"Inktober" - What The Heck Is It?
If you've been following my art for a while, you've probably seen "Inktober" pop up over the years during the month of October.
I've been participating in this challenge since 2017, so I thought it was time I gave you the inside scoop into Inktober and why it's so special to me.
A Worldwide art challenge
Inktober isn't a word I made up - it's actually a worldwide art challenge created by a guy named Jake Parker in 2009 (@inktober). He wanted to improve his inking skills and drawing habits, and today artists from around the world participate alongside him.
Every year, the official Inktober page posts a daily prompt for the month of October, and artists create a piece of art based off each daily prompt. My Inktober medium has evolved since I started in 2017, from pen and ink drawings in the early years to acrylic paintings now.
It's a Total Whirlwind, but so worth it.
The prompt list is released in September, right as we're finishing up with the amazing and crazy Minnesota State Fair. We pack up the booth, say goodbye to all or our awesome State Fair friends, and get right into it.
One of my favorite parts of Inktober is getting to brainstorm with my studio mates about ideas for each prompt. Some of the painting ideas flow super naturally, and I can picture exactly what the final piece will look like. Others take almost the entire month to figure out what the heck I'm going to do. And others I have a sketch figured out and ready to go, when at the last minute, someone has an awesome idea, and I completely change gears.
It's exciting and stressful and fun and a whooooole lot of work. And yes, totally worth it.
31 Paintings in 31 Days
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Layers on layers
After the panels get a coat of yellow underbase, I layout the sketch and start layering color on top. At any given time, I can be working on around a dozen paintings at a time at various stages of doneness.
Then to Now
When I first started participating in Inktober, I was sketching each prompt in my sketchbook. You might recognize this one that later became a screen print.
A Sold Out Collection 2025
We've released the paintings in many different ways over the years, and 2025 was the first year that we released all the paintings at once. They dropped on 10/31 at 10:31 am, and I sat at the computer in awe as the majority sold out in minutes. The entire collection of 31 paintings sold within one hour. It was incredible. We're always looking to you, the wonderful people who make it all possible, for ways to make Inktober fair and fun, and the majority of 2024 Inktober participants wanted to see all the paintings at once before making their decisions.
Past Fan Favorites
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8th floor - 2025
Prompt: Button
Down By The River - 2024
Prompt: Camp
Fire - 2023
Prompt: Fire
Flame - 2022
Prompt: Flame
