Inktober Challenge 2018

What’s in the Water?

Similar to last year, in Inktober Challenge 2018 I’m drawing both the enjoyment and the damage that we cause to our beaches, oceans, and waterways. Only much larger. Last year I drew on small 3″ x 4″ cards, this year I drew on 4″x 6″ postcard sized paper. I didn’t plan on making a book again, so the format is more regular. Everything was drawn in pen and India Ink on vellum Bristol paper.

As I did in last year’s Inktober pieces, I put a lot of thought to each prompt and how I could relate it to enjoyment on water, its beauty, and environmental issues that may be hurting her. To read more about each drawing, look at my Instagram Profile where the captions explain them in detail.

I Enjoyed Inktober Challenge 2018

Drawing on larger pieces of paper was a lot less restrictive as the tiny pages were last year. They allowed me to add more detail to the subjects and in some cases broaden the layout. I did a lot of playing with textures this year, too. From smoke flumes, to reef beds, and a lot of water. Another newer aspect is the contrast. I tried to ad multiple layers to enhance the dark darks against pure white paper. I have a lot of favorites in this series of pen and ink drawings.

What’s Next?

Before October 1st I had only been drawing and painting in my sketchbooks. This series of drawings on cards had lit a fire under my butt. I want to create more pieces outside of the sketchbooks. Nothing elaborate, but more small canvases and loose sheets of paper. I’m also working on a larger commision on canvas that has been taking up a lot of my free time. Hopefully I will be done with it in the near future.