Inktober Reflections

Day 16- Summit

And that's a wrap on another Inktober. I loved participating this year and seeing how much the challenge has grown since last year. In terms of personal growth, I challenged myself to use colour with unlimited materials which has helped me develop my use of colour schemes and traditional materials that I don't get to use as much for uni projects. Last year I used sepia ink with helped me develop a better understanding of creating depth with light and dark. I like utilising the prompts to push myself to learn something new which I feel I have accomplished through this challenge. 

One of the reasons it is such a great thing for young creatives is the networking opportunities. This challenge is popular and appreciated worldwide, therefore, it's a great chance to connect with different people and see how they interpret the prompts in alternate creative practices. As I was following Sha'an d'Anthes AKA @Furrylittlepeach's creative prompt list rather than the original Inktober challenge, many people used 3D design, ceramics, animation and even photography to develop their practice, much like my approach with colour. 

Linking to the idea of networking, all the artwork gets put on the #peachtober21 hashtag so it increases the chances of people finding and following your account. It can be hard when there's so much competition online to find a following but it's something that takes time, and through doing these challenges, I've found like-minded people who have similar goals or are already commercial illustrators and artists. 

There were many artists I loved following through this challenge, one in particular was Magali Franov, an Illustration student based in Basel, Switzerland. I've followed her for a while but love how playful her work is, playing with traditional materials and character designs. Another artist was Papier Coton whose paintings were so incredibly vibrant and beautiful.

Magali Franov's Peachtober illustrations

Papier Coton's Peachtober illustrations

Overall, I'm glad I took part in this challenge. Even though it was a challenge juggling project work through September and October, it was so rewarding talking to new people and building more of a social presence. It also gave me the opportunity to dedicate time to developing new skills that can be taken into project work. Hopefully I'll have the time to take part next year too!

Day 30- Orange

Day 29- Bettle

Instagram.com. 2021. Magali Franov. [online] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/magalifranov/> [Accessed 3 November 2021].

Instagram. 2021. Papier Coton. [online] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/papier.coton/> [Accessed 4 November 2021].

Inktober. 2021. Rules & Prompts — Inktober. [online] Available at: <https://inktober.com/rules> [Accessed 13 October 2021].