Wrapping up Inktober 2017 (Days 22 – 31)

Days 22 – 31 of Inktober this year were a bit of a blur. Around this time in any daily routine cycle, I find that the rhythm of repetition kicks in and kind of creates a period of “coasting” for a time until something provides a little jolt to re-energize my interest and commitment.

For me this is both a good and bad. For one, it makes me feel tired and less motivated for a time. But it’s also good because I realize that some of the things I once struggled with no longer give me as much guff (I hate guff).

Slideshow of artwork from Days 22 – 31:

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It could just be that the energy I invested in the 2-day spread on October 25 and 26 just burnt me out… it was a LOT of stippling overall.

In comparison, Oct 27 and 28 were probably my weakest and simplest drawings. I don’t hate them but I certainly like many others a lot more. The drawing I did on my husbands birthday was one of the better pieces, for example. Fortunately, October 29 was also football Sunday so I didn’t feel so guilty stepping into studio for a bit.

I had bigger plans for the last 2 days, in all honesty. I just wasn’t able to pull it off due to illness and deadlines. Something had to give. I had really wanted to do this image of the mourning dove cocking its head for the last work – it’s as though he’s curiously asking “What’s next?” – a question I don’t really know the answer to.

The possibilities for the coming months are really wide open. I’m working on creating dyes from kitchen items and local plants and this is pretty relaxing and fun. I also didn’t end up using my eco-prints for Inktober so they’re still sitting on my shelf in a lovey stack waiting for some love. And of course, there are two botanical posters waiting for some love. 🙂 For now though, it’s nice to take a short break and focus fully on my online responsibility for a week so that I can regroup and come back stronger.

I really love Inktober. It’s a great way to take on a personal challenge that you’re a little hesitant about because the community is so supportive that it is easier to stay motivated and on task. I discover so many new artists each year that I would have never found otherwise.

Personally I feel like I learned a lot about the devices I have and the documentation I’d like to create. The repetition made creating the daily videos something that didn’t feel like such a hassle and I’ll be a lot more likely to make the extra effort to create this type of content in the future.

So here it is – the full 31 days of drawings: