For those going for the Inktober challenge this year, how do you organize your time/drawing plan?
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For those who are doing Inktober this year, how do you organize your planning and drawing time now that the list has hit? Time is of the essence this fall, so I need to be ultra-organized. Any suggestions? I'm already with a sheet of blank thumbnail squares printed for each challenge, morning and evening hours set aside and dedicated, and all my supplies already on hand. Any other thoughts?
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@charitymunoz ~ I limited the size of my drawings to 4X6", which really cut down on the time required to complete each day's drawing. Good luck and have fun with it!!
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plan ahead, sketch ahead, get materials all ready. Practice the techniques you will be using. Then plan your days around easy/fast images and hard/time consuming images. If every image is a chore, you won't finish. If every image is a quick easy one, you wont be satisfied. Strive for balance.
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most important thing, dont forget to have some fun!
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I've never thought about sketching in September, or planning ahead of time outside of planning the day before. Last year was the first year I had heard about doing that, so depending on what kind of time I have this month I might try to do it! I do limit myself to a 5x7 sketchbook, and even though this is a controversial decision for some, I will also use Copic markers...but to challenge myself I tend to stick to black and white, and maybe 1-2 colored copic markers. This year since I'm doing a 1920s theme (because back when I was planning it, I though 2020 was going to be a fun year...), I'm trying to decide which one color I'll use.
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This is the first time I am participating. I started my sketches 7 days ago. My plan is to do one sketch a day in Sept. Right now I'm a head by a week, so have a little flexibility. I know it's too late for that, but maybe you can still get yourself ahead. It might take some of the pressure off and make it more fun.
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Great ideas! Thanks! I started by taking notes on my concepts for each prompt this week, and started thumbnails (I usually spend 1-2 weeks on thumbnails). Goal is to be sketching out the drawings by mid-September and staying a week "ahead of schedule" so I have some flexibility. I also usually look for a prompt or two that I can push together just in case. Organization is not my strong suit, especially after homeschooling and work each day. All it takes is my 3yo sleep-walking for a couple days straight and all sense of direction gets lost. I'm putting as many backups in place as possible so I can make it through. My husband and older 2 are all lined up and cheering so far. For some reason this seems a bit more grueling than the last two Inktobers that I've done. . .. that, however, could be said about anything happening in 2020 though.
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@charitymunoz Can you believe last year I did all 31 days? What seemed to get me through was researching, putting references in order on pinterest, and writing out a paragraph for each prompt throughout September.
My rule was to start and finish an ink drawing that day, so they weren't the greatest in quality. It really helps to articulate your goals for a particular year: mine last year was consistently hitting the deadline every day (quantity), and this year it's more about doing each one I can manage to do in a more consistent style (quality). Treating it like a bigger project got me organized, but you can also have a goal that relates to smaller projects, like trying out materials, and then you would just need to organize your materials.
With a sleepwalking 3 yo (ahhhhh stress!) I would probably use it to test the backups as a goal, just to see how they work. You sound pretty organized to me. Sometimes all we need is to arrange for some space to be messy about these things.
I don't want to compromise my goals because of the pandemic but distance learning is a creativity killer for me. -
I have such a big project planned that I actually did all my thumbnails at the end of August. But I'm going to do a short comic instead of using the promts this year. So I have started penciling final pages and I will ink one each day in October. I have managed to complete inktober a few years in a row so this year I wanted to turn into an actual project and I'm really excited about it! Push yourself and stick to your plan, Good luck!
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And to think, I felt bad for drawing stuff ahead of October two years ago
I took the rules literally and drew each prompt on their assigned day. But this year I’m going to follow your leads and plan/draw them throughout September. -
Man, I just fly by the seat of my pants and do it as the day happens. I'll spend around an hour and just see what works.
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@charitymunoz i’m not an inktober Expert but I did colmplete the challenge last year. What I did was plan before hand. Before Inktober started I’ve already made sketches that’ll last me for a few days. All I had to do is color them in when inktober came. When the sketches ran out, I made more sketches that’ll also last me for a few more days. It also helped that I chose a fairly simple prompt so that it won’t take me a lot of time everyday to complete. I’m joining again this year. I think I’m going to make a book. I’ve already decided on my theme. I think I’ll create 10 illustrations all in all. My target is to complete a piece every 3 days. I think I’ll start my sketches soon.
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This will be my first time joining in on the Inktober challenge (ink’s opaque permanency scares me
) but I am relieved to read that a lot of you are planning ahead because preparation will help fight my fear. I will flexibly schedule in my drawing time for the early morning after my workout. I’ve picked a theme that will help me develop a story idea and I’ve decided to keep the drawings small scale and to alternate between digital and traditional ink so that I can build both skill sets. This month I will collect references, practise with some fundamental mark making drills, watch the SVS inking classes and get on with some thumbnailing to give myself the best chance of following through with a good outcome 
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There’s a good lesson I’m learning in this thread. And it’s a obvious one — you can’t rush good art
Not sure why I had the idea that a good artist would whip something up in 5 minutes 31 times when regular illustration work benefits from time spent fleshing out thumbnail sketches, research, etc. The curse of social media and the myth that everyone is perfect online I suppose -
I know inktober is suppose to be 31 ink drawings, but there is no way I can fit this into my schedule this autumn, due to deadlines, covid situation, and life in general. But I really love inktober, it feels like a festival one month long for me. So I have made a modest version for me to join in.
- Post 2 ink drawings a week for this inktober.
- I want to try out some of Lee's inking experimental techniques. Looking forward the new class.
- I will try to sketch ahead.
Happy drawing, everyone.
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@xin-li same. i totally understand your situation. I’ve decided to only complete 1 piece every 3 days for my sanity’s sake.
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@lpetiti Love the idea of the 20s theme. Can't wait to see your work!
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@danielerossi I always challenge myself to do the inking on that day because I use challenges to improve my abilities and decrease my indecision/procrastination. As I push myself to move away from "safe" drawings, I need a bit more time to get the drawing right and do the research. Consequently, I sometimes do pencil work ahead of time. I think a lot of Inktober (or other challenge) process decisions are about what you want to get out of it. Also, to successfully complete a challenge you have to think about realistic time management. I can go from blank page to finished ink drawing in about two hours if everything goes well. IF...
And I don't always have two hours a day during October solely for this challenge. Just some things to consider. -
@xin-li a great goal!
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@Joanne-Roberts I'm excited to try it! I hope to start working on the ideas soon. I'm a teacher, so I haven't been able to work on my own art, and definitely feel like I've been missing out!
