole year right now, because I did not finish the entire 31 days. I did get up to Day 14, although one of those is still in the works (yes, I said “still”. You never have to say never with art, my friends). That said, however, 14 days (okay, 13 and a half) is still a magnificent showing, compared to prior years, so: quite proud of self, really.

Day 10, “Pattern” (above; detail shown here) – I loved this prompt, because it let me indulge my doodly side, and what I like doodling is vines, among other things. A fine black Sharpie, a green highlighter pen, and a medium-point red Sharpie were all I needed to create this rambling beauty.

Day 11, “Snow” - This pic was a fairly quickly-composed pencil sketch that languished in the sketchbook for quite a while before getting inked about a year later, during Inktober 2020. I'm not crazy about how certain areas came out, but this is all just fun, so, even lame results are still results.

Day 12, “Dragon”, is currently unfinished, but it's definitely not unstarted. I did a pencil sketch, which I started inking recently. Maybe I'll get it done before Inktober starts this year, maybe I won't, but I'll endeavor to bring it to you at some point; just try to keep up with the blistering pace of my blog posts so you don't miss it. Anyway, here's a WIP (work in progress) shot as a teaser:

Day 13, “Ash” - For this one, I didn't want to bother with a pencil sketch, just worked alla prima (that's art lingo for just throwing down, no sketch, underpainting, or other preparation). As you can see, I worked quick and loose to keep that fresh, sketchy feel.

We are now go for Inktober 2020. Maybe I'll even get to it before Inktober 2021 starts!  

Previous posts about Inktober:

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-little-backstory-on-inktober.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2020/10/inktober-2020-is-under-way.html

https://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2020/11/more-fun-with-inktober.html

For regular shenanigans, please follow my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/allsortsofart

More Fun with Inktober

Inktober 2020 has officially ended, but I still have so much to say and to show you! In the last post, I started sharing the drawings I had done for Inktober 2019. I started them when it was still October, but the month ran out on me. Nevertheless, there is no reason not to continue with the artwork, so I kept doing a little here and there all throughout the following months. Why not? It kept me making artwork, and I had complained in this post about how hard it is to be motivated to create when I don't have the pressure of a portrait commission and its attendant deadline. I enjoyed continuing "Yeartober" (maybe I should trademark that), and I will probably keep going. 

Now, on to the artwork: 

Day 6 - Husky (above)

I frequently do realistic animal illustrations, but I wanted to make a comical illustration of a husky dog. He's not extremely cartoony because I did use photo reference to ensure accuracy in coloration and general features. He's friendly-looking, though, isn't he? I wanted to make it all about those pointy ears and that giant schnozz! 

Day 7 - Enchanted

I enjoyed the addition of limited color in my day three picture, "Bait" (it's in the previous post), so I used the same transparent green color to add a little glow of magic. 

Day 8 - Frail

Okay, this one is a bit heavy and conceptual. The person pictured appears to be old and frail and clearly has wasted away in some dark dungeon for a long, long time. But we can observe that the frail hand could easily slip out of the large, loose shackle--and if that weren't enough, the shackle itself is connected only by a little paper chain. My attempted commentary here is that some people are imprisoned of their own volition or may feel trapped within a prison of their own mind. Maybe they have grown so accustomed to their situation that they don't take a chance to escape when one is presented. There are many factors that could come into play: fear, stubbornness, denial, delusion, depression, sense of duty.  

Day 9 - Swing

Another political cartoon, after years of NOT doing any! Well, it's been a pretty crazy year. The prompt "swing" made me think of "swing states", and so I drew North Carolina with a scale to depict how the state swings as voters decide to switch support from one candidate to the other. But North Carolina is often "Too Close to Call" right up until the very last vote is counted -- as can be seen this very day. 

I hope you have enjoyed the latest Inktober installment. I did a few more for 2019, which I will cover next time, before starting in on the 2020 work. Have you decided to illustrate any of the prompts yourself? 

For regular shenanigans, please follow my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/allsortsofart